The National tribune., 1889-12-05

| be retained In service.
sHARPsHooTER TO SENATOR.
The new State of Washington, which will add
| its white star next Independence Day to the
blue ensign of the American flag, has as her
| senior Senator in Congress a gallant soldier.
Col. Watson C. Squire, who is the new Sena-
tor, is Buckeye by birth, from Clyde, and in
bis boyhood was a chum of Gen. James b. Mo-
Pherson.
When the rebellion began Col. Squire was
all alame with devotion to the cause of the
| Union, but his father was then very old and he
/ was tho only son and could not be spared.
A year later, when story after story OF dis
aster TO our arms came. he went to his father
| and said: "My flag needs mo more than even
| you do. must CO." God bless you, my son"
the father said, go; / wish were young
enough TO 90 with you"
When this is printed fancy the Senator
| will be surprised 10 know that have ever
heard Of that scene in the little parlor of the
white cottage at Clyde, but as heard it from
! the lips of n sister, who was tiny girl then,
think he will understand.
As soon as Col. Squire determined to go into
| service he wrote TO Gov. Todd and by his ad-
vice raised a company of sharpshooters, OF
which he was commissioned Captain, in Septem-
| Der, 1862. Ohio was full of men in those days
that knew well how 10 line the eye over the
! sights of n rife and Squire's Sharpsho0ters soon
! became famous in the Western armies. The
company soon grew into battalion, but Squire
refused promotion, prefcrriDg TO be with his old
command with lower rank, and that grade he
! chung TO until peace came to muster out all Of
/ our citizen-sodiers.
When the grand distribution of brevets was
made he was given the golden leaf in his straps
! for Chickamauga for distinguished gallantry,
the silver leaf for the fighting at BuzZards'
Roost and the widespread eagle wings for the
! battles around Atlanta.
Washington. mean this city now, is much
/ given 10 dinner parties. aud a man who can
entertain others by stories or song is in con-
| slant demand Col. Squire will never want for
good dinner, in good company, while he Is
| here in official life He is in possession OF AZ
seemingly an inexhaustible fund of good stories
| as Commodore Schley, of the Navy, and he can
tell a story that is bald headed from age, in
manner that will make you think you never
heard it before.
l do not know whether he is at all anything
Of a statesman or not but can testify that IL
| he has anything to say ne can say il in way to
| force his audience to listen 10 him. In the late
| Fall OF 1866 he was here in this city of Wash.
| ingtOn, and one night he Joined symposium in
/ the quarters that nv father and occupied and
recited "Shamus 0Brien in such a manner
that Mr.. Joe Jefferson, who was there with US,
/ declared the stage had lost one man who could
/ best interpret tragedy. Fenianism was rampant
| then, and Col. Squire's Interpretation of
| Shamus" almost made all of his hearers Feni-
ans.
Just after the war Col. Squire went East TO
| get into business although he was reasonably
well stocked with this worlds goods, and form
ed a connection with the Remington Arms
Company, at lion, y. Y. In 1866 he was offer
ed Captaincy in the Regular Army on the rec
ommendation of Gems. Grant aud Sherman,
but declined, and did much better by marrying
the daughter Of Mr.. Remington and assuming
-.
Company.
1t was in his New York business life that
President Arthur met and knew Watson G.
| Squire, and when ne sent him TO the then Ter
ritory OF Washington as its Governor, he knew
the man he was sending out would be its first
Senator when the Territory became State.
ARMY AND NAVY.
Publicity has been given by Secretary Tracy
70 the report of the Board of Visitors TO the
Naval Academy at Annapolis, Nd. They rec
ommend that the academic course be reduced TO
four years, aud at the end OF that tune that the
graduates be commissioned as Ensgns; that the
designations of persons for appointment aud
their alternates be required by law to be made
one year in advance, and that tho maximum of
admission be reduced from 20 10 10 years
The report Of Admiral Porter, recently sub
mitted, contains only p statement of vessels
that have been inspected, and recommendations
concerning reports Of exercises on board ships
Of war, and the adoption OF new forms.
Secretary Tracy in his annual report makes
a strong plea for an increase of the Navy The
effective force Of the Navy when all tho ships
now authorized are completed will comprise
bat ii armored vessels, Of which only three are
designed for fighting at sea, and 81 nnarmored
vessels. The United States. he says. maintains
q Navy for defense, not conquest. and so far as
its capacity for defense is concerned today
would be absolutely at the mercy Of states hAv-
ing less than one-tenth OF its population, one
thirtieth Of its wealth, and one-hundreth
Of Us area. II the country 10 10 have Navy
at all, the Secretary continues 10 should have
one that il sufficient for the complete and
ample protection Of its coast in time of war. II
we are 10 stop short Of this, we might better
stop where are, and abandon all claim 10
influence and control upon the sea- 1t is idle
70 spend our money in building small,
sloW-going steamers that are unneces.
saTy in peace aud useless in war. IL is little
better than a repetition Of the mistaken policy
that prevailed IN our early history Of building
gunbOats that were laid up sold as soon as
war broke out. The country needs a Navy
that will exempt IL from war, but the only
Navy that will accomplish this is a Navy that
can wage war. We must have he says, the
force 10 raise blockades, which are almost as
disastrous 20 commercial cities as bombardment.
We must have fieot of battleships that will
beat of the enemys feet on its approach.
Finally, we must be able 10 divert an enemy'a
force from our coast by threatening his own
for war, though defensive in principles may
be conducted most effectively by being offensive
in its operations. The necessities Of our vulnera-
bic position, with two long stretches of seaeoast
demand the immediate creation OF two fleets Of
baitleships; eight for the Pacific and IL for the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In addition 10 these
battleships the country requires at least 20 yes
sells for coast aud harbOr defense
PEOPLE WHO OWE THE GOVERNMENT.
6olicitor- General Hepburn, of the Treasury,
in his annual report says that the dockets Of
the Office show that the sum Of $35, 600 600
principal and interest," is due the Government,
evidenced by judgments Of the Circuit and Dis.
trict Courts, but that no reliable estimate can
be given Of the value Of these Judgments
large number were obtained many years ago,
and in many instances the lien Of the judgment
has been lost. In other cases the present resi-
cence 90 the debtor is unknown.
VETERANS IL THE CITY.
Maj. John +. Lacey. Maj. Lacey entered the
| service in the 3Sd Iowa az First Lieutenant
| he was promoted in 1854 TO Captain and Assist
ant Adjntant-General, and served until the
close Of the war. Maj. Lacey was elected TO
| Congress from the Sixth District Of Iowa, beat
| ing Gen. j. b. Weaver who had been the men,
| Der from that district for several terms Gen
| Weaver was the candidate on the Greenback
ticket for the Presidency Of the United States,
and was very popular man, and it required
| an able man to beat him ia the Congressional
race. COmrade Lacey proved 20 be the man