The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-05-21
RUN BY ARMY OFFICERS
General AIger Is Not a Real Sec.
rotary of War.
ONLY AN OFFICIAL FIGUREHEAD.

Army Officers Advise the Secretary
What to Do and He Does It-No Secre-
tary of War Since the Days of Edwin M.
stanton-Army Officers Experts at De-
| ceit-senator Mcmillan Goes Home.
Washington, May 1S.-"There has been
| no secretary of war since the days of
Edwin NJ Stanton" says an old en-
| ploye of the war department. He con-
tinued: 1.-THE army officers have abso-
lutte control Of the department. and they
| simply run the secretaries Of war as
| they would fly kites. That is what they
are going to do with General Alger.
| They have already got him in their
meshes. No man can come into the war
department and be a real secretary of
war as things now exist
But General Alger is business man
and knows how to run business. He
will be secretary of war;"
mot on your life. Alger is not in 1t.
The fact that he is good business man
makes it worse for him. He has been
accustomed to fair dealing and prompt
methods. He knows only specifically
the intricacies of the war department.
He depends upon the army officers
about him and takes the word Of each
officer on all subjects. They tell him
certain things and he acts according to
the information which they give him.
They are playing into each others hands
as they have always done. General AL
ger is simply acting as their official fig
urchead. He is doing what they ad-
wise him to do. That is what all secy
retaries of war do, and what they will
continue to do until the army officers
are sent to their posts on the frontier
and civilians officials are put in their
places as they are placed at the heads
of the various bureaus of the other ex-
ecutive departments of the government"
Under Domination of Army Officers.
But the chief clerk of the depart
ment is a civilian"
Eyes, but he has been chief clerk for
many years, and he knows that the
army officers run the department so
that he will do as they bid him to do,
or off goes his head. He and the as
sistant' secretary of war are civilians,
but they are under the domination Of
the army officers, and they will continue
to be under such domination. General
Alger cannot be secretary of war as
long as he is surrounded and misdi-
rected by the army officers That tells
the whole story
1t is singular fact that General AL
ger, although nominally secretary of
war, and perfectly capable of managing
that department, is practically bucked
and gagged by the army officers. They
fawn and flatter. They are experts in
deceit They are trained to "crook the
pregnant hinges of the knee, that thrift
may follow fawnng" That is part of
their life and purpose That man is
lucky who can be secretary Of war and
go forth from the position without
smirching.
There never was better man in that
high office than William W. Belknap
of iowa, who was secretary of war dur
ing President Grants administration.
He had been a gallant major general in
the volunteer army. But ne went forth
from the war department with a cloud
upon his record which was only dispelled
when death placed upon his suffering
brow the wreath Of Oblivion and the old
soldier was buried in Arlington National |
cemetery.
A Keen business Man.
General Alger is a keen business man, |
but he never before dealt with sharpers |
on their native heath. The war depart |
ment man who told me the above story |
has been in the department for fully |
thirty years and he knows all absut the |
department from cellar to attic roof. |
The army officers are running the place, i
h. oh t.
simply following their lead by giving |
approval to routine business as it is |
laid before him by the army officers. He |
cannot do otherwise. No secretary Of |
war could do otherwise. But if General |
Alger has his eyes opened, and can real
lie his environment, he will work last |
ing reform by inducing the president to ,
send the army officers to their regiments |
in the field, and in their places have CIV
Hans appointed 10 perform the clerical |
and executive duties
Keep this item IN your scrapbook and |
have it on hand for future reference,
and you will find in a year or two that |
the statements herein made will be fully |
verified by forthcoming occurrences at |
Washington, for unless General Aiger |
can get rid OF the army officers who |
dominate the war department he will be |
only figurehead secretary of war-and |
l. that tell you, am counted among his |
personal friends.
George Farr of Grand Haven has been |
appointed collector of customs for the |
Michigan district and James A. Coye Of |
Grand Rapids has been made surveyor |
Of the port at Grand Rapids Thus the |
president has taken satisfactory action
for the western part Of the state so far |
as customs are concerned.
Vacancies mt Port Huron and Marquette.
There win be vacancy at the port |
of Port Huron Aug. IS and at Marquette |
Sept. 2S but nobody has any idea who |
will pick the plums Cor these places. |
The senator's are already being besieged |
and the officeseekers each believe that |
they must have success or make trouble. |
Senator Mcmillan has done what the |
big man from Iowa, Senator Allison. has |
done He has left the cares of legfsla- |
ton behind him and gone home for a |
season OF rest. There has been a luil |
for a week. but the taniff battle will be- |
gin at once and IL will wage and rage |