The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 19, 1899, Page 19

18 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL SUNDAY, MARCH 19 1899 J{/yer o 0000000000000 0000 Fow Fe Climbed From the Plow to a Position in the Cabinet. C000000C0000000000 HEREVER a number of Americans get together the dis- cussion sooner or later—usually much sooner—is sure to turn upon the great happenings at home and abroad in which our 0000000000 ©C0000C00Q00 army and navy have been en- gaged. T have participated in hundreds of such talks, and I have been most forci- bly struck with the turn the discussion al- kes. ewey's deeds are alway ken of with unstinted praise; all men gree that no matter what the iy Dewey will not fail to do ex- the right thing. Then the whole and ncere regret ex- t unwisdom and too great per- | friendliness should have provoked fon as to the merits of the sea those who destroyed Cervera's 1 Shafter to win his ergency too, but not as he w he appears to be ent, almost an acci- too big for Shafter is talked of, months ago. regarded as an inc al incident, of occurrence LS b FARM MAND AT, SEVENTEEN - ‘a control. Of the real fighting men of e army the pralse is in superlatives, and officers and men are held in the highest esteem conceivable as types of American manhood of which we have every right to be proud. The President is always spoken of throughout all these dis and ere is no denying that both Democrats 1 Republicans feel kindly disposed to They think he has made grave mis- ussions, him, takes, but the general verdict is that he iing and patriotic man, mistakes have been those of a liance on some weak men to whom :ly given his confidence. At the Other End. But there is one man who stands some- what as Dewey stands, except that it is at the of te end of popular favor. This man is Russell A. Alger, the Secretary of War in McKinley's Cabinet. This man is to-day perhaps the most unpopular man in the United States, and in the discus- sior ust alluded to men not given to inity or to forcefulness of expression lfke pirates and say that they be- him ble of every great crime and every meanness that could be mentioned Alger is the man of the hour, and Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the McKinley administra- tion will be judged at the polls, not by the victories of the army and navy, not by the revival of trade and a renewal of business prosperity, but by what has come to bé known as Algerism. Alger’s Early Life. General Alger, like so many Amerlcans who have achieved prominence in the last forty years, is a native of Ohfo. He was born in Lafayette Township, Medi- na County, February 27, 1836, so that we see he is now just 63 years old. His pa- rents were poor, farmers or country storekeepers or something of that sort. ‘When his father died the present Secre: tary of War was 12 years old. It was ne- cessary for him to go to work at once. And so from 12 to 19 he worked on farms in Richfield, Ohfo. At the beginning of this apprenticeship he went with some regularity to a country school during the ehort terms which then prevailed. What he did between 1855 and 1857 I have not heard, but presumably he followed the plow and worked in the harvest fleld much as he had done in the years before. He went to Akron in 1857 to study law. While Alger was studying law {n Akron McKinley was at school only a few miles away. Little did the people of that prim- itive neighborhood dream that two youths then struggling to equip themselves. for life would be forty-two years later the central figures in a great political drama in which over seventy milllons of people were also at once actors and audlence. McKinley and Alger. Rut so It is. McKinley and the Republi- can party must stand or fall as Algerism is “approved or condemned. We will not apply lynch law to it, however; it shall have & falr hearing. The Becretary of War, however, In this case will not be asked' to appoint the members of the courf and select the prosecuting officers: In those days in Ohlo it must have been a very easy thing to acquire a legal edu- cation, for Alger. after two years' study in Akron, was admitted to practice. Now- adays a bright chap, with a college be- hind him and service in a law office be- sides, has to work hard to do this. But in 1850 in Ohio @ Young man from a farm could learn enough in two years to secure the right to represent