Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1899-06-30

The public has been informed during
the past week that Secretary Of War,
Russell A. Alger. is to be a candidate
from his State for the United States
Senate. There are other candidates for
the same honorable position and among
them the present incumbent of the Office
so to win the coveted prize the Secretary
has fight Of no mean proportion on his
hands The Secretary therefore has
thought it necessary to base his candi-
dacy upon a platform Of political princi-
pies and the chief among the planks in
his platform is bis avowed opposition to
trusts. That he has fell upon popular
theme there is no question. but there is
q question and grave one as to whether
he can be trusted to oppose a plan that
finds favor among a selfish few Of the
mercantile class of our citizens, to the
injury-nay, robbery of the many. for
the reason that be has been among the
foremost and was among the first to in
augurate the scheme il his own State
and to grow rich thereby The formation
of trusts in this country is becoming
dangerous and the people see it, and we
feel assured that they would rally around
the banner Of any man who is candi-
date for official position, who could be
Of service to them in staying the hand
Of plan Of combinations among the
merchantile class in their onward march
to force consumers to poverty and ruin
that the former may grow wealthy and
atfiuens, but we imagine they do not see
10 Alger the man for the work To the
first place Alger was among the first in
bis own State to engage 10 the system Of
robbery, and a large portion of bis
alleged wealth comes from squeezing the
masses to enrich a class. If the plan
was wrong in principle, he should not
have engaged in it. buthaving grown rich
through the enforcement Of plundering
policy, it is now too late when be seeks
the favor of the people he has wronged,
to turn and condemn policy upon
which he has fed and fattened for so
many years. He cannot be trusted
The poisoned hand Of pure selfshness is
too plain to deceive the public Judgment.
And again, as Secretary Of War, he has
been dismal failure He has shown
himself incapable of fulfilling any i'm
portant trust. Where wisdom has been
expected, Ignorance and stupidity plain
ly resulted from the management of bis
Office; where breadth of mind, liberality
and fairness should have been displayed,
be has shown himself narrow minded.
picayune partizan, bis personal hatreds
and dislikes surrounding all desires to
promote the good of the public service
In other words so far as it is possible 10
do, he hes made the War Department a
machine to subserve bis personal ends.
A man of such procliyities is unsuited
for leader. Such man cannot be
trusted to take up and effectuately ad-
vocate any great question concerning
the public good. He is not equal to the
occasion and he cannot be trusted if he
had the capacity. So then as we read
the public history of Alger and see his
political character, there is nothing in
his protested championship Of the peo-
pies antagOnism to the growing evil OF
the formation Of trusts. His avo Ned
opposition TO them is not timely. His
purpose is selfish political advancement
He should be made to know at once that
his scheme is Transparent, that the peo-
pie are tired of Algerism and have no
faith in his professions and no further
use for him,