The National tribune., 1885-01-29

NEW SUGGESTION FOR SECRETARY OF TIKI
| NAVY.
A rather novel nomination has been made
| for the head of the Navy Department, in the
| person of the venerable John Ericsson, the
most renowned naval inventor of modern
| times. 1t is understood that Gen. Nelson w
Miles, the famous Indian fighter, is an enthu
siastic advocate of this appointment. He urged
| it on Presidents Hayes and Garfield, and again
| on President Arthur and never wearied OF
| expressing his firm belief that such an appoint
ment would be of the greatest good to oui
country's war marine. Dir. Ericsson, it will be
remembered, was the man who conceived and
! built the Monitor, and revolutionized naval
| architecture. He has recently perfected tor.
| pedo boat which he thinks will be equally revo-
lutionary in its effects upon the naval tactics OF
| the world. 1t is called the Destroyer, and
| consists of gun placed in the hold OF vessel
which fires torpedo at any depth of from 1U
to 80 feet under water with great accuracy and
| force There is no doubt that it is a dreadful
weapon TO employ against an enemy. 1t is not
/ ut all likely, however that Gen. Miles Will be
/ gratifed by seeing the appointment made.
! What is wanted at the head of the Navy De-
| partment is not a great inventor, but an execu-
tant of the highest order, and one who has
welldefned political ideas, which l do not
understand MIR. Ericsson has.
THE OKLAHOMA LANDS.
Congressman Ryan, OF Kansas, has intro
! duced measure in Congress in the form OF an
| amendment TO the Indian Appropriation Bill,
designed to solve the Oklahoma land difficulty.
Mr.. Ryan yesterday made a brief statement OF
the facts in the controversy to representative
of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, in SO lar as the
status of the land is concerned.
| Said he: The facts are that in 1866 the
! Creeks and Seminoles ceded TO the United
States this block of land, comprising about
ham
is in the breast of the Indian Territory, extend
ing from the Cherokee Outlet on the north
| to the Canadian River on the south.
There is another body of land north of this,
to which / have aliuded lying along the SOUTH
ern border of Kansas, west of the Cherokee
Nation proper, which comprises about 5,0000OO
acres This is known as the Cherokee Outlet
! This Was also coded to the United States in
1866 1t was all acquired for the purpose, speci-
fed in the treaty, of enabling the United States
TO locate certain friendly Indians thereon. The
Oklahoma section was paid for In full, but the
Cherokee 0atiet was only partially paid for
The claim of the Oklahoma Boomers is
based upon a law passed by Congress in 1879
which prohibited the settlement in this coun-
try OF any more Indians. They maintain that
in consequence of this law the land in question
reverted to the public domain, and as such is
subject 10 homestead entry like any other pub
lie land. This is the theory under which these
settlers have gone in.
THE amendment / offered, and which
passed the House of Representatives, author
ICES the President of the United States to enter
into negotiations with the Cherokees, Creeks,
and Seminoles with a view to opening all this
country, namely the Cherokee Outlet and
'Oklohoma, to settlement under the homestead
laws, by the requirement of any reserved rights
these Nations may have in these tracts in gues-
ton. Should this law be passed the whole
controversy may in this way be peaceably set
tied"
THE SPANISH MISSION.
The Democratic politicians are not asleep,
although working very quietly, and they have
their eye upon the foreign missions especially.
1t is reported that ex-Congressman Jones, of
Newport, KY, has picked out the Spanish mis-
sion, and his friends seem confident that he
will succeed. Col. John w. Foster, of Indiana,
is the present incumbent of Madrid. Minister
roster is In Washington at present under orders
with reference to the pending Spanish treaty.
FAITHFUL OFFICER.
The very efficient Acting Assistant Quarter
master-General of the Department of the Poto-
mac-Comrade Amos Gunning-deserves more
than a passing notice. He left an arm on a
Southern battlefield and is a model GAR
man. He has been Assistant Quartermaster-
General of the Department for many years. In
his annual address Commander Alexander said
of him: AN honest man is the noblest work of
God, and in Comrade Cunning we see His mob
lest work at its best"
THE MEXICAN MINISTER
The announcement from Mexico by telegraph
that Minister Romero has been reappointed to
the Washington Mission viii be received with
satisfaction, because from his long residence in
this country Mr.. Romeros place would be hard
to fill SO efficiently from the ranks of Mexican
statesmen III fhpuubt in Wow IF
diplomatic complications between Mexico and
England, he would be sent to the Court of ST.
James TO take the place of Mr.. Marisca who
has been called home to take the position of
Secretary of State in the Diaz Cabinet
GOV. SQUIRE,
of Washington Territory is ON a visit to Wash
ington. He has prepared very interesting
and valuable pamphlet showing the resources
of the Territory, about which so little is known
in the East. The publication is attracting great
deal of attention among business men and others
who are looking for new fields of enterprise.
Gov. Pierce will have to be active, or Dakota
will be overshadowed by her sister of the far
Northwest, with semi-tropic vegetation and
great inland sea which reaches from the British
line nearly to the Columbia River. Gov. Squire
is a prominent member of the Society of the
Army Of the Cumberland.
MISCELLANEOUS CHAT.
1t is estimated that the Swain court-martial
will cost $4,000.
The general opinion here in Washington is
that there is but one man in the Nation who
can beat Jay Gould in saying nothing, and that
is Grover Cleveland
The brilliant and accomplished banker Mons
Pierre Duphay, who is leader of Partisan So
ciety, started III life in this city as Little Pete
Duffy" the son of an Irish hostler and for a
little while messenger in Department of State.
An instance Of the way clerks are bled by
interest-sharks was brought to the notice of
Secretary McCulloch last week. In 1881 a
widow employed in the Treasury Department
was compelled to borrow of one of these sharks
$50 to bury her son. As other troubles pre-
vented her repaying that sum- she has been
paying him $500 month ever since. Finally
1t came to the knowledge of her friends, upon
whose advice she stopt paying interest and
notified the lender that she would pay the
principal at an early date. He appealed to
Secretary McCulloch to have her discharged
but he was dismissed with a merited rebuke.
The contract for lighting the monument by
electricity has been awarded to the United
States Electric Light Company, for $I,S72.
The bids OF the other companies ranged from
$4,000 to $2700
For the past few days Moody, the revivalist
has been preaching TO immense audiences in
the Congregational Church. Admission could
be obtained only by tickets, which were issued
by the various pastors of the city churches.
Rheumatism.