The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-11-03

the government lands could tell strange
tales II summoned before grand Jury.
Several years ago Senator John
Sherman, a great Republican author
ity, wrote a book, in which he charges
this Mr.. Alger with being corruption
list, charges him with the crime of cor
rupting Republican delegates who had
been chosen to go to a national con-
vention.
He thus charges him with being
man who by corrupt means inter-
, fered with the natural and proper
workings of Republican government,
and doing things which tend to destroy
Republican institutions.
well, in the spring of 1896 this Mr..
Alger Joined hands with Marcus Aurel-
ius Hanna of Cleveland, O., who has
impressed himself upon the American
people as being the greatest debauchcr
Of American manhood and citizenship
and as having done more to undermine
and destroy free institutions in this
country than any other man.
"Mr. Alger thus assisted in bringing
about the nomination Of William Nc
Kinley. How much money he spent in
doing this and whom he debauched I
do not know.
"Mr. Sherman is silent on the sub
ject But after Mr.. Mckinley was in
augurated, then, to the astonishment
of the American people, he, as mat
ter of gratitude and favoritism to the
man who had helped him, appointed
this Mr.. Alger to the head of the war
department-that department in which
were supposed to be on file charges
signed by some of the most prominent
officers in the army to the effect that
this Mr.. Alger, although the favorite
of the president, was not the man to
handle military affairs.
Dudes and Incompetents Appointed.
Now, we will go back to the war
department AS soon as the war was
declared, that class OF people who had
opposed it to their uttermost rushed
to the front with fierce determination
to get all the money and all the ad-
vantage and all the offices that were
to be had.
I'm every war the matter of furnish
Ing supplies to an army Is Of greatest
Importance, for upon 1t depends not
only the comfort. health and the fight
ing qualities, but the lives of the men,
and instead of appointing to the places
In the quartermaster's department and
In the commissary department and in
the medical department experienced
and capable men, the president filled
these departments with dudes and in
competent sons of rich or influential
fathers.
'It was pure question Of favoritism
from beginning to end. The appoint
ment of the secretary of war had been
a question of favoritism, using the
great department of the government
to favor man to whom he was un-
der obligation, and now the welfare of
the army and the interests of the
American republic were again lowered
to the plane of favoritism. The great
Republican journals at that time pub
lished the official acts of the govern
ment from day to day. Go and re-
read them. They are full of meaning
! now.
! "The American people rose to the
heights of lofty patriotism. Party
lines were obliterated; sectional diff
ferences were overlooked.
Divisions of sentiment that had ex-
listed for 100 years all disappeared. In
one grand Offering the nation arose
and gave It's noblest sons to the serv-
Ice Of the country.
Patriotism of tho People.
"They went forth In vigor, with high
hopes and noble resolve. They showed
the world how the children of q re-
public will rally around the affairs OF
their country. In all over 200, 900 men
entered the service as volunteers;
only few of them ever reached for
eign soil, the great majority Of them
never left the United States; they
the Union, right In their own country
surrounded by friends, where there
was no enemy, where there were rail-
roads, and where everything that is
necessary for the health or the COM
fort Of man, when he is we'll or when
he is sick, could easily and quickly be
furnished, and yet in every one of
these camps they found themselves
the victims of neglect and incompe-
tency.
There Is not time to give the ex-
perierce of those who were we'll and
were forced to go hungry, and can
only glance at the treatment of the
sick
Recently the Chicago Tribune pub
lished an abstract of a report made to
the surgeon general of the army by
one of the most prominent surgeons
in this country, relating to the hos
pital at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga
First, in hospital having more
than 500 patients. there was for weeks
only one drug clerk on duty at time
Oftentimes prescriptions written at s
in the morning were not filled till late
In the evening, and the men lay there
all that time, neglected and suffering"
Second, there was an utter absence
of everything necessary for the care
of the sick
"Third, at no time was there suf-
ficient tent room to make the sick at
all comfortable. for they had to be
crowded together, like sardines in a
box. with heads against the tents
Fourth, the cots were SO crowded
that there was no room to stand be-