The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-19
ALGER THE MAN OF THE HOUR.
Continued From Page Eighteen.

self held it up to see why Alger was in
such hurry to put off his uniform and
the responsibilities of 1t. At any rate,
on September 16 Alger filed another res
ignation, very much in the same terms
as that of ten days before. This went
through like a whistle. The same day
Mr.. Lincoln wrote on it LET this resig-
Stanton Endorsed it Accepted and on
September 49, 1864. Edward Townsend,
acting acknowledgement, announced in
special orders No. 81 that Colonel r. A
Alger was "honorably discharged
Moral and Physical Characteristics.
And so he who to-day is the head of the
War Department, civil commander of the
army, and the man of the hour, by a
short cut got ahead of the greatest cav
alrymen in the service and escaped the
punishment they thought he merited.
In thus running away from the conse-
quences of his own acts Alger showed
early in his career a characteristic which
has marked it all the way through. He
has a short-lived physical courage and no
moral courage whatever. In action he is
a physical DR. Jekyll: in office he is a
moral Mr.. Hyde. This disposition toward
moral cowardice is best shown by his eX-
PLANTATION of his military record when that
was brought forth as bar to his politi-
cal ambition.
He who had resigned in irregular fash
ion said he never dreamed that there was
anything against him in his record.
Probably he did not know that In the de-
partment he now presides over all the
official documents are preserved. When he
did learn 1t he placed all the blame on
Custer-Custer and his brother Tom, two
gallant officers who fell in the battle of
the Little Rosebud in 1876
Custer, says Alger wanted Alger to Sc
g. No. to
gers regiment, so that Tom Custer might
serve on his brothers staff. The virtu-
Gus Alger declined and so Custer. to get
even, sent in the reports which Merritt,
Torbert and Sheridan Endorsed. Had
they also asked favors of Alger? Tom
Custer, 1t must be said, was one of the
most gallant of the young men in the
army. Nothing so added to the disgust
that army officers felt for the man who
is now Secretary of War as this dragging
of Tom Clusters name into his lame de-
Tense for being absent three times with
out leave Tom Custer was as much
loved as his brother was admired.
Business Life.
Colonel Alger went to his home IN
Grand Rapids when he had finished his
business with the War Department in 1864,
and presumably he settled up satisfac-
torily the business which made him anx-
iOuS. He stayed In that town TILL 1861,
when he moved to Detroit. where the
firm of Moore & Alger. dealers In pine
lands, was organized. Later this was
changed to Alger. Smith & Co., and, If l
mistake not, this firm still exists These
firms engaged in the buying and selling
of timber lands on their own account
rather than for clients, and were success
full, becoming rich.
Colonel Alger, brevetted brigadier gen.
eral when the war was over and brevets
were given to all who asked for them,
began to be looked upon twenty years
and more ago as a rich man, and early
became a parsonage in the business life
of Detroit. He Joined the Grand Army of
the Republic when that body was organ
lied and after he had entered politics
became the national commander. He has
been an active member always, and
speaks at the camp fires on every oppor-
tunity. At these camp fires, by the way,
he has the reputation of making the most
inane and platitudinous speeches Of any
comrade who is permitted to speak. But
then it must be remembered that we will
tolerate in a millionaire what we viii
stand from no other kind of bore.
Private Life.
General Alger Is also member Of the
Presbyterian church, to which he goes