The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-08-03
ALCER TO HISCRlTICS
The Retiring War Secretary
Makes a Statement.
PRESIDENT MADEWAR APPOINTMENTS
Recent Assertions OF the London
Times Had No Foundation In Fact.
ARcqucst That the Records
lie Ripidly Examined.


WASHINGTON Aug. 1.--One of the
last official acts of Secretary Alger, who
today relinquished his portfolio, was to
prepare statement covering several
matters regarding the conduct of the
war which have been the subject of criti-
cism in the public press, particularly with
reference to the appointment of staff oiii-
GERS in the volunteer army. The state
ment follows:
II am led to make the following state
ments on account of the many criticisms
which have been made by the public
press and especially on account of a re-
cent article which appeared in the Lon
don Times containing assertions which
have no foundation in truth.
AT the commencement of the war with
Spain and for several years prior to
that time the regular army consisted of
only $4,000 men, with the minimum num-
Der of officers prescribed by law. The
situation can be partially appreciated
when it is remembered that within go
days from the declaration of war the
strength of the army was increased to
275,000 men, and everything for the
equipment OF this great force, including
clothing, tents, transportation, medical
supplies, camps and camp equipage and
all that pertains to equpping an army
for service had to be manufactured,
transported and distributed for use.
"From the statement referred to the
public might be led to believe that the
volunteer army was oilicered by men Sc
lected through political influence by the
secretary of war 10y special favor and
without any regard to fitness for the du-
ties they We're to perform. AS is well
known. the volunteer force, with the eN-
ception of three regiments of engineers,
three regiments of cavalry and ten regi-
ments of immune infantry, was made up
of regiments from the various states, the
officers of which were all appointed ex-
clusively by the governors of the re-
spective states from which the regiments
came, and any officer found untitled for
service and discharged was replaced by
another in the same manner. The presl-
dent had no voice or control in the mat
ter.
The returns of the volunteer army
show that in August, 1898, there were
2O7. .244 enlisted men and S.IS5 officers in
those regiments. This, with the regular
army recruited up to the war strength,
made an aggregate force of about 2io,OoO
officers and men. The volunteer officers
appointed by the president numbered all
told 1892 OF this number AL were
taken from the regular army and 59l
from civil life. The number of regimen
tai officers in the regular service owing
to appointments in the volunteers, special
recruiting and mastering details, had
become so reduced that to have taken
q larger number for service with the vol
unteers would have seriously impaired
the efficiency Of the regular regiments.
"For little over a thousand appoint
ments made by the president the number
of applications was over $4,000, and each
application was accompanied by certif-
cate of his ability and in most instances
the military service either in the regular
army or state organization and not in
frequently in both. These certificates
showed that each one was as well quail
fed for the position he sought and to
which he was appointed as could be pos
sible for men in civil life in this country.
ut has been stated and repeated many
times that the secretary of war made
these appointments, when the truth is
that very few were made upon his recon-
mendation, although he caused the entire
list with the recommendations, to be
compiled and placed before the president
for his selection. | would be only too
RlNu 10 nave nuu tnc HOnOr 10 nave maue
these appointments. No better, no more
loyal or more patriotic set of men as
whole ever served their country, and
their appointments were a credit not only
to the appointing power, but to the coun-
try they served. There We're exceptions,
but that could not have been foreseen. In
every walk of life men are found who
cannot carry out successfully the work
they ha va unUprt kpu
Criticisms as to the amounts and
methods of expenditures which could i'm
ply the wrong or careless use of money
were also made by the London Times.
This charge is false. So far as the con-
duet of the service was concerned no
person with any knowledge of the facts
can ever charge truthfully and no one
can ever show that Il dollar was misap-
propriated, stolen or embezzled out of the
hundreds of millions of dollars that were
expended. The records are an open book
and | will be glad to have them rigidly
examined and ask my successor to open
those accounts to the country whenever
properly called for, in order that the en-
tire truth may be known"
hasl us.I.