Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
ALGER'S RESIGNATION
Unfortunate Revival of an Old
Cabinet Incident.
McKINLEY'S FORBEARANCE
Attitude of the Republican Leaders at
the Time.
NECESSITY FOR DUAL TARIFF
Alvin Sanders Speaks of the Growing
Demand for System That Will
Extend Foreign Trade.
IECESsITY FOR DUAL TARIFF
BY WILLIAM z CERTI.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
IL is unfortunate that Mr.. Campbell OF
the Milwaukee Journal should have publish
ed his long-suppressed interview with the
late Senator Alger just at this time because
the friends of President Mckinley viii not
permit its statements to pass uncontradict-
ed. and any revival of the controversy will
tarnish Ayers reputation. The facts con-
corning his resignation Secretary of War
are known accurately by large number of
persons, including his associates in the cab
met, Lyman ]. Gage Cornelius N Bliss,
Justice Day, John ID. Long former Attorney
General GrigGs, Charles Emory Smith James
Wilson, Lieut. Gen. Corbin, Postmaster Gen.
eral Cortelyou who was private secretary
to the President, and a number of senators
and representatives In Congress, not one of
whom will indorse or confirm a single state
ment contained in the interview teegraphed
from Milwaukee last night and published
almost universally in the newspapers of the
country yesterday morning.
Senator Ayers colleagues in the McKin-
ley cabinet and others very reluctant
TO revive the recollection of the scandals
that attended the last few months of his
administration of the War Department All
OF them seriously deprecate a discussion of
O.
DAY. but those who are in Washington
contented themselves with a specific denial
They declared with emphasis that Michigan
politics and the campaign for the election
OF United states senator from that state
had no more to do with Ayers resignation
than the eclipse of the moon, and that if
he ever had such an impression he as la
boring under delusion.
Justice Day.. Secretary Wilson and Post
master General Cortelyou declined to say
anything farther.
Mr.. McKinley's Forbearance.
Secretary Alger is quoted as saying that
President Mckinley had no backbone which
shows that he mistook kindness of heart
and generous forbearance for lack of char
acter; and II may be said that such quail
ties were never illustrated In a kindlier
manner than in President McKinley's treat
rrcnt of his Secretary of War. The long
continued and almost universal criticism of
Secretary Ayers administration, the in
vestigation of the conduct of the war by
the Dodge commission and other disclosures
caused him 20 lose the confidence of his of
fetal associates. of the members of the mil
ltary committees in Congress. of the heads
OF bureaus ana other officers of the army
under him. of the newspapers and of the
public. and yet President Mckinley defend
ed and sustained him and refused repeated
ly to ask his resignation. although urged
To do so by the republican leaders The
President felt that much of this criticism
war with Spain and the terrible blunders
that attended the organization of the army
and the campaign in Cuba We're not due to
his lack of ability or industry or loyalty.
We lacked men and means. For example
when war was declared there We're not six
rounds of ammunition in the magazines of
the army and the powder used by the troops
in Cuba was borrowed from the Navy De-
partment.
II is doubtful whether any one could have
done any better than Secretary Alger did
but he did not work in harmony with other
officials of the government Gen. Schofield
resigned from the board OF strategy, COM
posed of the Secretary of War, the general
Of the army and himself. because as he
told me at the time he did not dare run
the risk OF court-martial for criticising
the manners the methods and the accuracy
OF the statements of his chief
President Mckinley was very much en-
barrassed. but his generous disposition and
anna BILE temperament caused him TO toler-
ate and apologize for the mistakes of his
Secretary and conceal them as much as he
could. II man like Roosevelt had Leen in
the White House at that time Alger would
not have remained ten days in the -;it,-n
he occupied.
Secretary Alger is quoted as referring to
Secretary Chase's relations with President
Lincoln in justification of his own purse
but that is not 10 his credit There is a
striking similarity between the two cases.
except that President Lincoln confronted
Secretary Chase with his accusers who
convicted him of falsehood and duplcity,
while Mckinley defended Alger to the last.
Views of Republican Leaders.
There were repeated conferences among
the republican leaders concerning Ayers
retention in the cabinet. They were unani-
nous in the opinion that he had lost the
confidence of Congress. and the arm. and
the public. and ought not to stay but Nc
Kinley refused to ask his resignation and
never did ask it. FINALLY. Vice President
Hobart, who Ayers most intimate
friend in Washington, undertook 20 solve
the problem. He took the responsibility of
inviting the Secretary of War to spend
Sunday with him ct his summer home at
Long Branch in August, 1899. and when he
returned to Washington ON Monday he
brought Ayers resignation with him. No
one knows what occurred at that visit: no
one knows what was said: one can state
what reasons and arguments Mr.. Hobart
advanced. except those two men. but il Is
certain that the Michigan senatorship was
not alluded to.
Reciprocity in Trade.