Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-01

Defends All His Acts as Head Of
the Department-lnvites
Inspection.
Upholds Appointments and Chal-
lsnges Finding Of Any Discrep.
ancy In Expenditures.
Washington, Aug. lone OF the last
official acts of Secretary Alger, who to-
day relinquishes his portfolio, was to
prepare statement covering several
matters regarding the conduct Of the
war which have been the subject Of
criticism in the public press, particu-
larly with reference to the appointment
of stan officers in the volunteer army.
The statement follows:
II am led to make the following state
ment on account of the many criticisms
which have been made by the public
press, and especially on account of a
recent article which appeared in the
London Times containing assertions
which have no foundation in truth.
"At the commencement Of the war
with Spain, and for several years prior
to that time, the regular army con-
sisted of only $4,000 men, with the mini
mum number of officers prescribed by
law. The situation can be partially
| appreciated when it Is remembered that
within sixty days from the declaration
of war the strength of the army was
Increased to 275,000 men, and everything
for the equipment of this great force.
Including clothing, tents, transporter
ton, medical supplies, camps and camp
1equipage, and all that pertains to equip
lping an army for service, had to be
manufactured, transported and distrib-
luted for use.
From the statements referred to, the
public might be made to believe that
the volunteer army was Differed by
men selected through political influence
with the secretary of war, by special
1 favor and without any regard to fitness
for the duties they We're to perform. AS
is we'll known, the volunteer force, with
the exception of three regiments of en-
gineers, three regiments of cavalry and
| ten regiments of immune infantry. was
made up of regiments from the various
4 states, the officers Of which were all APP
POINTED exclusively by the governors of
i the respective states from which the
i regiments came, and any officer found
untitled for service and discharged was
replaced by another in the same man
ner. The president had no voice or con-
troll in the matter.
THE returns of the volunteer army
ll-l,z ~
I201, 244 enlisted men and $3.50 officers in
those regiments. This, with the sregu-
lar army recruited up to the war
n strength, made an aggregate force of
about 275,0OO officers and men. The
!, Volunteer officers appointed by the
president numbered, all told, 1902. OF
this number, AL were taken from the
regular army and 591 from civil life
The scarcity of reglmental officers Ii
: the regular service, owing to appoint.
nents in the volunteers. special recruit
ing and mastering details, had so re-
!. |duced their number that to have taken
a larger number for service with the
lyolunteers would have seriously I'M
lpaired the efficiency of the regular regi-
Iments. For little over thousand APP
pointments made by the president, the
number of applications was over % 900
!, and each application was accompanied
: lby certificate of ability and in most
instances military service, either in the
regular army or a state organization
and not infrequently in both.
OF the number appointed there We're
for Instance. twenty-six major gen.
Z erals, of whom nineteen We're taker
from the regular army and seven from
: }civil life. OF these seven all but one
were graduates, of West Point Military
? Academy and all had distinguished
themselves N command during the civil
= war. OF brigadier generals there wer,
: l02 appointed, sixty-six from the regu
y lar army and thirty-six from civil life
Those from civil life had all seen sery
" ice during the civil war or on our west
y lern frontier and all had proven them
: selves competent to command.
1T has been stated and repeated
i many times that the secretary of wa
made these appointments. when TIL
truth Is that very few were made upol
~ his recommendation. although h
y caused the entire list with the recon-
mendations to be compiled and place
W before the president for his selection.
would be only too glad to have had tn
) honor To have made these appoint
ments. No better, nor more loyal O
= more patriotic set of men as a Who'll
=, ever served their country and their ap
pointments We're credit not only t
the appointing power, but to the coun
Fl try they served. There We're exception.
=. but that could not have been foreseer
There We're three regiments of cavalr,
the officers of which We're appointed b
the secretary of war. Col. Leonar
~ Wood, now a brigadier general an
Us commanding the departments of SAINT
~ ago and Puerto Principe, was one
OF these. Col Grigsby and Col Tore,
x both good officers We're the other tw
u There We're three regiments of eng
neers. the colonies of which were a
re graduates of the military academy. an
n not only the officers. but the enliste
D. men, We're selected with a view to the
X special fitness, and in most instanc,
n upon the recommendations of the col,
al nels themselves, and all proved then
s. selves most efficient.
w. There We're also ten regiments
re immune infantry, of whose colone
re eight We're graduates of the milital
X academy, who were selected for speci
re fitness to command, and In the sho
en- time these regiments were in servi
4