Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-30
Either Allegiance to the President
or Alliance With Pingree.
WANTS An ISSUE ON RETIREMENT
Will Put Responsibility on the
Chief Executive.
TO POSE AS A MARTYR

1t is quite definitely understood that tn.
question Of Gen. Algers remaining In the
cabinet has reached the point where Alger
will be required to decide b. cen al
legiance TO the President and alliance with
Pingree. Before the cabinet IN, today IL
was the opinion of some OF th. members
that the question might come up during
the meeting and be settled one WAY or the
other. Alger is so far committed to his al
lance with Pingree that Il is not believed
that he will be willing to Withdraw from IT,
and the construction put upon his course
by those most interested is that he wants
TO make an issue with the President If he
is to retire from the cabinet, 50 as to be
free from any obligation to support him in
the future.
Wants to he Forced Out.
There is no room for doubt that Algcr
wants to be forced out Of the cabinet. and
it is believed that his object is To- b,- placed
in a position where, in defending himself
he can find sore sort OF jus5lr alton Tor
talking freely about the admin >jiaiion n
a way calculated to be injurious Ii is said
that he wants an opportunity lo make il
appear that ii mistakes Were made in the
administration uf the War Department the
responsibility lies with the President, and
that the Secretary OF War has Doe. unjust
ly criticised. in ether words. II is believed
that he has AN icea luat he can make po-
litical Capit@! by appearing "a martyr
Pingree is hi sympathy with Jh:$ idea. and
his criticism OF me admlniSiT3i on aiier
taking Algcr as "A p0iitIcai p#I,usr Is be-
lieved to have been made delirrrat,i! with
a view to the development % a9 u. % rup-
ture between the President aud Al--r. Nor
is there believed Ia be ans n :N'rrs'aad-
ing between HIM and Algcr on tai- no'ni.
President Has Given No IntiEIaGios-
1t is said in behalf Of Gen. AlEeT Jlat the
President has never inJnatei To- him IN
any way that his retirement = u sir-d. and
that az long as the President -iEgs 40 suen
intimat.on lie is not going 10 TAX, anything
for granted. He does not intend To retire
voluntarily, and If he is asked TO retire he
wants the reasons specifically stated, 50
that he can go home and make his own de-
fense in his own way. The Secretary, ii t.
said, is not ignorant of the true situation,
and realizes the embarrassment Of the
President, but has no disposition To relieve
that embarrassment. The President with
his conciliatory disposition, would like Gen.
Alger's retirement to come about without
any show of friction or hl-frel Hg, while
Gen. Alger prefers to assume that there is
no reason for his retirement unless there is
a difference of opinion between him and the
President on which his retirement shall DE
predicated.
Pingree5 Has Cultivated the Situation.
No doubt is felt that Pingree has been
cultivating this situation for his own polit-
ical purposes, and that he is encouraging
Gen. Alger to force an issue with the Pres
ident. What political advantage Gen. Alger
can hope to get out of being placed In an
attitude Of hostility toward the President
is not clear