client It may be that Alger mastered the science of law intuitively, as later he mastered the art of war. Or it may be that he never learned enough to hurt. At any rate, his knowledge was never put to any serious test, as in 1860 he went to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he soon became a speculator in pine lands. Army Traditions. In this business he has continued, and he has always been in such speculations what on the turf or in Wall street is Fhawn as a “plunger.” This plunging et Wost Catked of Wfan of the Ftour: Upon His R ecord May Depend the Result of the Presiden al Campaigh of 1900. business is very hazardous, and g man may be rich to-day and poor to-morrow. According to General Alger's own confes- slon, it was the perilous nature of the plunging business which made him run away from the perils of war, and, getting out of the army in irregular fashion and in the face of charges and a recommenda- tion for dismissal, so blot and blur a military record, before highly to his credit, that soldiers with a nice sense of military propriety have felt ever since he has been the head of the War Depart- ment that his presence there was, to say the least, a belittling of the service if not a direct insul. to it. Alger's War Record. Now let us look at the Alger war rec- ord, a war record the greater part of which was as fine as he could have wished. He enlisted in the army August 19, 1861, and was made captain in the Second Michigan Cavalry on September 2 of the same vear. He was thrown from his horse the next July and hit in the stom- ach, so he went on leave of absence. He stayed away some-two months and re- turned to service in September. During his absence he had been promoted to be major, and in October he was again pro- moted, so that he was now a lieutenant colonel and transferred to the 8ixth Michi- gan Cavalry. On June 20, 1863, le was made colonel of the Fifth Michigan Cav- alry. As such he remained for some fif- teen months, when his service ended as will presently be shown. Brilliant Service. As a fighting man Alger had won very ‘generous recognition from those imme- diately over him in rank, and Generals Custer, Merritt, Pleasanton, Kilpatrick, Torbert and Sheridan united in recom- mending him for a brigadier general's commission as early as 1863. Here is Gen- eral Custer's letter of October 18, 1863, with the indorsement of Kilpatriek, Pleasanton and Meade: “I have the honor to recommend to you for promotion to the rank of brigadier general Colonel Russell A. Alger of the PROXOADROH ® ¥ O KOXOXOAOXOKOXOXD ONE OF THESE CARDINALS MAY BE Fifth Michigan Cavalry, for meritorious in the field ough discipline in hi camp and on the march, and his untiring efforts for the welfare of and the good of the service. ger has proved. himself confidence. burg, where at the head of his regiment thickest conduc highest in the great bravery ‘Willlamsport where he was severely gallantly leauing his regiment in one of the sevérest cavalry engagements of the war, Colonel Alger distinguished himself by his bravery, and skill, which particularly fitness for a y commander. Meade’s Remark. And here is General Judson Kilpatrick” indorsement: “I have witnessed the gal- lantry and skill of Colonel Alger, com- manding Fifth Michigan Cavalry, on many occaslons. His prompt and ener- getic action yesterday saved a large por- tion of my command from being captured, s also for his thor- regiment, both in the regiment wolonel Al- worthy of the At Hanover, Gettys- of the fight he showed and skill; Hage-stown, and - Boonsboro, July 8§, wounded while #® ¥OXOHOROXDORNOAD R OX - Foretold by St. Malachy. OE(RETARY ALGERS LATEST PORTRAIT. - General Meade, however, made this re- mark: *Respectfully forwarded, with the remark that this recommendation has been sent-in without any call for me for recommendation for the appointment of brigadler general.”” This effort, it will be seen, was squelched by General Meade, without any reflec- tions, however, on the merits of Alger himself. So General Custer bided his time, and then renewed his recommenda- tion, as follow: - Custer’s Recommendation. “June 26, 1564. “T have the honor to recommend that Colonel R. A. Alger, Fifth Michigan Cav- alry, be promoted to ‘the rank of brigas dier general United States volunteers. “This recommendation is based upon the valuable service of-this officer in the