The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-03-16
DELIBERATE
CONSPIRACY
Attacks Upon Secretary Alger a Plan to
Discount the Administration.
SENSATION SPRUNG BY BOYETOE |
He Stands in the Front Rank OF Washing
ton Journalism and His Charges Of Dem
ooratic Conspiracy 10 Discount the
Administration Are Gsner-
ally Accepted.

Washington, March le.-The sensation of
the week has been the charge made publicly
by Gen Henry V. Boynton that the con.
tnuous and persistent attacks on Secretary
Alger, which were begun with the ending Of
the late war with Spain, sprang from we'll
planned conspiracy. Boyntou stands in the
front rank Of Washington correspondents for
thirty years, aud his reputation is Of the
highest order. He enjoyed the confidence Of
the Hayes, Garfield. Harrison and Cleveland
administrations, and being no irresponsible
Hedging Of Newspaper Row, hence his state.
ments are believed. His statement. as ro.
yised and authorized. is as follows:
The time seems opportuue for the OK.
posure OF certain facts which have come 20
ight regarding the origin of the attacks on
the war Department. These facts relate to a
deliberate agreement early in the war be-
tween certain newspaper proprietors for the
purpose OF destroying the prestige which il
was clearly foreseen would be won by Pres
ldent Mckinley If the war was successful
But murder will out, and the main festures
OF this plot have become known. According
TO gentleman acquainted with the facts
these editors met in Washington about the
INST OF May, four or five in number to dis.
cuss the situation. A member of the Ma
tonal Democratic Committee was also in
consultation.
The situation and the remedy were thus
presented; If the war goes on successfully
nothlng can prevent the reelection Of Presi-
dent Mckinley. Newspapers, at this stage
OF the war or while war matters move
smoothly, can not afford TO make q direct as
sault upon the President But since it is
certain that, as war appropriations have long
been low, the difficulties in Immediately
ofncenng' supplying and equipping quarter
OF million men will be very great il will
be easy to hold the War Department up to
view as inefficient. and thus speedily stir the
country with stories of gross mismanagement
and the cruel neglect of our soldiers.
II was therefore agreed that direct and
concerted attack should be opened upon
Secretary Alger, and the whole War Depart
ment, and prosecuted upon the pretense of
guarding the interests of the private soldiers
The President was to be generally supported
and only criticised for retaining an inefficient
secretary in case he failed to respond to their
demands TO cruelty him.
The parties to this political conspiracy are
understood to have originally included two
newspapers from New York city, not then
classed as yellow" with the belief on the
part OF these two that at least two others in
that city would follow, with one in Boston,
TWO IN chicago and one in St. Louis. The
consultation brought out the fact that one or
two Republican newspapers with strong free
trade procliyities could probably be depended
upon-which subsequently proved to be true.
Later recruits were secured for this con-
spiTacy.
The k-unpatriOtic if not seditious
and morally treasOnable-began at once Cor
respondents were sent to the camps instructed
10 cfltlclse at every point. This was especially
true of Camp Thomas and later of Montsuk.
The grumblings of private soldiers who found
themselves in war camps instead of summer
ehcAmpments were encouraged and paraded
IN most sensational forms. Baseless assertions
from camps by correspondents and soldiers
We're emphasized by editorial attacks of the
bltterest character upon Secretary Alger and
the War Department Surely and rapidly
the country was worked into frenzy. Many
newspapers accepting the reiterated false
hoods as truth, were swept into the current
and Secretary Alger became the central
figure of attack
The nation would have been less than
human If, in proportion as it came to believe
these talsehoOds, it had not responded with a |
tornado OF denunciatiOn. This was founded |
upon false information, but was neyerthe- !
less, as honest as it was earnest Bnt the |
nation, devoted to its soldiers, |
was deceived at every step by the grOssest /
forms of exaggeration. At the bottom, di- /
recting this organized falsehoOd and using il |
10 create national frenzy, was the Internal |
conspiracy here presented in outline
From first to last the attacks upon Secre-
tary Alger was only used as a means of in
direct attack upon the President because |
direct assault would not be discreet. Never
were haser means used to achieve political |
ENDS: Never was this nation so thoroughly |
deceived. Never before was sucb crneltv
inflicted upon the families of the nations |
soldiers or upon the nation which holds them
In reverence. Never before has such devilish |
conspiracy had such free run of success.
But its days are numbered, and The na- |
uon Is slowly recovering its senses, and as |
the vapOrs above this DEVILS oauldron lift, IL |
begins to see that in the main never was an |
army better supplied OF cared for in the |
home camps and that the lacks there were, |
IN large degree, such as are inseparable from |
war even under the best conditions And |
every thoughtful man who gives a moments |
consideration to the subject cannot fail TO
see the complaints which have come from
troops IN the tropics are largely due 10
destructive climatic influences, which. in the
necessary rush Of the campaigns, could not
be fully provided against"