Evening journal., 1898-09-07
LETTERS FROM TAE PEOPLE
rHE HOS. RussEIA A. AnaER.


necessarily adverse comment that has
been levelled. and which still continues
to be levelied, at the head Of the Secre-
tary of War, Russell "A. Alger, will
eventually recoil upon the heads of
those who have indulged therein, either
for the sake of politics or for some
other equally Oibroxious reason, is as
sure as that day and might will in
variably sequence each other. 1t may
te said that when a Name is on the
public mouth the public tongue likes
to slander it.; and II may still further
be said that the Hon. RUSSELL A. Al-
ger is at this moment enjoying the dis
tinction OF detract.on. The foolish talk
and senseless editorial gush recently
!ndulged i'm, coupled with the ridiculous
structures passed upon the methods CT
the War Office, not only display an all
together unseemiy political animus,
but they remind one very forc,bly OF
the intantile chatter OF a parcss OF
gossiping women who are merely bern
to suczle fools and chronicle small
beer" Mr.. Alger is, as we understand
it, a man who, when accepting office,
re.inquished, for the time being, the
infinite distraction Of large and import
amt private interests in order to give
his country the benefit Of his larger
and riper experience in matters apper-
tanning to d g particular portfolio or Of
fee And, by the way how many mem
are there in this country whose So
called patriotism would induce them
to sacrifice both time and money, as
Mr. Algtr has done in order to at
tempt to further the better interests OF
either civic or national affairs? Our
observation inclines us to the belief
that the number CT such men-we, of
course, refer only to the members Of
the leisure or wealthy c,ass-is dis
tressingly small. Therefore the charges
recently preferred against Mr. Alger
concerning his management OF the
military end Of the late war. even ad-
mitting these charges to contain a few
unimportant grains of truth, are moth
ing more nor lcss than one great ava
.anche OF malicious vitupsration.
In the first place, we doubt very
much if there was ever a war-eitheI
domestic or foreign, and taking into
consideration duration and the unto
ward circumstances environing the
land forces-in which the money ex.
penditure was less, and which resulted
as did the late war, in a smaller sacri-
fee of human life. DO these vihfers
Of each and every act of Mr.. Alger i'm.
sgine that a war against another
Power, even though that Power b'
; comparatively weak and easy Of amt
hilation, must necessarily be attendel
by MO loss OF life whatever except b!
i implements Of war? These enemies o
Mr.. Alger are precious set OF igno
ramuses if they imagine that all th'
deaths in any one domestic or foreign
/ I
or the shell. It will be very readily
admitted that the first Napoleon knew
thing or two about the game Of war
What, then, can be said about his man.
agcment of the war with Russia, wher
the French soldiers died not singly, bu
by the thousands, amid the rigors Of an
adverse climate? What about th'
management of the Crimean War
when one was able to wade ankle-deel
in blood in the various hospitals, onl.
TO find that hundreds and hundreds G
D the flower of the contesting armiei
were dying like veritable cattle, un
tended and uncared for? Why, tn
suffering and hardship OF tn
recent Spanish American War-al
: Of which was, and eve
will be. incidental to war-were mer
child's-p.ay when compared with tn
e suffering and hardship caused by th
errors oh6racterizing other and NOR
favorably conditioned wars. No huma
mlnQ is SulilCltullg SOutlht " NC esD-
to anticipate and frustrate each al
Z every untcward event. And Sacre
: tary Of War wculd have to be NOR
q than mortal to issue orders, evel
though they be of the wisest characte
i and expect those orders to be carrie
e out by each individual comm.ssar!
n either at hcme camps or on the en-
emy's ground.
Again, it has been alleged that be
cause the navy was almost, if not en-
- tirely, free from disaster. and becaus
: the navy was almost free from sicl
ness. the land forces ought to have n
n manned in a similar condition. A
e. such allegations are made by thos
e who willfully and purposely fail to r'
A member that at the corCmencement ,
10 the SpanishAAmerican War the Unite
States Navy had its full complement
its perfect discipline. In other word
- the navy needed no expansion. On n
p other hand, the United States Arm