Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-03
His Return to Politics One Of the
Remarkable Things in Polit.
ical History
is NOW A LEADER IN MICHIGAN
as Senator Seems to Be
Popular and His Election Certainty
for Another Term-PeopIe Taking
Different View of His Action as Cab
met Officer.

Detroit, Mich, Oct. 3.--Gen. RuSseii
A. Ayers remittance into politics mas
been as complete success as anything
that could We'll be imagined. He left
President Mckinley's cabinet appar-
emily under u cloud, altho, as is now
well known, he merely was made the
victim OF a sudden and mistaken gust
of public opinion.
Gen. Alger has been actually APP
pointed United States senator and now
holds his commission, so that he VIII
take his seat in the senate chamber
at the opening of congress in December
Not only is he an appointive senator
but he has also been nominated by the
republican state convention and will be
elected without opposition when the
legislature meets in January to I'LL the
unexpired term caused by the death
OF Senator Mcmillan.
The triumph for Gen. Alger is abso-
lutely complete and he will return to
Washington the practical master OF the
political situation in Michigan. Not on
ly that, but he has lived down COM
pletely the unfortunate public critic
ism which in a way forced his retire
ment from the Mckinley cabinet and
which for a time deprived him of the
credit of having conducted a brief and
entirely successful war.
Alger has shown that the difficulties
the country encountered in the early
days of the Spanish war, We're net due
to the secretary of war, but TO the
dry rot in the army bureaus, and above
all the foolish confidence of the peopl .
who relied on their own strength and
We're wholly unprepared for actual war.
Gen Alger will go back TO Washing
ton to find the young man he com
mssioned as a lieutenant colonel of a
spectacular regiment now in the white
house as president of the United States
The death of Senator Mcmillan lef.
the party In just that condition here
in Michigan where Alger and no other
man could unite it upon himself. Had
Senator Mcmillan lived, Gen. Alger
could not have been senator, but as 1t
is the machine element which at
tempted to oppose his election WAS
unable to make any Roadway against
him so that now Russell A. Alger is en-
aked to return to Washington by thu
exercise OF the mere patient effrontery
of political genius
General Alger always said his day
would come, and it has come for the
people generally have learned that they
treated him unfairly, and his own state
has sent him to the senate. which was
long ago the goal of his ambition. He is
looking much better Than for many
years, and, altho he is disnclined to
permit himself at this time to be
dragged into any public discussion. he
has strong views of almost all public
questions.
1t was natural that my conversation
with him should begin with reference
to the events of the Spanish-American
war, and General Alger expressed him
self as more convinced than ever that
the operation of the land forces of the
United States during the active prose
cutfon of the war We're of the most for
tunate possible character.
1T couldn't be done again." said the
new senator, in speaking of the sue
cessful landing of Skaters expedition
Just think of it! There We're $4,000
troops which We're crowded into more
than thirty transports. The problem
vas to land them on the south coast OF
Cuba, during a well-known hurricane
sea. 1t was a lucky chance, but there
was not a storm in sight and not a
thing to modest the landing.
"There is not one chance in hum
dred of such Il thing being done again
With such complete success. We lost a
lighter or two, and a couple of men
We're drowned by accident in jumping
TO the piers but from all ordinary cas-
ualties the expedition was entirely free.
There was another thing which d
good many people have not thought
about, in which we were extremely for
tunate. When Cervera came out of
Santiago harbor he turned to the west,
where there was nothing but the open
sea and where his ships could readily
be followed and destroyed by the block
aiding squadron. Had he turned to the
eastward the result might have been
different. He would have encountered
our fleet of transports and might cas-
lily have sunk Il lot of them before his
own ships could be destroyed by our
cruisers. In both these things we We're
extremely lucky, and / have never
ceased to congratulate myself on such
good fortune
FOREIGN COMMERCE.