Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-01
At THE PENI7EN7AL ALTAR.

1" . 80
I For many long months the democratic
press abused General Alger like a pick
| pocket. They charged him not only with
incompetency but rank dishonesty, ana
| pictured him as a criminal before the bar
! of public sentiment and as an outlaw IN
the domain of the public service. Moth
ing was too mean or too disgracetul TOR
the bourbon organs to say about HIM.
The question of the truth or falsity of the
allegations made cut no figure with these
sensational p%urveyors of putrid politics.
The object was to break Alger down and
ruin his reputation as a man. no matter
how it was done. 1t was not believed that
he would resign. but that as a member
of the official family next year he would
make an excellent target for democratic
campaign thunder.
But Mr.. Alger resigned. taking with
him into private life all the charges
heaped up against him. and how the DEM
ocratic press are doing just what the
Inter Mountain predicted at the time
trying to shift their charges Of dishonesty
made against the late secretary Of war
to the shoulders of the president. With
the more astute democratic newspapers
the discovery that .Alger was not at fault.
and was more sinned against than sin
ming. will come about by degrees, and as
the result of future co developments as
time drags along. But the Helena indie
pendent, in its anxiety to get in IN the
ground floor when the scenes are shifted,
overtops political discretion and pub
fishes the following:
When the Independent criticized GEN
eral Ayers management of the war office
before his resignation it was in the belief
that the scandals of the service were
chargeable TO the secretary. Later and
fuller information leads us to believe we
were mistaken. inc hat the scandals
We're chargeable to the president and the
junta back of him rather than to the sec
rotary.
AS there has not been one iota of in
formation bearing on the guilt or inno-
cence of Alger, or affecting in any man
ner whatsoever the question of his re-
sponsibility in one direction or another,
that was not known to the public when
he resigned, the foregoing is decidedly
raw. The object of the Independent is
not to confess itself guilty of having
bounded a man down as a public Grim
| i,,n1 o~I tIo ~o,,l.,o~ Sc llJ.1,. -1
diers in camp and field, only to find out
that it was backcapping an innocent
man; nor is it the object of that paper to
acknowledge itself so ignorant of public
affairs that it does not know where the
responsibility of the secretary of wal
begins and left off in the discharge OF
the duties of his position.
1t goes to the public confessional with.
out intending to do so. It's sole and only
object in the foregoing paragraph is te
lay the foundations for an attack or
President Mckinley. based on the charge:
that it has heretofore made against Alge1
personally. 1t wants to revamp it's ole
thunder in a new quarter, and to tina
end must issue it's certificate of transfer
and a bungling political document it is
to be sure!
1t will occur to the public that wher
the Independent attacks another man ii
official life it is just as liable to be shoot.
ing at the wrong target, having con
fessed it's extreme liability to make mis-
takes of that character until it gets 'late
and fuller information" or, in othe
words, till it gets it's cue to "doubl,
switch the turn"