The times., 1898-09-24
The Alger Issue.

Senator Hanna emerged from a four
months retirement Immediately after
the shooting ceased to say that the
Republican party would make the war
the main tissue" in the Congressional
and State campaigns. What question
could be raised in relation to the war
was not obvious. Nobody had been
more ardent for war than conspicuous
Democrats, and nobody enlisted with
more haste and joy than Democrats.
Still, Senator Hanna affirmed that il
was Republican war because the Re-
publican Administration had carried il
to quick and glorious ending and
should have the reward of it's skill and
success.
Then there came into the port of New
York a transport filled with wounded
and sick soldiers whose recital of their
experience brought tears to the eyes
and anger to the hearts of the Ameri-
can people. Other transports followed
and each seemed TO rival the first in
the horrors to which our brave boys
had been subjected. Then came revela-
/ tions of starvation and preventable
! sickness and death: tales of the most
appalling defects in the transportation,
| the quartermaster. the commissary. and
the medical services, showing degree
| of incompetency and neglect unparal-
| leled by anything in the Civil War of
nearly forty years ago. AT the same
time. our soldiers in the camps within
the boundaries of our own country and
within easy reach of cities where sup
plies of all kinds were abundant were
suffering and dying from the lack of
! proper food. from q lack of care for
health in the formation of the camps.
from lack of necessary appliances to
preserve the health and 10 treat the
sick in hospital. There was unim-
! peaehable evidence of the astounding
| inefficiency Of horse and dog doctors
into whose hands were placed the
precious lives of heroes; of the almost
| incredible neglect of bureaus of the
War Office to honor the acquisitions of
1 those in charge of the camps.
Naturally the country expected Sec
retary Alger to arise in righteous wrath
and bring TO swift exposure and pun
ishment his subordinates who were
guilty of the incompetency and indif-
ference. He did not arise. When the
people ragged and clamored for the
| bringing of the criminals to justice, he
merely denied it all; defended the guilty
and said it was all the base fabrica-
tion of a degraded newspaper press.
This increased the popular indignation
and directed il against Secretary Alger
himself, but his only reply was a fatu-
Gus letter to the eternal Depew, reciting
the achievements of his superlative de-
partment. Then the public turned to
the President. Since his Secretary of
War had no just conception of the
crime and of the depth of feeling of
an outraged and betrayed people whose
love for their soldiers is intense, the
Presidents duty was clear. Whatever
may be thought of his proposed inves-
tigation-which will not be completed
until after the elections-it cannot be
denied that he seemed reluctant to take
any account of the cruel wrongs of the
young men who had been so confidently
instrusted to his care.
That the people would make the cleo
tions their opportunity to show the in
dignation that filled their souls seemed
a matter of course. 1t was from fore
boding of this that the Republican
party has anticipated the popular
movement by itself making an issue of
the war, claiming for itself a glorious
victory against Spain. and decrying the
stories of suffering and death from
neglect and incompetency as the par
tisan creations of Democrats. To fol-
low this course. since Secretary Alger
still holds his high office 1t is necessary
to indorse and defend the head of the
War Department. 1t is fitting that the
Republicans of his own State, where
his enormous contributions to the
party funds have made him supreme,
should be the first to strike the key
note There is section of the brief
platform that is devoted exclusively TO
the Endorsement of Secretary Ayers s
administration of the war and his care
of the soldiers.
This commits the Republican party
/ to an approval of whatever unpunished
wrong has been done to the nation
= heroes-comnnlIs it formally and COM
1 pletely. Senator Hanna was a true
! prophet.