The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-02
rRnrnIE For ALGER.


Gen. Alger and the publishers of his
book, Harper & Bros, are threatened
with a libel suit. In his book, The
Spanish-American War" the General
saws that Some timid newspaper men.
accompanying Gen. Young and Col.
Wood became alarmed at the first shot
fired at Las Guasimas, and rushed
frantically back to Siboney, before the
engagement was over, and wrote from
the decks of the transports, where
they took refuge, imaginary accounts
of the fight" Richard Harding Davis,
in a letter to Harper g. Bros, men
lions the newspaper men who We're
with Gen. Young and Col. Wood and
comes to the conclusion that Gen. AL
ger refers to him and Caspar Whitney.
He reaches this conclusion by accounts
ing for all of the correspondents who
were with Gen. Young, showing that
they were conspicuous for their BRAY
cry and then saying that the refer
ence of Gen. Alger must be to him and
Caspar Whitney, who were with Col.
Wood.
He makes it very clear, however,
that neither he nor Mr.. Whitney ran
away when the first shot was fired, or
at any other time. He tells of the
part which he took in the battle and
of the service rendered by Mr.. Whit
ney, and he quotes from the writings
of President Roosevelt. who, at the
time, was lieutenant colonel of the
Rough Riders, to prove that he and
Mr. Whitney acted the part Of brave
men in the Las Guasimas engage
ment.
Mr.. Davis wants to know of Har-
per & Bros. whether Gen. Alger will
consent to have the objectional refer
ence to the newspaper men stricken
out of his book and what the publish
ers will do toward suppressing the
libel.
1t looks as If Gen. Alger, in writing
a sweeping assertion respecting the
conduct of newspaper men at Las
Guasimas was hostile to newspaper
men generally, and put in his book the
paragraph to which Mr.. Davis objects
as an expression of his feelings to-
wards them. 1t is probable that some
of them had a great deal to do with
creating the public sentiment which
finally forced him out of the War De-
partment.
No doubt some of the newspaper men
said untrue things about Gen. Alger,
and they did it probably without being
sure that they were justified in doing
so. They, or the papers they repre-
sented thought he ought to resign his
position as Secretary of War, and they
employed all the means at their dis
posal to force him to do so. But be-
cause he suffered injustice at the
hands of some newspaper men, it did
not follow that he was excusable for
making statement in respect to GER
tain newspaper men which he did not
know to be true.
1t seems to be the understanding that
Gen. Alger will have to withdraw the
paragraph containing the objection
able statement or Harper & Bros. will
have to suppress it if they desire tc
avoid a libel suit. According to Mr.
Davis letter Gen. Alger cannot prove
his statement to be true. Like His
torian Maclay he appears to have per,
mitted his feelings to get the better Of
his Judgment. There seems to bt
ground for thinking that one of the
purposes he had in view in writing his
book was to punish some of his en-
emies. He apparently overlooked the
fact that those who seek to punish
their enemies in that way run a greai
risk of making trouble for themselves