The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-02
PINGREE'S DENIAL
Was Followed by Another Severe Crlti.
ciSm.
ALGER'S DELICATE POSITION.
Must Either Give Up His Place or
Candidacy.
LIKELY TO Be ASKED TO RESIGN.
Said He viii Be Succeeded by Major Gen.
eral Wilson.
ruC CcnOEr INV &c An InNcrn Tnljcrrn
LIKELY TO Be ASKED TO RESIGN.
THE SECRETARY is NO LONGER TRUSTED
Really Knows Nothing of What In
Being Done in HIS Department..
The Lntcst Dcnouemcnts.

| Washington, July 1.-That Governor Pin
gree's latest inflammatory interview has
precipitated n crisis in the official rela
tions between Secretary Alger and the
president is the belief In well-lnformed
administration circles. Had the Michigan
governor preserved discreet silence after
his first illumination, the affair might have
been settled amicably, for Secretary Alger
had secured from him signed denial of
the authenticity of that interview. This
denial had hardly reached Washington.
however. before Pngree again talked
critically of the National administration.
Tonight close friends of the president
assert positively that General Alger must
either denounce Pingrce or get out of the
cabinet, and that. If necessary, the presi-
dent himself will make this demand Last
night it was said that definite adjustment.
of the Alger matter would be maGe within
two weeks. Now 1t is asserted upon high
authority that the elimination may come
before the noise of the Fourth Of july fire.
works die away.
| Following the first interview, IN which
Governor Pingree was quoted as critic s.
ing severely the Philippine policy of the
the president and as roasting the National
administration generally, Secretary 4lger
| endeavored to reach an amicable adjust.
| ment by securing from Governor pipgree
a denial of public utterances With that
| purpose in view the secretary sent a tee-
gram to Chase S. Osborne, railroad COM
missioner for the State of Michigan, re-
questing him to ascertain from, Governor
Fingree If he had been correctly quoted
I This is the reply he received this after
noon:
Governor Pinsree wires me as follows
in reference to the interview you meant:
The interview In the New York jour
nal relative to my alleged attitude to-
wards the administration and published IN
the Detroit papers and gent throughout
the country is not correct or authentic. II
was manufactured ont of whole cloth, as
are most alleged interviews with me-
Mr. Osborne forwarded it to Secretary
Alger. who expected that its perusal by
the president would lift the pressure Pos
not been for the second eruption of the
talkatiye Michigan governor, in which he
rldlcules the president and his Ohio friends
and praises Secretary Alger This of
course, makes the denial OF the first inter-
view of no avail as an clement of pacllca-
tion.
Governor Pingree can not be expected
-
probably has no disposition to do So 1t
would not materially change the situa-
ton, indeed, If he were to continue oper-
ating denial campaign. Secretary Alger
can not be an administration man In
Washington and an ntl-administration
man in Michigan,
There is left to Secretary Alger, then,
the alternative of retiring from the cabi
net or OF breaking with Pingree and de-
nouncing The charge that he participated
in the governors political views. The
secretary still insists he has no intentions
OF reslgning but he evnces no dispose
ton to repudiate the Pingree alliance.
There is much in the surface aspect of
the situation to indicate that General AL
ger purposes waiting for the president
to force him out OF the cabinet. in which
case he could 60 back TO Michigan and
pose as a martyr. That he has been pre-
pairing for such contingency is beyond
doubt, for he has gone to the extent of
collecting numerous documents relating to
the conduct of the war with Spain and OF
having copies made OF others. The use
TO which the secretary purposes putting the
documents in case OF extremity is easily
to be surmised.
This indicates plainly feature of the
situation which has not been generally
known. II is that the president and mis-
secretary of war have not enjoyed for some
months the close relations formerly ex-
listing between them. Since the ADJOURN
ment of congress an administration ON
Ger who enjoys the presidents confidence
says Secretary Alger has had little TO DO
with the conduct of the Philippine war.
AT one critical time few weeks ago ne
was journeying In the pleasant waiefs
of the gulf. During the recent disepur-
aging developments of the threatening ctn-
ditions in Luzon the secretary was IN Micur
igan inspecting timber lands
The administration official Is quot
ed almost literally here--says Secretary
Aiger now has small kpos'edge OF the
real Philippine situation and OF the mil
itary opel atoms THEFT, What has brought
about this condition Of Affairs? This ad-
nin.stration friend says 1t Is simply be-