The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-14
No EXCUSES COMING
AIgers" Did His Best" and viii
Let 1t Go at That.
AS TO AN EXTRA SESSION
He Says "We Must Have an
Army SO Says Gage.

New York. Feb. 13.-Secretary Of War
Russell A. Alger, who is here TO attend
the Lincold day dinner of tht Union
League club in Brooklyn, said today. in
that he would rather not say anything
about 1t until he had read the entire re-
port. General Alger, however, said that
he had carried on the work all the way
when I had so much 20 do, cshrdlu
During the war; said the secretary,
when 1 had so much 10 do criticisms
began to appear in some parts. When this
happened l gave orders that those papers
should not be sent to me- as there was no
time to waste. My first duty was 10 con
duct the affairs Of the department as well
as l could"
General Alger compared the department
with a large private business. saying that
many unforeseen things happened in the
department. just as in a large private
business. Storms came up which could not
be prevented. Some times the manager
of private business" said the secretary,
has looked over the field and believes ne
has good and faithful helpers Then ne
learns that he has been incorrect in his
thought and that some of mis- men have
not proved true. These are generally un-
foreseen things, which will happen in any
large private business concern as we'll as
to a government department. Though the
work of the war department was difficult
carried it on, sB was my duty, to the
best Of my ability"
When asked about the criticism by the
war commission of General Miles. Secre-
tary Alger asked to be excused from talk
ing about that. In connection with the
intended naming of a commanding officer
for the army, the secretary said that he
thought regular army man would be
named in preference to a volunteer. al
though congress could do as it wished
about such a matter.
Secretary Ayers attention was called
to the selling of supplies in Havana at
less than the regular market rates, in
connection with which it was said that the
supplies were all army rations The sec
rotary said Colonel Bliss. who was in
charge Of the collection of customs at
Havana, was asked to investigate this
when it was learned that such sales were
being made. Some persons were selling
supplies at less than anyone else could
sell them after importing them and pay
ing the duty. Colonel Bliss found that
two men were buying up all the surplus
rations from the troops. The ratons the
troops erceived were more than they could
use and it is considered legitimate to sell
in Ec
the army for companies to sell their sur
plus rations and place the sums received
to the credit of the company fund These
two men were, in a way, carrying on
legitimate business. Colonel Bliss found
that they had stOrehouse full of flour
and coffee and some other things and
that they were able to sell -four at 50
a berrel less than persons who were inn
porting -four and paying duty on it. He
told them, after consulting Washington,
that they must either pay duty on the
goods or he would prevent them from SELL
ing them. This practically stopped this
practice. Orders were given to the com
missary department to buy back the extra
rations, 50 that the soldiers would get as
much from the government as from out
siders and save the scandalous talk
Speaking of the condition of affairs in
Cuba, the secretary said: The reconcen-
trados were largely driven into the larger
cities, but we cannot find anywhere near
the numbers Of men we expected to find.
For instance, an officer from Sancti Spir-
titus who came back to Washington last
week told us that that town was filled with
women and children, but no men. They
are not in the country districts as far as
we can find. The Cuban army is estimated
at $4,000 men, but this does not account
for the thousands who are not 70 be found.
They are not with Gomez and 1t is yet to
be learned where they have disappeared