field. He has been in the service since the com- mencement of the war. During this pe- riod he has served with distinction in every grade from that of captain up to colonel. He has distinguished himself on almost every occasfon in which our cav- alry has been engaged. His gallantry at Gettysburg rendered him conspicuous; also at Boonsboro, where he received a severe wound while leading his regiment in. a charge upon the enemy. “In the engagements of more Trecent date Colonel Alger has borne an impor- tant part in the battle of Yellow Tavern, which resulted in $he death of the rebel General Stuart and the capture of two pleces of artillery. Too much praise can- not be given Colonel Alger for the gal- lantry he displayed. He is particularly ve resulted from the con- 1 were at one time thrown. I fully indorse the recommendadti Brigadier General Custer, belteving Colonel Alger to be In every respect deserving of the position to which he has been named.” s This is what General Pleasanton “This recommendation is respectfully forwarded and- most favorably recom- mended. Colonel Alger will make an energetic, efficient brigade commander. His services in that capacity are much needed.in this corp % & DROAOHOAROXOXD OF FIRE™ which would usion into which th said: Singular Prophecy Made by the Irish Saint Regarding the Succession of Popes. NE of the most active factors in the prevalling gossip in Rome about a successor to Pope Leo is a series of prophecies concerning occupants of the chair of St. Peter made by an Irish monk, St. Ma- lachy, more than seven hundred years ago. St. Malachy’s remarkable success in prédicting the line of papal succession in the past leads many people to think his predictions will be again fulfilled on the Geath of the present Pope. According to the Irish saint the next wearer of the tiara will be a *man of fire.” There are several canonical decrees pro- hibiting electioneering for the tiara dur- ing the lifetime of a Pope. customs of Denmark, more honored in the breach than in the observance. certainty of the date of official summons to the conclave the speculation as to its possible choice goes on. A few weeks ago Pope Leo, speaking to a foreign bishop who was visiting him, sald: “L am' very old, very far advanced in Yet I require at least another four ars of life to carry out all my plans, ny ideas; four years at the very least. God alone knows if they will be grant- anclent i i ears. ed me.” Four years ago, in September of 1894, there was also much talk about the Papal succession. A statement made by Cardi- nal Parocchi started it. Pope Leo, re- ferring to this gossip in a conversation he had with the Duke of Montalto, said that perhaps the conclave was yet far off, as he came of a long-lived family, most of the Peccis having been over %0 when they died, and then he added: “So it seems to me that certain Cardi- nals who interest themselves so much as to my successor rush along too fast. They wish to divide the skin of the bear while But, like the they are So even before there is any RDINAL_SVAMPAS CREST -~ the bear is yet alive.” Willing to Wear the Tiara. Leo XIII is now in the twenty-second year of his pontificate. Only seven of the 262 Popes preceding him reigned twen- ty-one years. The average length of the papal reign is a little more than seven vears. Ten Popes died within a month after their election. The shortest reign was that of Stephen II—three days. The choice of the Pope is usually made from the Cardinals, but it is not generally known that a layman might legally be chosen, provided he shall take holy or- ders before his coronation. well qualified for the command of cav- alry. Therefore I respectfully but earn- estly recommend him for promotion.” This was appréved by General Torbert, and General Sheridan wrote as follows. “I respectfully recommend the appoint- ment of Colonel Alger, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, to rank of brigadier general of volunteers. Colonel Alger has distin- guished himself in the engagements at Todd's Tavern, Meadow Bridge, in front ‘of 'Richmond and ‘at Han’s Shop and Tre- villian Station, irr the present campaign, and has heretofore by his ability and gal- lant conduct rendered important services to the Government."” Sheridan to the Rescue. Meade made the same remark as bes fore, and General Sheridan, fearing that nothing would be done for