The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-01-31
EDIT RIAL.

l. ~ N j ~
Senator Alger of Michigan is dead.
While perhaps he never rose to the
heights of greatness, he was never
the-less an exceptional man. Dur
ing the war he took prominent part
and prove himself brave soldier.
During the Cuban war he was Secre-
tary of War and the embalmed beef
scandal did much to damage his repu-
tation. we believe unjustly. AS
member of the Senate he was not
conspicuous figure but although
wealthy man he never made himself
obnoxious by subserviency to the cor
porations. In 1896 it was our pleasure
to accompany General Alger for several
days during the campaign trip which
the four Generals. Sickles. Howard.
Alger and Tanner. made through the
west. The writer was on board the
train as a special press correspondent
and had much opportunity to get
acquainted with the real man. Cen
eral Alger did not rhyme at all with
out preconceived ideas of millionaire.
He was genial. jolly. whole-souled
and very democratic in his ways. All
those on the train were his guests
and he saw to it that they were
made comfortable and at home. We
will always remember the little lunch
es and visits when the whole sscon1-
pany" would gather in the dining
room of Gen. Algers' car after the
days work was done. The last speech
had been made. the last press dis
patch had been filed, the cheers and
the torchlights and the music of the
bands were forgotten. The train was
speeding across the prairies at sixty
miles an hour for the next days work
was to be perhaps 300 or 400 miles
from the scenes of the day before.
General Sickles came swinging down
the aisle. his crutches bump. bump
ing and the stump of the leg he lost
at Gettysburg swaying wildly. Tan
ner slid along on his two wooden
legs. Howard leaned comfortably for
ward with his the arm on the table.
Alger was the only able bodied man
OF the four and if we remember cor
rectly he carried rebel bullets in his
body.
One night we saw them mad. and
it was a sight for men and gods. One
could easily imagine Sickles at the
head of his old brigade. the most
daredevil fighter of the Union army.
and Howard, we'll for noted Y. M.
C. A. man. General Howard was
pretty lively in his expressions OF
anger. The cause of it all was Coir
Harvey. The redoubtable apostle Of
Fool Finance had been at Clinton the
day before the Generals landed We DE-
not remember his exact language bu
he had made some very insulting al
lusions to the Generals. We think HI
said they were played relics
of the war. banking on their forme.
patriotism to be-fool the people. :
This may not have been the exac
language. but we know that as soor
as the train stopped the writer wa
the first man off and he fel
into the arms of an excited Clinton
republican who told him all about it
The next move was to tell the gener
ais. That night the Clinton oper
house was crowded. There was not
vacant seat. scarcely breathing room
But the crowded opera house SCENE
hardly to have made an impress
sion on the crowds in the street. A
the side of the opera house there wa
a little balcony and it was decide
that some of the party should spea
from it while the main meeting wa
going on in the opera house. w
stayed with the balcony party for W
knew the set speeches by heart an
thought that the fun would come GU
side. We shall never forget the spec
tacie. There were fiaring torches an
electric lights and, as far as one coul
see. sea of heads. 1t was "Privat
Tanner" who stirred the crowd tina
night.
He stood before the people. stoo,
before them and unstrapped the wood
en- legs and swung there on hi
crutches. eyes, he said "We ar
worn-out relics of the War" AM
then he gave Coin Harvey such ;
scathing rebuke as few men have eve
suffered. Mad? The crowd wa
mad enough to have lynched Coli
Harvey then and there. Little won
der it was that the Harvey episode
occupied the attention of the little
group as they sat about the tabl,
after the work of the day was done
That is our last remembrance O.
Alger, as he sat there with his eye
blazing. yet speaking in the modulat
ed tones of a thoroughbred. giving hi.