The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-02
HAWTHORNE ON AlGER.
Confidence I'm the Government Trembling
ON the Brink.

-
Confidence In the Government Trembling
On the Brink.
Julian Hawthorne, in the New York Jour
From what i have been able to gather OF
Mr.. Ayers character from his acts dur
ing this war. his remarks are just what
/ should have expected of him. Whether
he is corrupt or merely incompetent, 1t is
not for me to say. ] trust we shall all
know before long. But his own words
show him to be as yet unconscious OF the
full seriousness of his position and of the
nature of the feeling in his country about
what has been done and not been done to
our soldiers. He wants to smooth things
over and hush them up. So does every one
in any way connected with the scandals
and outrages that have occurred. But the
relatives and friends of the soldiers who
have suffered do not wish them smoothed
over. hushed up or explained away. They
want the guilty persons punished. begin
ming with the head of the war depart
ment, II he be guilty. and going down to
the steward OF the Mobile, IL he be guilty.
Mr.. Alger went to Camp Wikon because
In my opinion. he was afraid TO stay
away. He made haste to divert public an
ger from himself and from those for
whose malfeasance in office he is RESPONSE
BILE, because he was responsible for their
appointments. Says MIR. Alser:
I'm not disposed to c~riticise an indi-
vidual instance, because during the past
two days there has been a great change
for the better at the camp
Yes: the rascals stopped stealing and
bullying when the constable's lantern was
turned on them. But shall they therefore
be excused for what they did just be-
fore?
l find one honest sentence in this inter-
view with Mr.. Alger, and that is one
which he meant dishonesty. He said:
II tell YOU / shall be the happiest man
In America when all these sick boys have
recovered and are safe in their homes
once more"
He will be happy because he thinks or
hopes that when the boys are safe at
home popular indignation will simmer
! down. His happiness will not be dashed a
lot by the thought that or all those
boys who will never recover ana never
go home because they are dead through
the corruption and Incompetence OF him.
self or those of his subordinates whom ne
appointed. He is cheerful about them, pc
cause they "are things of the past
But II may happen that when the boys
have recovered and are safe at nome,
Mr.. Alger will find his happiness rudely
disturbed. Until they are mustered out
of the service OF the United states they
cannot bring charges against their supe-
riors. But when they are once more free
citizens they can do 1t. and / have reason
TO think they will. Then we shall learn
among OIneT lllIlBSs Nv NANN pfN
charges against the conduct on the nelo
Of battle of the list volunteers. We SHAH
hear who were missing on that day at
San Juan and why.
We shall discover who were the ohicers
who systematically robbed the men unoer
their charge, and treated them, not IKE
soldiers, but like dogs and beasts OF bur-
den.
who appointed these officers? Who sup
norted them? Who screens them nowT
Let us have their records, not as they ap-
near on the doctored official returns, out
in the living witness OF men VINO saw
their cowardice before the enemy ana
their crimes in camp.
There are many thousand such men
thew are not dead; they have not all been
bought off or inundated; they will bear
testimony, and their testimony VIII DC
true.
Supposing we were TO find ourselves
confronted with another war? When the
president called for 200, 900 volunteers 10
light against Spain he got them sooner
han he could use them. Does he thlnh
no could get them again to-day If the out
RACES which have been committed on theH
are allowed to go uninvestigated and uh'
nunIshed? Does he think he can raise an
army who's deadliest foes are found II
their own camps-on their own soilE -.
The nation has had a shock whlch II
viii not forget. There will be no moro vol
unteers under this administrator unles'
this administration shall show itself reso'
lutte to follow up the malefactors 10 thel
last ditch and exact from them the utter
most recompense. Their punishment VII
not bring back to life those whom theA
nave destroyed, but II Will snow tne ha
ton that its government Is not in League
with the criminals and may restore I'M
confidence which is now trembling on tn
brink of extinction.