The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-27
MANTLE DEFENDS Al GER
The Hue and Cry Manufactured
for Partisan Purposes.
GOOD MAN IN MANY WAYS
His Was Difficult Position and He
Was Blamed for Many Things for
Which He Was Not Re-
sponsible.

Ex-senator Mantle stopped at Helena
a rev days ago on his way to Wallace,
ldaho, TO join the subcommittee of the
congressional industrial commission
and was interviewed by the Independ-
ent on the subject of politics and the
| conduct of the war by the Mckinley
administration. He was asked what he
Thought of the chances of President
Mckinley in the coming campaign,
| There is no doubt in my mind he
SAID, from all the indications that I
can see, that he will be renominated
| by acclamation."
What will be his chances for cleo
tion?' the senator was asked
1T is too early to answer that ques-
tlon satisfactorily" was the reply. "A
great deal may happen within the next
year"
Has the retirement of Secretary AL
ger helped the administration in the
eyes of the country generality"
Il think that Secretary Alger has
been blamed a great deal for matters
that he was not responsible for re-
piled the senator "and that great
deal of the hue and cry against him
has been manufactured for partisan
republican papers have Joined in the
hue and cry and that some republicans
have been associated in the opposition
to Mr.. Alger. There are always some
like that. If he had been a democrat
it would have been the same some of
the papers and men of his party would
have been opposed to him. There is a
disposition sometimes to show that one
is exceedingly impartial in ways that
lead to excessive displays of zeal. A
man may stand so straight that he
leans backward
Il have never thought that Mr.. AL
ger was just the right man for the
place. He is good man, in many
ways, but he is more of a politician
than statesman. / say that not
meaning to reflect upon the good quail
ties that he does possess.
1t is true that at the outset the poll
ticians had a good deal to do with the
appointments made at the beginning of
the war. Much of the cause of COM
plaint that arose during the modifying
of the troops and the three months of
the war was due to the fact that in
competent men We're appointed to Of
fees. Yet Mr., Alger was not to blame
for that alone. In my opinion, congress
is as much to blame as any one The
legislation on the organization of the
army made it possible, and during the
time that the appointments We're being
made there was not a time when the
congressman and senators were not
constantly and eternally at the war Of
flee seeking appointments and positions
for their friends, appealing, demanding
the naming of favorites, to places in the
army. You could have seen that, any
morning at 10 o'clock by going to the
war offices. Half of the house and half
or TIE senate would be there seeking
the secretary of war, the assistant sec
a sU- IA inc
authority. Alger was in a difficult po-
Stion. The appointment of the Officers
sT the new. army, of the body of men
needed in it's executive affairs, in the
manner in which it was appointed, WAS
made possible by the laws passed by
congress. 1t was largely forced upon
Mr.. Alger. From the time the first call
for volunteers was issued until the very
end he was importuned day and night
and not by any one party alone, but
by republicans, democrats, silver re-
publicans, populsts and independents.
If the condition is to be entirely rene
died we will have to changethe legisla-
ton that is the basis of the. formation
of the army
"Under all the circumstances, how
ever, it is perhaps best that Mr.. Alger
did resign. 1t will put a stop ITO the
hue and cry, whether true or false"
rs the policy of the administration
with reference to expansion going to lie
POPULAR" Senator Mantle was asked
1.-THE situation as it is, in my opin-
ion," he replied, lis one that has been
forced upon the country. wholly with
out our consent. The position in which
we are placed to-day is the logical evo-
luton of what has preceded it, When
the war began no one was thinking of
the Philippines, no more than of Porto
Rico. Our thoughts We're centered in
Cuba, and no one predicted what would
follow. But one morning Deways guns
doomed out at Manila and SPANS pow
er to rule the Philippines was forever |
broken. The moment that was accom-
plished a great moral obligation rested |
upon us respecting the citizens of Ma |
Mia. We We're charged with the main |
tenance of order, the protection of the
lives and property of the people there. |
We had destroyed SPANS power to
maintain order, and by the require |
ments of international law, the force of |
which was admitted by everybody. we |
were honor bound to preserve the peace |
until some form of government had |
been established. From that time there |
has never been a moment, in my iudg- |
ment, when we could have Withdrawn |
our protection with honor. dignity Or
safety. AS a matter of choice not
per cent of the people of the United |
States would have chosen-did choose
deliberately to go to the Philippines and
assume any responsibility there.
when the peace commission met in
Paris it became it's duty to look at the
Philippines. 1t had first disposed of
Cuba, then Porto Rico. The Philippines
came before 1t for consideration. The
president and people of the United
States had not up ITO then expressed any
opinion in favor of acquiring them.
Just what they would do they didn't
know. There was a general idea that
there ought to be a naval station, and
some of us said that at least we ought
to hold the bay and harbOr of Manila.
1t was found that we couldn't negotiate
a treaty on those lines. Our position
as tenants of the city was not tenable;
We couldn't have held it, surrounded as
1t was. with safety.
Then came the question whether we
should take the entire island of Luzon.
The ability of the people of the island
10 govern themselves was discussed
The absolute agreement of testimony of
those who We're in a DOsitiOn TO know