Alger, wrote another letter ten days or so-after his letter just quoted. It is as follows, and, as will be seen, this time it was approved by Meade: Headquarters Cavalry Corps, Army of Poto- mac, Jordan's Point, July 11, 1564, To Brigadier General Seth Williams, Adju- tant General, Army of . the Potomac—General: X have the honor to recommend the following named officers of the Cavalry Corps for promo- HOROHOXOX OO RO OLOROXS It is known, though, that international as well as eccleslastical politics plays a considerable part in the election. There are two parties now in formal active in- fluence among the Cardinals—the intran- sigents, or supporters of the rights of temporal sovereignty, and the concilia- tionists, who advocate a certain measure of compromise with the Italian Govern- ment. Of the first Cardinal Parocchi, the present vicar of the Pope, is the candi- date; of the second Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli is the leader. Cardinal Ram- wvolla, the Secretary of State, is believed to be the ablest man in the Sacred Col- lege, but, like many another statesman, this strength is his greatest weakness as a candidate. Cardinals Oreglla, Jacobini and Satolli are also regarded as avail- able in the clash of the two groups. There are, of course, outsiders, and it is in the consideration of these that the forecasts of St. Malachy's prophecies coms into immediate view in their appli- gmlon to the personality of the next 'ope. The Prophet and His Signs. St. Malachy was an_ Irish saint, born in Armagh in the year 1084. He became in time Archbishop of that see. He was an intimate friend of St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, France, and uied in_the lat- ter's arms on November 2, 1148, In his fifty-fourth year. 's series of prophecies concerning the suceession of Popes has for several hun- dred years -been a marvel to succeeding generations. They are mentioned first in print by Arnold Wion, a monk of Monte Casino, in 1585, in his book, "Ll%num Vitae.” Another work, written in 1670 by John Germano and published in Naples, is called ‘“The Life, Works and Prophe- cles of Holy St. Malachy. The prophe- cles are also to be found in a '‘History of the Popes.” dated Lyons, 168%; in the Abbe de Vallemont's “Blements de I'Histolre,” 1702, ~nd other volumes of more recent date. These predictions are sfort forecasts, ving some noticeable trait of all the uture Popes, from Celestine II, who was elected in the year 1130, until the end of time, which, In accordance with this scheme, will come with the tenth Pontiff after the incumbent’s reign is over. As the good saint has, however, not in- dicated the duration of each reign, the average mortal of to-day need have no immediate terror of the general judg- ment. The coincidences of the predictions have in many instances been most re- markable. It would take up too much space to_go over the whole list. Those for the Pontiffs of the present century will serve 'to show the scdpe of the proph- ecles and thelr seeming accuracy. Tests of This Century. Pope Pius VI was elected February 15, 1775, St. Malachy's title for him )wus ‘‘Peregrinus Apostolicus”—the Apostolic Pilgrim. He died an exile after much journeying in France. The titles predict- ed for his successors were as foliow: 1800—**Aquilla Rapax'— the Rapacious Eagle. Plus VII had a black eagle in his coat of arms. The eagles of Napo- leon seized his dominions and carried the Pope himself into exile. It was only when Napoleon was overborne at Waterloo that he returned to Rome and his throne, in May, 1814. “‘Canis et Coluber”"—Dog and Ser- Pove Leo XII was, like these two 1823 vent. ©000060000000000000 Svery Cffort RBeing W) ade to Oust Ftim From the Cabinet. ©0000000000000000 tion to the grades set opposite to thelr names: Colonel Alger, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, to brigadier general, volunteers. Please find herewith enclosed letters of recom- mendation for * * * Letters requesting the promotion of * Covnel Alger, Fifth Mich- igan Cavalry, have already been fo 0000000000 Q000000000 warded. I am, general, very respectfully your most obedlent servant, P. H. SHERID. Major General Commanding General Meade approved this, but Gen- eral Grant sent it to the War Department with this letter: “Respectfully for rded with the mark that the officers herein recommend- ed are worthy, meritorious