The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-25
STILL THE INVERTEBR ATE.

If any doubt existed in the mind of
any one, friend or foe, Republican or
Democrat, of the supineness of the man
who now occupies the presidential chair,
this incident of Ayers resignation the
manner of it's doing should remove it.
There have been some weak men in that
chair, but none so weak as it's present
occupant Presidents have heretofore
asked members of their official family to
resign, but we recall no case where one
went about it in so indirect, unInanly
way as was this taken by the president
Pingree says it was almost cowardly"
1t was not that: ii was simply the eva
siVe manner taken by man unwilling to
face an unpleasant duty forced upon him
by public opinion. First, Secretary Hay
is sent to ask Vice President Hobart to
inform the secretary of war that the
president would be relieved were he to
resign. Upon his declining Attorney Gen
eraI Griggs goes on a similar mission to
the same person; secures his consent;
A!ger is asked to meet Hobart; Hobart
tells him what the president wants, and
then Alger resigns.
1t did not require much backbone, IN
der all the conditions that have prevailed
for year, e enable president of even
less than average strength of character
to ask for the resignation OF such an Off
ciaI as Alger has been. There followed close
upon the declaration Of war, there was,
in fact, in the preparations made for war
before congress authorized it, ample
proof of incapacity, # nothing worse II
was no giants task 20 make these prepa-
rations. 1t is as easy to equip fifty regi-
ments as one. Cal Brice, asked if the
management of his railroad system was
not a great strain. replied that it was as
easy TO drive a 100000 horse as a 81. 900
one. Any man with good administrative
ability and scrupuIous honesty would
have turned off the work of organization
methodically and easily. Then followed
the scandals, the suspicious, where there
were not direct charges of jobbery. and
the shameless favorftism displayed in all
directions. Any man of gumption, even
if he disbeHeved the reports, even if he
thought the secretary was doing the best
possible if ne cared for plainly expressed
public opinion, could have frankly said
to his secretary that the attitude of the
country towards him embarrassed the
administration, and his resignation would
relieve the administration
This roundabout method of getting Al
ger out of the cabinet comes to confirm
the suspicious of weakness caused by the
treatment of sherman while it has not
the dastardly character of that proceed
ing. How much Hanna has been behind
the refusal of the president to act on the
public charges against AIger until the
latter offended by his alliance with Pin
gree is not known, but in the case of
Sherman McKinley's backbone yielded
readily to the push of his manager,
whose appetite for public station was
quickened by his taste of politics, and
who wished to sit in "the finest gentle
mems club in the world" where "some
are senators because they are rich and
some are rich because they are sena-
tors" That sorry chapter, the appoint
ment of Sherman as secretary of state,
the vacation of his senatorial seat and
the appointment of Hanna to it; the in
spired storieso Shermans ''seniHty." and
finally the forced resignation come
freshly to recollection now that this lat
est illustration of executive supineness is
given the country. Even the most ardent
hater of Cleveland must sigh for the
presence of his stiff backbone in the chair
of the nations chief executive