New-York tribune., 1899-07-20
GENERAL ALGER'S RETIREMENT.

|
The Secretary Of War has resigned at last
II might be inappropriate to say that nothing II
his occupancy of the office became him like th'
| leaving OF 1t, for he ought to have laid 1t dowr
before and the final act lacked the grace which
would have been recognized in an earlier re
sponse to the requirements of situation thai
he himself had from the first made difficult
and of late impossible We do not think thai
the more discreet even OF Secretary Alger
friends should object TO the assertion that his
appointment was never generally regarded as
contributing to the strength Of the Administra
ton, while by many II was originally believed
to involve grave possibilities of discredit. He
did not possess the confidence of the country al
large or of the military establishment In the
Army especially his name was associated with
a record which was far from impregnable, and
which made it exceedingly irksome for officers
differently regarded to take his orders. In a
time Of peace no particular harm might have
resulted, but when the war broke out the risk
turned TO misfortune.
We have no desire to lay upon General Alger
all the blame for defects Of military administra-
ton during an arduous. critical and eventful
year. He was unquestionably to a great extent
the victim of a bureaucratic system which
others had fostered until it had become deeply
intrenched and capable of enormous mischief.
and of the wretched neglect Of Congress dur
ing a long period Of time. But, on the other
hand. the Secretary of War never succeeded in
convincing the country that he was out of sym
pathy with that system or absolutely resolute
and impartial in his determination to uproot
ancient evils and conduct the affairs of his De
partment with an eye single TO the honor of the
Nation and the triumph of its arms. Nor when
an inquiry into accusations Of the gravest char
acter had become imperative did his conduct
and demeanor free him from a somewhat gen.
eral suspicion of unwingness to have the
whole truth revealed and the blame placed
where it might be found to belong.
1t is to be frankly admitted that the con-
clusions which most have drawn from such re-
fectons as these are not undisputed. General
Alger has had his earnest and faithful sup
porters, who have contended throughout the
storm Of criticism which has assailed him that
he has served the country with equal devotion
and intelligence, and among these it Is sup
posed that he has been fortunate enough TO
count the President. If no other consideration
had arisen to affect his standing In the Cabinet
he might have retained his place, perhaps with
increasing rather than diminishing personal
comfort. But the moment he was discovered
In the attitude of a competitor for a seat in the
Senate against the most conspicuous supporter
of the Administration in his own State, and in
alliance with one Of its bluntest defamers his
retention for the purposes of his campaign Of
position within the circle Of the Presidents Off
cial advisers became absolutely Incompatible
with the latters dignity, with self respect on
his own part and with the general welfare.
And yet his obvious wish and intention were to
retain that position at any cost Of embarrass-
ment to his chief and injury to interests Of
larger Importance than those of any individual.
IT, as is intimated his retirement, though be-
lated, is finally due to the counsels and influ-
ence of the Vice-Presdent 1t Is not the first
time that the second officer in the Government
has been singularly useful to the President and
the country.