The National tribune., 1889-05-23

and day with cold, clammy, persistent smile
on their well preserved features. So far the
! Washington Coroner has not exercised his
/ official privilege of holding an inquest on them
and collecting fee for it, but he doubtless VIII
in time.
GAR. BUTTONS PLENTIFUL.
! One Of the principal things which would
! attract the attention of any old soldier who
visits the hotel Hobbies of Washington in these
days would be the prevalence of the G.A-R.
/ bottom on a majority of the men whom he may
meet there. -Four out of every five men who are
strangers in the city land person who has
/ lived here several years can easily distinguish
/ them from the residents, wear the button.
It looks ike the veterans have heard the
news that one Of their number was elected to
! the highest Office III the gift of the American
people, and that he, knowing them TO be :" good
/ men and true" would prefer TO have them NIL
/ certain positions Of trust and profit which are
/ To be dispensed at the hands of the Executive
4 Of the Nation and his advisors
And how easily these old veterans get ae-
| qusinted with each other. You viii see man
! from one part of the country approach COM
/ rade who. perhaps lives on the opposite side OF
+ the continent, and say: i see, COmrade, you
wear the button. What was your regiment? =
/ Then an interchange of civilities and names
| will take place; they WILL perhaps, commence
I " fighting them over" and general good time
/ viii be the result.
How easyit is for men who have endured the
same dangers and hardships in common
/ cause to become acquainted. Many of these
1 casual meetings result in friendships which Will
last during the brief time these old soldiers
may be permitted to stay in this world, for 1t
is another very noticeable fact that the boys
are now getting gray and looking old, many OF
them having approached the limit assigned by
the Psalmist. Many of them, too carry with
them the marks of the war, empty sleeves and
wooden legs or crutches being numerous. But
| a fner-lO0king set Of men never made raid
on Washington.
a GENUINE REFoRMER.
Secretary Tracy is taking hold of the Navy
/ Department IN a way that justifes all the high
hopes that have been entertained of him as an
| executive One of the long-standing grew
ances of the Navy officers has been the favorit-
ism which has reigned in the Bureau OF Navl-
CATION and Detail. This is very important
division Of the Navy Department. for 1t assigns
all the officers to duty, and it makes a great
deal of difference to them just where they are
sent, and whether they are kept on sea duty,
"shore duty" or waiting orders" The diff
ference IN pay alone is quite considerable. For
example, Captain, who ranks with Colonel
in the army, gets 1850 q year when on sea
duty" $500 when on " shore duty" and but
s.. 800 when on waiting orders" The Com
modore who is at the head of the Bureau Of
Navigation is arbitrary man, and naturally
puts his friends on sea duty or gives them
shore duty, which is technically sea duty, and
| Furnishes those whom he does not like by leav-
ing them on waiting order" as long as pos
sible. For example, Secretary Tracy found
upon examination, that of the Is Pay Directors
IN the Navy who have the rank of Captains in
the Navy or Colonies in the Army, seven, OF
more than half, are ION waiting orders" and
! the places that they should fill are occupied by
If of hn of a
! Bureau Of Navigation. TIE Secretary imme
diately issued an order that officers must bt
, assigned 10 duty according to their rank ant
the amount of sea service they have had
Under this order nearly or quite all the Pay
: Directors now on waiting orders will be as
! signed to active duty, and if it is found neces
! | sary 10 place any officers on waiting orders j
! viii not be practicable to select them through
! anything like favoritism. The order has beer
read with the liVeiest interest by all branche
; of the service for it is felt that if Secretar,
Tracy breaks up favoritism in the assignment
T of pay officers he will do the same in any othe
branch in which he may find it.
A CELEBRATED CASE DECIDED.
The Supreme Court of the United States de
eided the celebrated case of Gaines VS.. the Cit
of New Orleans, La, in favor of the plaintiff
last week. The case came up on appeal from
! the Circuit Court OF the United States for tn
Eastern District of Louisiana, and was argues
| at the October term of the Supreme Court il
1883. and this decision, it is thought ends wha
/ probably has been the most interesting, tn
hardest contested and the most prolonged cas-
known 10 the judicial history of this country
Myra Clark Gaines the little woman VIII
contested the claim for over so years was
well-known figure on the streets of Washington
: city, and quite number of her heirs resid
i here at the present time, for the plucky it'll
: woman died several years ago. The CLAIM
came through her father, one Daniel Clart
who was one of the richest merchants in Ne'
Orleans at the beginning of this century. an
who left a VIII IN favor OF his daughter, Myrs
e Proof of this viii was difficult to obtain, an
this has caused most of the delay. There wa
g also several hundred citizens of New Orlean
who were vitality interested in the suit, an
/ thousands Of dollars have been expended fC
z lawyers fees on both sides. Several years az
a Mrs. Gaines's son, William G. Whitney, ws
e killed in the old Catecazy mansion. in this cit.
n by his brOther-in-law, James Y Christmas,
5 an alteration which had reference to til
claim. Christmas was tried for murder, bJ
ls found not guilty, principally upon the test
ie mony of Mrs. Gaines.
le There are some six heirs at-law for tn
p money, most of whom reside in Washingto
Il and they viii divide the enormous sum
e S30090,0O0 between themselves and quite
'e number of prominent lawyers throughout IL
9 country; but with the large amount of none
"a it would seem that there would be quite snr
G living for them ali. But the people of Ne
- 20 Orleans viii suffer.
,r A coNTRGBAND.
Is Uncle Regsus Cross, who blacks boots at Il
corner of New York avenue and Fifteenth st
is in this city, has something of history !
4. the breaking out Of the war he was employ
IS, in one Of the tobacco factories in Richmon
lg and was, as he says, as happy as the day
l long" never having a thought for freedom,
TO of anything beyond his usual daily rations al
lie the privilege of attending church on Sunda
re and prayer-meetings on Wednesdays. b
in when the war broke out Cross master, a your
he and fiery Southerner, concluded that he mu
he go to the front, and he took Cross with him
70 a servant Cross remained with his mast
at until captured by Burnside's army, and tn
nd became cook at Burnside's Headquarters al
re never was a slave again. He remained at &
Ter Headquarters of the Army Of the Potion
en- during the war in various capacities. and VIII,
TO- hostilities ceased came to Alexandria, Va
in OF late years Cross Uncle Remus) has be
ed sitting on the corner of the street with his b
no looking for job He is intensely religio,
ut and whenever a party sits down foEsa shi
ale he Is without doubt treated to an expOsiti
we Of the Scriptures, for Uncle Remus has all t
1t: passages which mean so much at his tongu
ION end. He is an ardent Christian and Uni
man, and says that should the country 90
he war again, and they would accept an
Ter niger" like himself, he would don the bl
me and fight for " freedom and liberty"
10 cu,-A ro.,