The San Francisco call., 1899-07-22
P|NGREE DEFENDS
POLITICAL NER
Accuses Mckinley of
COWardiCe.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

DETROIT. Mich, July 21.-Governor
I-agree to-day handed to the Associ-
ated Press prepared, signed inter
view, giving what the Governor asserts
TO be facts which are absolutelv reli-
able" bearing upon the relations be
tween Secretary Alger and President
Mckinley with which the public is
not familiar.
AT the outset the Governor says: Il
have no hesitation in saying that the
course pursued by the President in this
matter is little less than cowardly. 1t
Is, to say the least, very unmanly."
Governor Pingree said his inferma-
ton did not come from General Alger,
but from ''one whose knowledge of the
facts cannot be disputed"
Proceeding, he says that repeatedly
since the Eastern newspapers began
their attack upon Secretary Alger the
Secretary informed the President thai
Yif these press comments embarrassed
the administration in the slightest de-
gree he would resign at once, but the
President as often protested emphati-
cally that he had the utmost confidence
in Secretary Alger and his conduct of
the War Department, and that the
country could not afford to lose his ser
vices. The Governor says that at the
time his alleged alliance" with Gen
eral Alger was announced and before
his diSaVOwal of interviews criticizing
the President had reached Washington,
General Alger told the President that
upon the Presidents slightest intima-
tion he would resign, but the President
refused to entertain the idea for mo-
ment.
+l,o 80
reason for asking for General Alger's
resignation, Governor Pingree says:
Long before my announcement that
I would su~Dort General Alger for the
Senate, Secretary of State Hay, on
Ju~ 2 last requested Vice President
Hobart to intimate to General AIger
that his resignation would be accept
able to the President and would relieve
him from the embarrassing attacks of
|. the press upon the conduct OF the war.
Mr.. Hobart properly declined to be
party to such an unmanly, not to say
cowardly, proceeding, and expressed
his opinion in terms decidedly vigorous
after that General Alger, entirely
| ignorant of this miserable conspiracy,
! several times offered to end the attacks
| by submitting his resignation, but still
/ the President did not have the courage
| to express himself to his Secretary.
! General Alger finally did hand in his
/ resignation, to take effect January 2.
| The President dared not face the gem
! eral in a manly way and ask him to re-
| tire and give his reasons for making the
request He finally accomplished by in
! direction what he dared not do in an
| open and frank manner himself"
Governor Pingree states that Mr.. HO-
! bart was finally prevailed upon by At
| torney General Griggs to convey to the
| Secretary that his resignation was de-
I sired, "and gave my alleged alliance
with the Secretary as pretext."
| Commenting upon the whole matter,
the Governor says that General AIger's
sacrifice was compelled by demands of
New York politicians backed by the
"unscrupulous and heartless press He
predicts that it will be learned that
the President himself has been respon-
sible for whatever mistakes have been
made in conducting the war"
| He adds: Il am told on the very best
authority that General Alger made very
| few appointments of officers during the
war. and that the commissions were
issued almost entirely upon the orders
of the President"
The Governor alleges that the more
recent attacks upon Alger in the East
were caused by his frank declaration of
opposition to trusts, and he added there
is a decided odOr of trusts around the
present administration, with Mark
Hanna as the acknowledged king
maker"
In conclusion the Governor calls upon
Michigan people and newspapers to
protest against the injustice done the
States foremost representative in pub
lie life 1t is conjectured here that
Brigadier General Henry NJ. DuffieId
gave some of the foregoing information,
but the general declines to be inter
viewed.