The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-20
PASSING OF ALGER
Continued from First Page.

No plans for his future have been
definitely defined. Mr.. Meiklejohn, the
assistant secretary of war, is at present
supposed to be in Wisconsin, whittier he
went two weeks ago to make personal
inspection Of the Fox river improvements,
scheme which has given the engineer
Ing bureau endless trouble, and which
now requires some positive recommends
ton, at the hands of the secretary, to
congress at the next session. He has
peen notified Of what has happened and
Is expected to return to Washington to
assume charge Of the war department
until the president shall name a perrna-
nent secretary. Probably that will be by
the END OF the present month, and by the
first Of August Secretary AIger will be
at liberty to lay down his task.
BURDEN WAS HEAVY.
He is much wearied by the weight of
responsibility he has borne for nearly two
years and a half. He has aged many
years in the opinion or his personal
friends, and Is in need of much rest He
proposes to depart for the Northwest and
spend some time in the lumber camps
belonging to him, and then to pay visits
TO his children. These will occupy his
time until well along into next fall
About political matters the secretary
does not speak now, but it may be fairly
surmised that he then will be ready, in
view Of his already announced decision,
to take such part in the Michigan sena-
torial contest as conditions at the time
will warrant.
BUZZ OF COMMENT.
The news Of the resignation caused a
buzz of comment in all public places, but
at the White house there was no evidence
throughout the evening that any unusual
event had occurred. The president went
for drive with his niece Miss Duncan.
late In the afternoon, handling the reins
himself. There We're no callers Of import
ance during the early part of the evening,
but about o'clock Secretary Hay. ac-
companied by Senator Fairbanks. of In
diana, who is just back from an inspec-
ton Of the Alaskan boundary seat Of diff
Guilty, came over for talk on this SUBJ
Ject. Secretary Hitchcock and ComptroI-
Ter Dawes called socially for a few min
utes. There was no evidence of a cabinet
conference and no suggestion of anything
IN that line. There was nothing to give
out for publication, It was said
An evening round of the cabinet Off
GERS still in town showed the same unwiI-
hngness to talk Of the resignation. Soma
of them said they had felt that the res
lgration was likely to come at any time,
out that they were so surprised at the
pubhshed announcement that It was actu-
ally in hand that they were at first in
clned to regard it as premature.
AdJt. Gen. Corbin was seen during the
evening, and while not wishing TO discuss
any OF the facts connected with the res
1gnatlon, expressed his personal regret at
the turn Of affairs. He said:
I feel great sympathy and great re-
spect for the secretary. History will show
that if=he has erred it has been on the
side Of the soldier on the side of those
who were fighting the battles No man
IN that position has ever had more at
heart the interests of the soldiers, their
comfort and their welfare. Time and
again he has said to us that everything.
must yield to the requirements Of The
men In the field, and if the funds were
lacking he would pay for it himself He
will leave the department with the re-
spect and esteem of every one in it."
MANY CABINET CHANGES.
Secretary Ayers departure from the
cabinet will leave in it only three Of
those who entered it at the beginning
of the administration, namely-Messrs.
Gage, Long and Wilson. The number
of changes that have occurred in the
two and a half years of it's life has been
very unusual. Six cabinet officers in all
have resigned their portfolios, either to
retire to private life or to accept other
positions of honor and trust at the hands
Of the president. These include Secre-
taries Of State Sherman, who went out
because of fll-health and advanced age,
and Day, who accepted a United States
judgeship; Attorney General McKenna,
who accepted a position on the supreme
court bench of the United States; Post
master General Gary. who retired because
of i'll health, and Secretary Bliss, of the
interior department, who returned to New
York and resumed active connection with
business affairs.
SOME TIMBER SUGGESTED.
The transfer of Attorney General
Griggs from the department of justice to
the war department has been suggested
by those who are figuring on Secretary
Alger's successor tonight. 1t is urged
that the largely increased legal questions
which are constantly coming before the
war department as q consequence Of our
new possessions make it desirable that
Its executive officer should be a man of
legal attainments and experience In
this same connection the name of Hon.
Elihu Root, the we'll known New York
lawyer, is mentioned Gen. James H.
Wilson, of Delaware, now in the volun-
teer establishment, and governor of the
Province Of Matanzas, Cuba, is also
spoken of. Gen. Wilson was a well
known soldier in the civil war and since
has been prominently identified with
business enterprises.