The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-14
ALGER GIVES EXPLANATION.
WAR DEPARTMENT MANAGED TO
BEST OF HIS ABILITY.

Supnltes III 0uun w ere
But We're Ordered StOpped-LIttIe
Friction in Cuba-He Cannot TN
derstand How All the Cuban Men
Have Disappeared.
New York, Feb. 1S.-Secretary of War
Russell A. Alger. who came here yesterday
TO attend the Lincoln dinner of the Union
League Club in Brooklyn tonight, win
leave for Washington at midnight to-
night.
In regard to the report Of the war COM
mission, Secretary Alger said that he
would rather say nothing about it until he
had read the entire report.
Gen. Alger, however, said that he had
carried on the work all the way through
the war TO the best of his ability.
During the war" said the secretary
when we had so much to do, criticisms
began to appear in some papers. When
this happened gave orders that those pa
! pers should not be sent to me, as there was
no time. to waste. My first duty was to
conduct the affairs of the department as
wen as 1 could"
| Gen. Alger compared the department
with a large private business, saying that
many unforeseen things happened in the
| department just as in such business
Storms came up which could not be pre-
vented.
To the Best of His Ability.
| Sometimes the manager of private
business" said the secretary, has looked
over the field and believes he has good and
! faithful helpers. Then he learns that he
| has been incorrect in his thought and
| that some of his men have not proven true
| These are generally unforeseen things
! which will happen in any large private
| business concern as well as to a govern
! ment department. Though The work of the
war department was difficult, I carried It
on as was my duty, TO the best of my
| ability"
When asked about the criticism of the
| war department by Gen. Miles, Secretary
| Alger asked to be excused from talking
| about that. Secretary Alger said in con-
| nection with the intended naming of
| commanding officer for the army, that he
| thought a regular army man would be
/ named in preference to a volunteer. al
though Congress could do as il wished
| about such a matter. He said that the vol
| unteers have no standing after their two
years term of service.
Sale Army Supplies.
Secretary Ayers attention was called
to the selling of the supplies in Havana at
| less than the regular market rates. in con-
| nection with which 1t was said that the
supplies were all army rations. The sec
rotary said:
"Col. Bliss, who was in charge of the
correction of customs at Havana. was
! asked to investigate this when it was
| learned that such sales were being made.
| Some sol
than anyone else could sell them after i'm
porting them and paying the duty. Col
| Bliss found that two men were buying up
| all the surplus rations from the troops.
| The rations the troops received were more
than they could use, and it is considered
| legitimate to sell them again. 1t is a
| general practice in the army for companies
to sell their surplus rations and place the
| sums received to the credit of the COM
pany funds. These two men were, in
way, carrying on a legitimate business.
Bliss Put n stop to 1t.
"Col Bliss found that they had store
| house fun of flour and coffee and some
other things, and that they were able to
sell flour at 50 a barrel less than persons
who were importing flour 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 Selling lINtu. 1 MS pTdCIlCdUy
| stopped this practice. Orders were given
| to the commissary department to buy
back the extra rations so that the soldiers
would get as much from the government
| as from outsiders, and save the scandalous
talk"
The Two Campaigns.
In speaking OF the Philippines and San
tiago campaigns, Secretary Alger said:
"Gen. Shafter and his expedition had
to land on a hostile island and do the
| attacking during the worst season there,
the hottest part Of the rainy season. Gen.
| Otis has been at Manila for some time,
| and he was prepared for the attack In
| Santiago Gen. Shafter had to attack the
| Spaniards, while in the Philippines our
forces occupied the position the Spanlards
had in Santiago"
Gen. Alger said he wished to make no
criticism of Gen. Otis, who had done brill
liant work in Manila He said that the
| two campaigns could hardly be compared,
| as they had been fought at different sea-
| sons and from different positions. The
general in each case, he declared, was on
| titled to great credit.
Wood and Brooke in Harmony.
Secretary Alger spoke generally of the
| work now being done in Cuba He said
that there was very little friction at Sanu-
| ago. In spite OF the reports to that of-
| fect, Gen. WOOd ana ten. BROOKE were
working in entire harmony
Gen Brooke, he said, in answer to q
| question, was in charge of the whole Of
| the island The misunderstanding had
been caused at first by the mistake made
| by the officers at Santiago, who thought
| that the moneys collected at Santiago had
to be sent to Havana. This was not re.
| quired, il being necessary to send only
reports Of the amounts received.
The work of lettering conditions gener-
ally in Cuba was going on hampered
somewhat by the lack OF transportation
| facilities in the interior ana by countless
| little difficulties, which were coming ID
and being mastered He said that he
was satisfied with the work. Taking into
consideration the short time thar we had
been in Cuba, we were doing very well.
where Are the Men.
The secretary said that q mystery in
Cuba was the whereabouts of che Cuban
men. The United states officers who had
gone into the interior had failed to nnd
them