The National tribune., 1884-10-30

whom 1t commentaries. 1t bears nagnlH-
cent equestrian statue of Gen. Mcpherson, but
somehow that handsomeSt and knlghtliest OF
all our great corps commanders did not receive
much attention from the illustrated papers, and
consequently the public were not famlilarlzed
| with his features as with those OF lhomaS, Sher-
| man, Sheridan, Burnside, and others, so as to
| be able to recognize them in a bronze statue.
So 90 out of 100 visitors to the city passed
| by the monument without any idea as to its
object. At its last meeting, on motion OF Gen.
Belknap, the Society of the Army of the lem
neSsee ordered that the monument be suitably
inscribed. This has been done. On the west
side of the granite pedestal has been cut:
Maj.-Gen. James b. Mcpherson.
Atlanta,
July %, 1864.
On the east side is:
Erected by his comrades
of the Society of the
Army OF the Tennessee
The inscription is still not what it should be.
A very large proportion of the people who visit
Washington, and especially of the younger gen.
GRAFTON, do not recall very clearly who Gen.
Mcpherson was or the circumstances under
which he met his death. 1t would have been
very much better if the inscription on the west
side had been made to read:
Mai.-Gen. James B. Mcpherson,
Killed at the head of the Army OF the Tennessee,
Before Atlanta, July %, 1864
Then it would be an object lesson in history
of the greatest value. No one would pass the
monument without reading and remembering
the inscription. and it would be a great help in
fixing dates and circumstances strongly IN the
mind.
GAMBLING IN WASHINGTON.
4 decision which promises to be of much i'm
portance to the Washington gamblers, who are
now very much down at the heel from lack Of
| funds and general decay of the game, is that
| inside club room games of chance can be
played BY members for stakes without risk of
interruption by policeman. In making the
decision Judge Wylie said that an organization
locking itself into rooms, shutting the public
out, and betting on cards and taking the money
| to pay the expenses of the rooms was not vio-
! lation of the law as he understood it. public
faro bank for general gambling purposes, in
| Turing the morals of men and the reputation of
the community, was the establishments that the
law had in contemplation and intended to reach.
The Judges ruling will be subjected to much
criticism. Though it is one of the most diff
cult things to actually define in the law what
is gambling and who are gamblers, the practice
of the courts and the police has usually been to
ignore mere technicalities and proceed upon
the general merits of the case. 1t would be
very easy under Judge Wylie's ruling to estab-
lish faro bank. which would be free from in
| terruption by the police under the guise of a
club. The club laws may be made SO lax
that a man who buys q 50-cent chip is con-
stituted member of the same. However,
there will probably be neither more nor less
gambling in Washington on account of this
decision. A certain proportion of the people
who come here viii play anyway. The only
purpose secured by enforcing the law against
gambling is to prevent the more open and fla
grant forms by which the casual visitor is roped
into den and despoiled. There is usually
hardly any protection for the man who DELHI
erately determines to gamble; he is going to
find game and play it some way.
THEY MUST PAY THEIR BILLS.
Acting Secretary Coon of the Treasury De-
partment, is taking energetic action in regard
to a number OF delinquents in his Department
who persistently decline to pay their bills
There are among the Government clerks here
as among all congregations Of men and women,
a number of dead beats" who run bills
wherever they have an opportunity and will
only pay under direct compuision. The temp
tation in Washington is to continually live up
to ones means and it is considered the normal
thing among cierkes to be hard pressed for
money, but there are certain class who are
absolutely dishonest in their attempts to de-
fraud those who can be led into trusting them.
Judge Coon's patience has at last become
exhausted and he has issued an imperative
order directed to the Chiefs of Bureaus to in
vestigate any bills brought to their attention
thoroughly and in case they find the delin-
quents have acted dishonesty to Immediately
recommend their dismissal. As the Secretary
invariably does what he says he will, we will
doubtless have decided Improvement in the
financial atmosphere of the Treasury Depart
ment.
HEROES OF THE TALLAPoosA.
That miserable affair, the sinking of the Tai
lapoosa, has some redeeming features at least.
These were the unquaiiing heroism of the
American sailor who as he always does con-
fronted fate with a calmness and courage
which nothing could shake. Lieutenant Com
mander Merritt, who was in command of the
| Tallapoosa when she sank, recommended to
the Secretary of the Navy to award med
ais of honor to August Olmsen. Master-at-
Arms, and David Harrington and John
w. MaGee, first and second class firemen
respectively, for gallant services. This the
Secretary has now done. Olmsen is thus hon
orably mentioned for remaining on the birth
deck after the collision and wading about until
the water was waist deep, wakin up the men
and assisting them to save themselves. He
then lowered the first cutter and dingy and
took charge of one of the boats Harrington
and MaGee remained at their posts in the fire.
room until the fires were put out by the rising
water, which had then reached their waists,
when they calmly opened the safety valves of
the boilers and escaped. Everybody else on
the ship did their duty, but these men distin-
guished themselves
ANOTHER BANK FAILURE.
Washington depositors are once more I'M
happy. This time their uneasiness is caused
by the failure of Cooke & Co., that firm having
posted upon their bank doors last Thursday
morning notice of suspension. The gross
liabilities of the bank are $170,0 900, of which
$4,000, representing paper held by banks in
the city, is secured, the remaining $4,000
being deposits. The assets are placed at $l03,-
co., including telephone stock and Florida
canal stock. There is also held by the bank, it
is stated, $9i 600 of w. o. w. Railroad stock
The trouble is said to be caused by outside
specuiations in the Florida Canal Co., Wash
ington & Ohio Railroad and other schemes
The head of the firm, Mr.. Cooke, says every
thing will be satisfactorily arranged in q short
time. Mr. Cooke is a son of the late Henry D.
Cooke, and nephew of Jay Cooke.
THE BELL TELEPHONE
The Examiners in Chief of the Patent Office,
last week, rendered decision of immense i'm
portance, which involves more millions of
dollars of values than almost any other decision
that could come within the puryiew of their
power. In brief, it was decided that the Bell
telephone patents antedated all others, which
included five claims by Edison and seven by
other inventors. The only claim that Edison
succeeded in maintaining was for the spring
carrying one electrode of the circuit of tele-
phone and constantly pressing against the
other electrode and diaphram This decision
gives the whole enormous telephone business
of the United States into the hands Of the Bell