The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-29
Circulation staiemcDt.
ar. AI-cr Arnin.

SIR AIser again.
There must be some mental defec, in
9 man who. like Russell \. Alger, DELHI
erate1y energies from the obscurity in
which a mereiful public has permitted
him TO remain for two years or more,
and affr3nts it by reappearing in the use
less and offensive role Of 4 second hand
scandal-monger. II Mr. Alger had
the least idea of gratitude, he would
have spared Mr.. Mckinley the pain and
annoyance which Inevitably will follow
the utterly gratuitous resurrection Of
the embalmed beef business by the for
mer. The President was long suffering
and kind to Alger, bought the white-asb
covered with which he retired to his TIM
Der wilderness IN Michigan, ara is not
known even TO have said an unki1d word
zof one who was a milestone aroald Jne
neck Of the Administration. But Algar is
not the kind of an individual to keep
quiet. Ee must rush into print with a
book On the Spanish war, q portion OF
which is now printed in The North Amer
lean Review
The apparent object of this chap
ter is to besmirch Lieutenant Gen
erai Miles It begins by reeiting the
story Of Mr.. McKfnley's creation of
the Alger Relief Commission. AZ fhe
request of the man 10 be Investigated
and states. quite inaecurately, that not
word about embalmed beef aiad been said
before the tribunal until after it had been
sitting for nearly three months, when Gen
eral Niles gave his evidence on the sub
iect- In taking this line AIger tribes with
public patience. There is not Z person OF
ordinary intelligence who was q habitual
reader Of the daily papers in 1898 who is rot
aware that the press Of the country had
been denouacing The rotten and chemically
prepared beef and the timed packing
house refuse furnished 10 cur troops for at
least foUr months before General FIises
was called as a witness by the packed Al
ger Relief Commission. It is incorrect to
say that the whitewashing court in ques-
ton had no knowledge of the evils and
abuses, If net crimes, that had been en-
ecuraged ia 3he feeding OF cur army. Evil
deace in plenty was offered to show that
the so-caIled canned roast beef bought by
The Commissary Department was in fact
nothing but waste meat pulp from which
nineJy-eight per cent Of the nutrfment had
been taken in the process Of making beef
extract Witnesses we're not wanting who
offered to prove that cattle which had been
accidentally killed in transit, and cows
that had died Of tuberculosis and other
diseases, were represented IL the fresh
beef ration. The Commission could net
be induced to hear such evidence Is for
the embaImed beef. it is too late in the
day 70 discuss that matter. Everybody
who does marketing knows that in sum
mer time il is difficult to find fresh beef
in any but a few Of the most expensive
butcher shops in Washington or New
York. which hiss not been chemically
treated ard usually with what General
Niles said 1t was two years ago, namely
with the commercial article known to the
trade as -preservaIine, substance large
" composed CT salicylic acid. Alger would
ask US to believe that the country was
ignorant q facts with whsch It was ring
ing from OCEAN to oeean-factA which
Gespste the generous coat of whitewash
which his own Commission spread over
him. forced him 20 leave the Cabinet. Al
ger says:
The allegations that unsuita, e f4ed. got
tart Of the legal ration, had bee furnished. 70
tne army under pretence OF ar experiment and
ti-at refrigerated beef treated Eirl poisonous
Chemicals, had heen and Was Fem. s5fr.DIied 10
our ny Of 275,050 men. we're. indeed scri 9sfS
l5'-piylns Is they did criminal incoGlpctency on
tie part Of the Conrsissary Ecg,artaleTf ,ri!lful
negligence and dishonesty
Upon Coinmissary General Charles ?. raeaa
the charges tel with the slddenuess and sharp
ness Of blow rom assassin's knife out OF the
aarA- General Easan had been an offser OF the
Regular Army Tor thirty-six wears He had risen
ron second ileutensnc5 20 the highest rank in
me SofnffisssFF Department TO which h7s ans-
0ltl0n could aspire. Gallant ard sesrTrSS On .I,a
oattiefeics Of the civil war. and the hostile
Indian plains OF the West he had 4 record Tor
soldlerty qualities OF which any uicer might we'll
be proud. With energy honesty and z4sI h.. T,sJ
administered his department during the war with
Spain. fitting climax TO a long and honorabIc
career II The service q his coJiatry''
1t is pity that AIger= could not leave
Eagan out OF The equation Not that we
particularly care about the latter. hut his
Introduction viii appear to people who
are familiar with the inside history Of
certain transactions engaged in and
conducted at the Auditorium and Palmer
Hotels in Chicago. and the Eahitt and
Arlington Hotels IN Washington. *
something much resembling ma
Ecio11s desire 20 strike at an old friend
and benefaetor through one close 10 hin.
The charges did not come as = surprise
70 Eagan- He knew that they were con-
mon talk weeks before General Niles
made them. much more temporarily tfsn
they had been made in the leading papers
Of the country. Eagsn also knew that
there was q high protective tariff On his
personality owing to a certain influence.
and doubtless believed that ii would see
him safely through the soulGess CT his at
tack apon the General Commanding the
Array.
If 1t was Ayers design to stir Up an
unsavory mess to harass the Admins
tration from which he was elected, his
North American Review performance
may be elassel as an eminent success.
The most regrettable feature Of i is that
other people and not the author viii have
TO suffer for it. BE is as ce5apleteIy IN
mune as he is negligible as Eer as p1blic
opinion Is concerned.
The Bellevue HazerS.