The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17
POLITICS AND WAR.

The press dispatches recently an
nounced the threatened withdrawal OF
Gen. Wheeler from the army on account
of the discrimination of which he is
sought to be made the victim by the adj
ministration general in command, the
hero Of the Philippines, Gen. Otis. AS
suming the truth of the report, it would
seem that Gen. Wheeler Is either very
tLe has not kept well informed of the
advance of events in military circles dur
ing the present war, or he would quietly
submit to being sent into the obscure
arranged to send him to.
Gen. Wheeler has borne splendidly the
duty of playing aid to the president in
his recent swing round the Southern cir
Gle. But he surely could not hope to be
always as available for the purposes of
the administration coterie. Gen. Wheeler
is a Democrat. So is Gen. Fitzhugh Lee
And so we may assume to be every really
mertorious soldier who has been sent
into obscurity or who has been kept In
obscurity since the breaking out of hos
tilities. He seems to have lost sight of a
fact which has been palpable TO every
body else, viz, that there is a political
as well as a military campaign in prog
ress.
Nc soldier, present or prospective, VIII
ever win fame in the Philippines or else
where whose politics is not satisfactory.
Even in the line of promotion matters
have been looked after by the wise men
Of the administrat ton by the most bounti-
full provision being made in the dispense
ton of military commissions for some
body's SON.
Here is partial list of these commits
sions: Harry s. New, captain, son of ex-
Consul General John c. New, of Indiana 4;
P. B. Strong, captain, son of eX-Mayor
Strong, of New York George S. Hobart,
major, nephew of Vice President Hobart
James Mckinley, lieutenant, nephew of
L,
nephew Of the president; w. 3. Allison,
captain, nephew of Senator Allison, of
Iowa; Fred NJ. Alger, son Of ex-Secretary
Of War Alger; John A. Logan, major,
son of Gen. John A. Logan; Joseph s..
Foraker Jr.. captain, son of Senator
Joseph B. Forakc OF Ohio; William j.
Sewall, captain, son Of Senator Sewall,
of New Jersey; John a. Hull, lieutenant
colonel, son of Representative j. A. It.
Hull. chairman of the house committee
on military affairs; Algernon Sartoris,
first lieutenant, grandson of Gen. Grant;
Hiram f. Mitchell, captain, son Of former
Senator Mitchell, Of Oregon: James G.
Blaine, captain, son of his father; Seth
Millisen captain, son of eX-Representa-
tive Milliken, of Maine; r. w Thompson
Jr, captain, son of former Secretary Of
the Navy Thompson. of Indiana.
Of all these young men of distinguished
ancestry only one, young Milliken, had
any military knowledge or training what
ever And in the eternal fitness of
things, with few exceptions they have
all been assigned to duty in the COM
missary department of the army of oc-
cupation.
Gen Lee and Gen. Wheeler are both
comparatively old men. If they have any
promising sons or nephews whom they
are desirous Of saddling on the public
service, the thing for them to do is to re-
tire from the army. secure an election to
congress, occupy their official seats and
keep their tongues still. By such course
the military pursuit may be enabled to
survive in their families.