The times., 1898-10-07
FRIDAY. OCTOBER I. 1898.
Excluding the Press.

Up to this time the public has been
good -natured in its views of the Alger
Relief Commission Indeed, people
were inclined to be sympathetic. while
extracting some amusement out of the
thing. The popular idea was that a
number Of amiabIe gentlemen were
placed In an unpleasant and. on some
accounts, a ludicrous situation. through
their kind response to the very urgent
request Of the President, with whom
most Of them are on friendly if not init
mate terms. He was the more pressing
because several shrewd persons, fore
seeing the inevitable difficulty of
achieving satisfactory results and being
indispOsed to serve a Seer -tary of War
who has been. at the least. weak and
inefficient, had declined. even under
pressure. The decision Of the Commits
sioners that Secretary Alger's request
imposed on them the duty Of compila
tion Of the department. business in the
war. was ridiculous and suspicious. but
II was passed over without the severe
comment 1t seemed to deserve. AS long
as the members were merely the inno-
cent victims of Secretary Algers
scheme Of having his tremendous la
bors advertised and of the Presidents
desire 70 escape condemnation for the
retention Of his war secretary. all the
proceedings were treated with gentle
ness and an appearance OF gravity.
But the Commissioners have mot
proved themselves entitled to special
III IL
seems to be over all. That these gen
tlemen, long prominent in our public
life. should be anything less than
honest with themselves and with the
public. is q painful surprise. They de-
termined to exclude the newspaper re-
porters from their meetings, for what
reasons we may all guess with some
approach to accuracy. 1t was their
right to do this. and, in doing it, their
duty TO bear the only construction rea-
sonabie and reasoning people could put
on it, Now. here is where they reveal
a disposition that is not admira ble-a
disposition to deceive the public. They
give as tkeir excuse for excluding the
newspaper reporters that there is not
room enough. II that were the true
cause Of so important and significant
a decision. they would get a meeting
place where there would be room.
There could be no trouble about that,
and the President, in his instructions as
published, expressed his willingness to
do anything in his power to meet their
requirements.
Or, if the expense of a larger room is
an item of consequence, the press
would cheerfully assume the burden.
In fact, one newspaper, the New York
World, offered to them their choice of
seven different places, free of all cost
There could be no objection to any of
the rooms so freely proffered for their
use. AS they declined the offer which
would remove the obstacle in the way
Of admitting the press. there is only one
inference-thRt the lack of room is not
the true cause of the exclusion, and the
statement that it is is intended to de-
ceiye. This is not worthy of the Com
missioners, unless they have resolved to
sacrifice something more than their
time to the relief Of the President.
There is not the least doubt that the
situation is very grave for the Admin
istration, since ii has resisted the
strongest demand the American people
have ever made on a President. That
the Commissioners would go at their
labors like eager prosecutors was not
expected; nobody supposed they would
undertake to work UP more of a case
against Secretary Alger than the un-
avoidable revelations would make The
way in which the questions asked OF
General Wheeler were framed showed
that. Yet only the more suspicious of
people supposed they would fear TO be
strictly honest with themselves and the
public in giving reasons for their ac-
tions. Besides, nothing is gained by it.