Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-07-20
No Room For Him in McKinlcy's
Official Family.
MICHIGAN TRIP SETTLED IT
President Declines to Discuss the Subject
for Publication. Resignation to Take
Efec. Sat the Pleasure" of the
Chief Executive.
(By Telegranh.D

CBy Telegraph)
WASHINGTON. July 19.-Secretar!-
Alger today rendered to .thc President
his resignation Of the War portfolio.
The resignation will become effective
August LIST, though it was rendered at
the pleasure of the President. GOSSIP
has begun already rs to his successor.
but It is entirely speculative. Notwlth-
standing the reports that Mr.. Niger
would not long continue at the head OF
the War Department. his actual resiG
nation came suddenly and unexpected
ly. so little was it expected at this
lime that some Of the cabinet officers.
when the news first became public.
We're inclined to regard the announce
ment rs premature. Formal acccp-
tance Of the resignation had not been
made by the President up to Il late
hour tonight, but will be in a letter 70
be written within the next day or two.
NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
No official statement rs to the cause
of the resignation was procurablc either
from the President or from Secretary
-Alger. neither of whom would talk on
:he subject. Nor WAS the letter of res
lgnation obtain:lble ut this, time. For
the present nothing will be made known
officially concerning the severance &
the official relations between the Pres
ident and his war minister. but later Oh
the correspondence closing the latter's
career as chief Of the War Department
doubtless will be given to the press.
The belief has prevailed in Washing
ton tor some time that Secretary AL
ger would resign from the cabinet. but
The date generally set for il was To-
ward the close of the Year after he had
submitted his annual report. in which
he intended to sum up what had been
accomplished during his brief bu;
t.ventful direction Of the War Depart
ment.
A FO'REGGNE CONCLUSION.
is tencr had been regarded rs almost
foregone conclusion in View of Mr..
Ayers announcement about n month
ago that he had concluded to enter in
20 competition for the vacancy in the
United States Senate 10 succeed Sena-
tor Mcmillan. q strong supporter Of tn.
administration. and that he had en-
listed in his active support Governor
l'lnSree To whom had been attribute
free criticisms of the policy that was
supposed TO be cherished by the Pres
idcnt toward the Filipinns. There have
been many explanations and denials of
tho facts in tho case, hut in the end the
impression was conveyed that the re-
suit Of the Michigan visit of the secra-
tary had been TO change the relations
between the President and himself TO
such degree as to make a restoration
Of their former status impossible ana
to render the connection of the two
as part Of the same official family mr.
desirable. At one time since then
there was ground for. rho bel;nf mar ;.
rapture might be avoided but this be-
lief ceased 70 Ia hald when Ana nav.
spread that Vice Pr,sden, Hohart ANA
Secretary Alser we're in conferenco ~
Norma ni,urst
WHEN TT WAS DECIDED
Tt was largely ar least as J, rasu1t of
this conference that Secretary Alser
decided to leave the cabinet NJ hi
time. At this conferences there wars
present beside Secretary Agar bis n,i,-
tary aide and close nersoraI ana nolit
ical friend and adviser Major Ho,,l,ins
and perhaps some other person rhn
also felt a. deem interest in thn f,,tnra az
tho secretary.
There has been no disclosure az what
passed by the seaside bur il is sirniil
cant Chat the return of the stcr,tarv "a
Washington was follo3,a by n,omn;
action He arrived in WASHINGTON last
night, too la,e to make any offir;,l
calls. Almost before the executive, de-
rartmcnts were oionoa for business
this morning he called at the White
House ana visitin. thu. President in
his Office announced that he had con-
cluded to resign his office. What pas-
sed between himself ana me President
is matter Of surmise for neither hava
anything to say on that point. Some
routine business pertaining to the War
Department was disposed Of between
the President and the Secretary ana
then Mr. Alger went Over. to his Office
and spent some time with General VIII
son, chief OF engineers and Major Hon
kins looking into the merits Of a con
troversv which had arisen over the
construction Of draw bridge over a
navigable stream in Michigan Major
Hopkins had just returned from per