The true northerner., 1899-08-09
PAW PAW. MICH. AUG. 8. 1899

The magnificent reception rendered
to General Alger by his fellow citizens,
not only of the city Of Detroit, but OF the
state of Michigan, was "a fitting acknowl-
edgement of the esteem in which he is
held among those who know him best.
There never was time when the gener
al stood as high in the opinion of the
people of the state of Michigan, and this
without regard TO party aifiiiation, as he
stands to-day. Never since the days of
Lincoln's great war secretary, Edwin M.
Stanton, has public man been so per-
sistently vilified and so maliciously and
Indignantly misrepresented as General
Alger, but the people of Michigan, who
know his rugged honesty and appreciate
his generosity and kindness of heart,
take no stock in the scandalous attacks
that have been made upon him by the
yellow journals of the East. The gener-
ais administration of the Office of secre-
tary of state during the Spanish-Ameri-
can war showed him to be man of great
executive ability, and it is doubtful if any
man in the country could have managed
the affairs of that office with more signal
ability than did Mr.. Alger No better
evidence of this is required or could be
wished than is afforded by the unpre-
cedented success of the American arms
in the recent war, which was graphically
set forth by the general himself in his
response to the welcome rendered him
at Detroit, as follows: "Since | went
away two and half years ago, as you
know, the country has been through a
terrific struggle. The Office of which |
was at the head was taxed to the utmost
of every mans strength who occupied any
position in it. gave my best thought
and honest effort, and did everything |
could to carry out my part of that great
work. What has been done is a matter
of record, and / am perfectly willing to
rest thecas with my countrymen. Every
transaction, every order, and everything
that was done in conducting that war is
a matter of record, and the people have
a right to have that record searched
And now, my dear fellow citizens, | come
home without grievance During that
struggle and while that great work was
upon me can truthfully say that had
from the president all the support that
he could give We went through the
struggle and came out victorious. We
transported across the seas more than
10000 men one way and the other, with
out an accident. We fought battles in
Manila, in the Philippines, in Cuba and
in Porto Rico, and we never lost battle
color, prisoner or gun. Wherever
the American flag was planted by the
American soldier, there it stands and
there it shall stand forever" That mis-
takes were made, not all OF them by the
secretary of war by any MEANS none will
deny But where is the man that never
makes mistakes? There never was but
one such man and he was crucified 10y
by his countrymen almost 1900 years
ago. History will do justice to General
Alger as it has already done to his most
illustrious predecessor. Whats the mat
ter with Alger?" "He's all right" Mich
igan knows this to be true and the day
is surely coming when all will acknow-
ledge it, Stanton wasa villain, Grant was
drunkard, Lincoln was an ape, Sher-
man was lunatic, generation agone
but now all the world reveres their men,
ory. Alongside of their names shall be
written the name of Russell A. Alger as
that of one who loved and served his
country, an honorable man, and pure pa
triot, valiant soldier, an able states
man.