and worthy of promotion to fill any vacancies that may exist, but I would respectfully suggest that if any promotions are to be made or vacancies filled justice to the entire army would demand that they be not made un- til recommendations for promotion. etc. for meritorious services can also be ob- tained from the Southwestern army.” So here it will be seen that it was Gen- s MoME IN DETROIT eral Grant who stood in the way of Al- ger's immediate promotion. We find him, therefore, much discouraged and most anxious to get away so as to laok after things in Washington or to go to Michi- gan and attend to his plunging business. Promotion in the army had come to him rapidly, and it was galling to him to re- main in one grade for more than a year. We have seen what his commanders thought of him—they approved of him most highly, they wanted him to be ad- vanced. But his zeal was gone; he had tired of belng a mere colonel. Then again his pine lands needed at- tention—something might happen to them. And so the gallant Colonel, as we will see by a further glimpse at his rec- ord, deliberately threw his career aw His applications for leave when he was needed with his command and his ab- sences without leave wore out the pati- ence of Custer, who had him reported to Sheridan’s headquarters. Custer was asked for a further report, and sent in this history of the case, dated September 16, 1864: Absent Without Leave. compliance with the instructions of o ontinued on Page Thirty-Two. FOROROKOHS patient and prudent. Religious 1829—Vir _Religious”—Most Man, Pius VIII was a most pious and saintly Pope. 1831—*De Balneis Etruriae’'—From the natures, watchful Baths of Tuscany. Pope Gregory XVI was a native of Belluno and a_Camaldo- lese monk from Camaldoli, in Tuscany. 1346—Crux de Cruce’’'—Cross from the Cross. Pope Pius IX was one of the most afflicted of the Pontiffs. He was exiled from 1848 to 1850 and despoiled of two- thirds of his possessions. Finally in 1870 Victor Emmanuel -took possession of Rome {tself, and the Pope d eight years later, “the prisoner of the Vat can.” The royal house of Savoy, his per- secutors, has a white cross on its arm rial_bearings. 1878— Lumen in Coelo”—Light in the Heavens. The family crest of the Peccis, Pope Leo's escutcheon, has this distin- guishing mark, End of the Papal Line. ten more Popes will follow Leo and for Only XTII, according to St. Malachy. these he has set forth these titl 1. “Ignis Ardens"”—Ardent Fire. 2. eligio Depopulata’”—Religion Ex- terminated. ‘Fides Intrepidia’’—Intrepid Falth. i “Pastor Angelicus” —The Angelio tor. Pastol etor et Nauta”—The Pastor and Sailor. 6. Flos Florum'—The Flower of Flow- ers. 7. “De Medietate Lunae’—From the Midst of the Moon. 8. “De Labore Solis”—From the Eclipse of the Sun. 9. “‘Gloria Olivae"—The Glory of the Olive. 10. Petrus Romanus”—Peter of Rome. “During the_last persecution of the church Peter IT, a Roman, shall reign,” says St. Malachy. *He shall feed the flock in many tribulations, at the end of which the City of Sev Hills (Rome) will be destroyed and the powerful Judge shall judge his people.” St. Bridget of Sweden is also credited with a prophecy that the world would end in 1999, Who Is the Man? Such being the forecast, whenever a Pope’s relgn ended there has been much speculation as to the Cardinal whose per- sonality would fit the prediction for the next one. A Cardinal who is a likely can- didate is called '‘papabile,” and his ad- herents ‘‘papeggianti.’’ At present two names are suggested from the roll of the Sacred College as those for whom the Malachian prophecy was intended. One is that of the former general of the bare- footed Carmelites, Cardinal Girolamo Gotti. The other is that of Cardinal anmlnico Svampa, Archbishop of Bo- ogna. The title given by St. Malachy for the next Pope, it will be remembered, is “Ignis Ardens"”—ardent or blazing fire. Admirers of Cardinal Gotti say his piety, zeal and fervor for the Papacy and the church fu.y carry out this allegorical designation. He is the son of a dock la- borer, and was born at Genoa March 1834. It Is a notable fact about the pres ent College of Cardinals that a majority of them, and with only two or three e ceptions, the leading members are all men of the most democratic and humble nrlz}lni’? Wh}? lm\l‘e risen to their present rank by sheer force o ity £ their intellectual e lgerism’ | E ! 2!