The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-07-26
AIger's Big Bluff.
OF RESIG.
NATION A SURPRISE.

w a50lDgton, July Z4 Inc unsuc.
cessful buffer is spoken Of as a
duffer by sports Well, Alger is an
unsuccessful political buffer, and the
result will be his retirement from
public life on August /. Somehow
this b!uhipg phase of the the ques-
ton has been overlooked But a
close friend of Alger's is responsible
for the statement that Alger's resig
nation was handed to Mr. Mckinley
as a big bluff, with the expectation
that be would decline it in a nice
little note that Alger could have
published to refute the charge that
he was remaining in the cabinet
against Mr.. McKinley's wishes, and
that Alger was the most surprised
man in Washington when he receiv
ed Mr. McKinley's note accepting
his resignation to take effect August
1. The same man says that Alger is
very mad, although pretending to be
greatly pleased, and that he may toss
few bombshells administrationward
after be drops official harness, and
that their explosion will not make
pleasant music for Mr. Mckinley.
If the new secretary Of war-Mr.
Roots merely to- look after the
legal questions connected with our
military occupation of Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines, leaving
military affairs to be controlled by
Meikeljohn and Corbin, and that is
the present understanding, Algerism
Isn't likely to depart with Aiger
Unless Mr.. E|ihu Root, Of New
York, can persuade Mr.. Mckinley to
shake up the war department Clique
and to give Gen. Miles the say that
properly belongs to him as command.
ing general of the army, in all strict
y military matters, be will live to
regret the day he so eagerly accepted
the war portfolio to perform duties
properly belonging to the attorney
general, after two members of the
cabinet, fully conversant with the
situation, had declined to do 30. and
to stand before the country as q
figure head responsible for the con-
duct of the war department
Perhaps it was fellow feeling
that caused Corporal Tanner, who
was kicked out of the pension bureau
by Harrison, after few months SER
vice as commissioner, to rush into
print with fuIsome praise of Alger
and Algerism. Whatever it was, it
was credltable to Tanners heart, if
not to bis sense of thrift, to stand up
for the under dog, in this fracas,
because he liked him personally,
although he knew when he did it
that it was likely to lessen his own
pull on the administration
Mr.. NJ. L Lockwood, of Pennsy|-
vania, president of the Anti Trust
lesgue, which although a non parti-
san organization, purposes to take
an important part in the presidential
campaign, 10 strong Bryan demo.
crat, and be says of the sentiment of
of Pennsylvania democrats Il am
in touch with the true democrats Of
Pennsylvania, and it is safe to say
that 95 per cent of them are loyal to
Bryan and the principles of the Chi
cago platform. The real democracy
of the State and OF all other states
must be on The alert, for if the
tricksters get one vote more than
one third of all the members of the
national convention, they will accom-
plish their end, which is the defeat
of Bryan. The monopolistic and
trust interests will bend all their
energies to defeat his nomination
because they recognize that 30
human power can prevent his victory
at the polls, if he be again declared
the nominee of the democratic par
~
The statement that Hon W. G
Whitney, whose shrewd manipulation
procured the last nomination of Mr.
Cleveland, in spite of the seemingly
invincibie obstracies, had gone to
Europe for the purpose of trying to
persuade Admiral Dewey to allow
his name to go before the next Dem
ocratic convention as a candidate for
the presidential nomination, while
interesting, was not regarded in
Washington as of any particular im
portance. Mr. Whitney has been
hunting for sometime for anybody to
beat Bryan, and has sounded num-
Der of men as to their willingness to
contest the nomination with Col Bry-
an Nobody with the slightest politi.
cal knowledge has shown any disposi.
ton to try to do the impossible. and
it is among the possibilities that MIR