The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-07-21
.ALGDR DOWN and out
The War Secretary Suddenly
Tenders His Resignation.

Tenders His Resignation.
MEIKLEJOHN TO ACT TEMPORARILY
no Immediate appointment Expected.
Algers Letter to BE Made Public With
the Presidents Acceptance-Michigan
Visit an Alleged Cause of Enhancement.
WASHINGTON, July 20.-Late yester-
day Secretary Alger rendered to the
president his resignation of the war
portfolio to become effective Aug. /,
though it was rendered sat the pleasure
Of the president. The president will
accept it.
Gossip has begun already as to his
successor, but is entirely speculative, for
Notwithstanding the reports that Mr.
Alger would not long continue at the
head Of the war department., his actual
resignation came suddenly and unex-
pectedly.
Formal acceptance Of the resignation
will be made in a letter to be written by
the president within the next day or
two. No official statement as to the
cause Of the resignation was procurable
either from the president or from Secre-
tary Alger, neither Of whom would talk
on the subject, nor was the letter of
resignation obtainable.
For the present nothing viii be made
public concerning the severance of the
relations Of the president and his war
minister, but latter on the off cial COR
respondence closing the latter's career
as chief of the war department will
doubtless be given to the press.
The belief had prevailed in Washing
ton for some time that Secretary Alger
would resign from the cabinet, but the
date generally set for it was toward the
end of the year, after he had submitted
his annual report, in which he intended
to sum up what had been accomplished
during his brief but eventful direction
Of the war department.. Its tender then
had been regarded as almost a foregone
conclusion, in view of Mr.. Alger's an
nouncement about a month ago that he
had concluded to enter into competition
for the vacancy in the United States
senate to be caused by the expiration of
the term Of Senator Mcmillan, strong
supporter of the administration, and
that he had enlisted i'll his active sup
port Governor Pingree, to whom had
been attributed free criticisms Of the
policy that was supposed to be cherished
by the president toward the Filipinos.
Strained Relations Hinted At.
There have been many explanations
and denials of the facts in that case,
but in the end the impression was con-
veyed that the result Of the Michigan
visit Of the secretary had been to change
the relations between the president and
himself to such a degree as to make the
restoration of their former status i'm
possible and to render the connection of
the two as part of the same official fam
lily impossible.
At one time since then has there been
ground for the belief that a rupture
might be avoided, but this belief ceased
to be held when the news spread that
Vice President Hobart and Secretary
Alger were in conference at Norman.
hurst. It was largely at least as q re.
suit Of this conference that Secretary
Ager decided to leave the cabinet at
this time.
At the conference there were present
besides Secretary Alger, his military
aide and close personal and political
friend and adviser, Major Hopkins, and
perhaps some other persons or person
who also felt q deep interest in the
future of the secretary. There has been
no disclosure of what passed by the sea-
side, but it is significant that the return
of the secretary to Washington was fol-
lowed by prompt action.
He arrived in Washington Tuesday
night, too late to make any official calls.
Almost before the executive depart
ments were opened for business Wednes-
day he called at the white house, and Wis
iting the president in his office, an
nounced that he had concluded to re-
sign his Office. What passed on that
point between himself and the president
is only a matter of surmise,
for neither have anything to
say on this point. Some routine bust
ness pertaining to the war department
was disposed Of, and then Mr.. Alge1
went to his Office, where he wrote out
his formal letter of resignation and
personally carried it over to the White
House. His call on this occasion was
brief and when he returned to the wal
department he closed the door of his
Office to most of the many callers who
were in waiting and had long confer
ence with Adjutant General Corbin.
To the newspaper men who sought to
secure some expression from him the
secretary was courteous but firm. AT
his residence in the evening the score
tary was equally uncommunicative and
positively declined to assign any reason
for the action he had taken.
Meiklejohn to Take Charge.
His plans for the future have already
been defined. Mr.. Meiklejohn, the as
sistant secretary of war, is at present
supposed to be in Wisconsin. He has
been notified Of what has happened anG
Is expected to return to WASHINGTON IN