National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-10-26
MINOR TOPICS.

CHICAGO has seventy.two houses engaged In
slaughtering and packing meats. They employ
between 5000 aud 1900 persons, pay s35OOO0O in
wages, buy $40 10000 Of material and the value Of
the product amounts to ssi $4,000 for the year just
closed
THE discovery Of beds of genuine anthracite in
the far west is one Of the surprises Of recent OK
ploration in New Mexico. Biuminous coal is
| common enough west Of the Mississippi, but veins
Of truo anthracite have generally been confined to
wildcat prospectuses" That there are inexhnust-
iblc beds Of anthracite in the old Placer range and
| that the coal compares well with tho Pennsylvania
deposits, Is the conclusion which one OF the New
York Tfibmss staff correspondents has reached
after going over the ground
GENERAL NELSON A. MILES, who is named most
prominently for chiefsigna oficer is colonel oftho
Fifth infantry (mounted), United states army. lie
Is one Of the youngest colonies In the army. He
entered the volunteer service ns captain of the
Twenty second Massachusetts, volunteer infantry
In lSjl at the nge Of twenty-five, and became
colonel OF the slxty-hrst New York In 1862, was ap
pointed brgaJier.gener ofvolunleers In 1864 for
distinguished service in the battles Of the wilder
ness campaign, and brevotted as brcyot.majorgen-
eral for distinguished gallantry in action iu the
seven days fights lie was made full malorgcn-
oral in 1866 for valiant service OF Reams station
In 1866 he was made colonel in the regular army
and appointed to command the Forteth infantry,
aud afterwards assigned to the Fifth infantry. lie
has performed rs arduous frontier service as any
officer in the army since tho war, and has par
ticulnry distinguished himself aud his regiment In
the Indian campaigns in the Indian territory Kan.
sas aud Montana territory. His successes against
the Sioux. Nez Perce and Bunnock Indians since
1876 have made him the foremost Indians fighter Of
the plains. Those who know him give him credit
for original genius US soldier and In his peculiari
ties of character personal courage and strategic
ability he occupies rank similar TO that of
SkOboloh, the Russian general whom Lieutenant
Green graphically describes in his history OF
the Russian campaigns in the recent RussO-Turk-
ish war. Ifapp .inled to the signal office Gen.
eral Miles will bring TO the discharge of his du-
ties incorruptibe integrity q spotoss private char.
actcr and administrative abilities ofa high order.
He is about forty-two years Of age, handsome and
| digniied in person, aflable In behavior, and his
frontier experience viii. make him an invaluable
acquisition to the headquarters staff
| A CORRESPONDENT in the New York Herald nom
mates the gallant Schwaka for chief signal officer
aud says that "Mlles and Hazen are men past the
| time OF youth lwhatover that moansl with the
| education simply of the camp, without having
given any evidence of genius in the scientific
| handling of statistics" This is both untrue and
absurd. Miles and Hazen nrc both accomplished
/
Point graduate whose life has been passed in careful
| study. Miles Is an accomplished field officer and
is 10y reason ofdisingulshed service OH the frontier
| peculiarly well qualified to fill the position OF
chief OF the signal corps He knows its needs.
In the discussion Of the question OF successor 70
| General Myer, nearly every one who has written
upon 1t assumes that great general scientific at
tanments are necessary. This is not So
| No special scientific knowledge is req uircd. This
| signal corps Is engaged in tho oxamnat ion or
modification where necessary, and experiments
| with, various instruments, by means OF which
| communication can be had between distant points
by the use of signals Of different kinds Added tc
this work are the instruction and drill in the use
OF these instruments. Personally, we presume
| General Myer had not sent O signal message fol
years. Signaling by flags aud the use Of military
telegraph may be learned by man OF average ca
pacty in three or four months. Th same may b'
said of the helograph method. When this ques
ton is discussed the weather reports branch II
mixed up with the sigual branch, when qualinca
tons referred to. As to the first named It may
be said that years of study. combined with specia
aptitude. are lie cessary to qualify one for tn,
proper conduct of this branch. 1t is peculiarly de
voted to the needs of commerce and agriculture
has little or nothing to do with the duties of sig
nal officers and should be entirely distinct in or
ganiZation aud control. The signal branch Is
military necessity the weather reports branch Il
q civil necessity. Therefore, they ought to b,
, under two heads. Miles will thoroughly meet TIL
requirements Of the signal office and 1t Is possible
that schwatka may be equally well qualified fol
the other