, 1884-03-06
PickingS.

PickEngs.
The increase of postoffices and the
increasing sale of stamps in the older
offices, afford striking illustration
of the marvellous growth of this
country. Upon the first day OF
January of this year there were As,
4S4 postoffices, gain of 5400 within
four years. During the past year
nearly two thousand millions OF
stamps were sold.
The bin repealing the test oath,
which recently passed the house, has
passed the Senate, after being mod
flied by the amendment proposed by
the senate Judiciary committee, pro
viding that no person who held a
commission in the United States
army or navy before the war, and
was afterwards engaged in the mill
tary, naval or civil service of the so
called confederate states, shall be
appointed to any position in the.army
or navy of The United States.
Port Townsend has at last taken
the preliminary steps towards the
formation of board of trade, and a
mass meeting was held on last Satur=
day, for the purpose of putting the
matter in shape. The remarks of
Mayor Bradshaw and T. W. Petty
grove, Sen, the latter the founder of
Portland, Or, were sanguine of sue
cess, and went on to show that Port
Townsend holds the key to the entire
Puget Sound. and when connected on
the west side by railroad with the up
per Sound. the trade would come TO
her very doors, aud neither Seattle
nor Tacoma could have any effect on
the port of entry as far as business
was concerned. Every citizen of
Olympia is, or should be interested
in the future success of Port Town
send. and if connected by railroad
the prosperity of both cities will be
considerably enhanced --Olympia
Critic.
On Saturday the commissioner of
the Northern Pacific land Office, q.
B. Lamborn, occupied a good deal of
space in the associated press dis
patches. Mr.. Lamborn is mot yet
ready to believe that congress will
pass law to confiscate any of the
land grant of the Northern Pacific"
He will greatly accommodate the
people of this part of the country by
informing them where the particular
three hundred miles of road already
built from Tacoma eastward is, of
which he makes mention in the in-
teryiew. We know all about fraud
ulent possession of lands learned"
by the Puyallup coal road, but must
plead ignorance of the three hundred
miles the commissioner speaks Of
Perhaps it may be found in some re-
port or. marked on some map prepar-
ed by the company recently for the
exclusive use and information of
congressmen.-Sed Chronicle.
Rev. Mr.. Ludlow AYERS that great
injustice has been done him by the
publication in certain papers that he
collected funds from missionary So
cieties throughout the country for
the construction OF the Gospel
Ship Evangel, and afterward put
her to commercial uses. He admits
that the plan set forth In his pamph-
let proved to be somewhat impracti-
cable and visionary. but that only
about $500 was raised thereby-S125
by the Baptist congregation of
Olympia, S75 by Sunday school in
Massachusetts, and the balance scat
tering; that these contributions We're
received as loan, and that in the
hour of need he acquired $4,000 by
the demise of his father and brother.
Having spent all his money in the
construction of the craft he felt
obliged to put her in trade, and he
bid on the Alaska mail contract,
which the P. G. S. 5. Co. beat him out
of by having his boat declared un-
seaworthy The boat is now doing
good service under Capt. Beecher on
the Port Townsend and Semiahmoo
mail route.
Recently, in discussing congress.
ional appropriations, Representative
Finerty said that the appropriation
committee seemed to be determined
to be economical in the weakest point
of tho national structure. The world
was aware of the condition of our
defensive marine at the present time.
1t was menace to the we'll being of
the country, if in the event of war
it should be unprepared to meet any
respectable strength He was sensl-
BILE of the fact that war navy could
not be built in a short time; but there
was nothing to hinder the cOnstruc-
ton of ships which would enable the
United States, in the event of certain
hostilities. to prey upon the com
merce OF her antagonist. 1t made
no difference who was responsible for
the present depleted condition of the
navy. The fact virtually remained
that the United States had no navy.
He wanted to see the work begun by
the Forty seventh Congress followed
up by the Forty eighth Congress.
We might talk about the Monroe
doctrine, but we could hear the click