Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-20

personally for the many mistakes made by
the War Department. With him lack Of
capacity and judgment, not lack of good
intentions, have been potent to work harm
Yet he may yet plead in more than one i'm
portant matter that he acted under explicit
orders from the President and ought not to
bear the odium of failure. Although Cen
eral Alger, under ordinary circumstances,
Is a very pleaSant-mannered official, enjoy
ing no small share of personal popularity
it was both his misfortune ana his fault
that he should have developed a strain Of
extraordinary obstinacy in holding on to
position which, so long as he retained it, as
nearly every one else saw, brought contin-
ually increasing embarrassments and diff
culties for the President
The Omaha bee.
The Omaha Bee says on Alger: ut is not
surprising that Ager should have finally
relinquished an office of which the meri-
torious work was not recognized and only
the faults were paraded before the public,
for which others were at least in part re-
sponsibe"
The New York Herald.
The New York Herald says: Secretary AL
gers Standardization McKiney's
duty. That it will be accepted goes with
out saying. In the appointment of a sue
cessor q solemn duty devolves upon Mr..
Mckinley.
The vital need of the hour is war minis
ter who is a soldier and patriot who will
rescue the War Department from the de-
cadence into which it has sunk under Secre-
tary Alger.
We trust there is nothing in the report
that the President intends to appoint some
great New York lawyer to this high office,
which at this juncture is of supreme i'm
portance. 1t Is not an Attorney General
that is to be chosen, but a Secretary of
War. Mr.. Mckinley in his first appoint
ment made calamitous and awful mis-
take. He cannot afford to make another
one now. The feeling OF the people on this
subject Is intense. They will stand no more
experimenting-no selection based on politi-
cal experience, no mere hgurehead appoint
ment. The country is conducting serious
campaign at a distance and in a climate
that demands on behalf of our gallant SOL
diers the best technical knowledge to pro-
vide them with proper food and clothing;
the greatest ability and proficiency to direct
military operations with least suffering and
sacrifice and to obtain decisive results.
Skill in the science of the law does not con-
duce to this.
We want man who will turn the Philip
pine fiasco into a campaign of action and
success; that will enlist the confidence of
the American people and command the re-
spect of Europe. Such man Is Governor
Roosevelt.
There is an impression that a position in
the cabinet removes a man from the great
arena of national politics, and that Colonel
Roosevelt might therefore be unwilling to
| resign his pTuuu posit4oii Go ooNSLAoi ~ siAN
empire state to become head of the War
Department. This is all wrong. In the nrst
place, our military prestige as nation VIII
suffer unless the Instruction In the Phliip-
pines is promptly suppressed. The eyes not
only of the American people but OF the
world, are now eagerly following our oper-
ations in the archipelago, and the man at
the head of the department that directs
these operations to speedy victory and the
establishment of our supremacy through
out the islands will certainly not be
'.shelved" In the second place, we do not
believe that Governor Roosevelt could be
influenced by any such narrow and selfish
consideration. When the country called
he left the post of assistant secretary of
the navy, in which he had rendered such
efficient service and went to the 'front.' His
record there Is history. He certainly was
'shelved'' in resigning his position in WASH
ington to take comparatively number
rank in the field where he was needed.
The country needs him now In the War De-
| partment, and If President Mckinley opens
the way we belive he will again be prompt
| to surrender his loftier position and respond
| to the call. Gov. Roosevelt is a man of en-
ergetic action, he is in touch with the SOL
| diers, and knows their needs; he is familiar
with departmental machinery in Washing
| ton, and being already well acquainted with
| the other members of the Presidents official
| family, no time would be lost In establishing
personal relations, or feeling his way
| about" as a stranger would have to do. So
| far as President Mckinley is concerned, we
cannot doubt that he would be glad to offer
| the position to man of Gov. Roosevelt
stamp. The President is responsible for his