Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-20
THE AMERICAN CAPITOL.
The United States Navy-What ex-Postmaster
General James ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Chances.
From TIE HERALD corresnondent.

Chances.
From THE HERALD Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, d. c. March Ia, 1854
The debate in the House upon the Naval
appropriation bill has furnished both
sides with splendid opportunities for
opening all of the old political sores and
fighting over again the old battles, in
which elimination aud recrimination
are the chief weapons. The slashing
out OF the estimates of nearly eight mill
lions of dollars by the Committee on
Appropriations, which leaves the new
war vessels now being constructed with
out gun for defense, and without an
engine to propcl them, is q sample of
that Democratic forethought that seizes
upon economy as its campaign watch
word. In fact, it is apparent that the
committee has sought, in cutting down
the various items in the bill, to strike a
blow at every branch of the naval SER
vice. They would weaken the already
weak enough service by eliminating
from the list of officers the men whom
the country had educated in the arts of
war, and strike from the rolls the men
who had served the country in its direst
hour of danger. In excuse for this ac-
ton aTennessee member, who evidently
knows all about it, said upon the floor
of the House that we were perfectly safe
from the attack of any foreign power,
for should an American citizen set him.
self adrift upon two logs pinned to-
gethdf, and have the Stars and Stripes
foating over him, that would be all the
protection he would want But after
all, there is something that is more than
humiliating in the fact that since the
year 1867 we have expended in the naval
service $4,000. 900, and have no vessel
entitled to be called a war vessel in our
whole fleet of 81 craft-good, bad and
Indifferent. This amount of money ex-
pended in seventeen years, is larger
than that expended from the time of the
organization of the Government to the
close of the last war. although we had
established our superior prowess upon
the water on almost all occasions. If |
the exigency arises we may do so yet,
for among Americans there is, as there |
always has been, latent genius equal |
10 bn tlo4 =.
A bit of testimony not calculated to |
startle anybody out of propriety was
given by ex-Postmaster General James
on Wednesday before Mr.. Springer's
committee. 1t was to the effect that |
President Garfeld's determination to
push the Star-route thieves to conviction
and punishment, was the direct cause Of |
his assassination. 1t may be that Mr.. |
James was in position to know more
concerning the motives of the man who
did this murder than ANYBODY else, but
it is little queer that neither Mr.. James
OF anybody else has ever before this ex-
pressed like opinion. At all events,
the public sentiment has long since
settled down to the ascription of another
and entirely different cause, which
neither the testimony of Mr. James nor
the publicly expressed opinion of Mr..
McVeagh can etfectually change.
Besides the work of President-making
IN which Congress is speedily engaged,
Washington is just now the Mecca to
which political pilgrims from all parts
OF the country are congregating. The
hotels are swarming with these oracular
statesmen front Bangor to Frisco, and
therefore if any knowledge of the drift
of public sentiment as to the identity of
the coming man can be gathered any
where, it Is here. OF course among
these political visitors there is diver
sity of opinion, as well as diversity of
ability to form correct judgment, but
the weight of opinion is decidedly pre-
ponderating for the chances of Mr..
Arthur. Mr.. Blaine may be considered
out of the question, and yet he may not.
1t is when the convention may get down
to its fine work that Mr.. Blaine's oppor-
tunity may come, though Mr.. Logan
and one of half score of other can
didates may all at once develop their
availability, as did Gen. Garfield. Con-
corning Mr.. Arthur, it is enough to say
that he has put himself and his admins
tration in the hands of his friends, and
it cannot be denied that he has follow
ing that appears to be increasing in
strength as the days toward the conven-
ton roll on. He has been remarkably
fortunate in conducting an administra-
ton that has encountered no obstacles,
or been compelled to antagonze public
sentiment as every one of his Vice Presi-
dental predecessors have; and for the
first time in our history, the President,
whether reelected or not, will close his
administration with that prestige of
public satisfaction that never was
vouchsafed to one who had been exalted
from the second place. JUNIus.
French Scientific EXPLORATION.