The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-04-07

-Ell.ssSs - So
cepted for materials furnished, Owen had paid
moro than $50 per cent. more money than the
| lowest bids called for. Mr.. Owen was on the
| witness stand for some time, and denied the
charges made by Gen. Nettleton, and went into
details over the vouchers to which the General
objected. He also denied emphatically that he
had ever circulated any slanderous or nntruth-
| full reports about the Assistant Secretary. The
investigation will be continued by the Joint
Committee until the responsibility for the I'M
authorized expenditure of the public money is
properly placed, no matter where that respon-
sibility may lie, as the committee members
state that the whole matter has been sadly mis-
managed, and wrongdoers must and Will be
punished.
The recent and somewhat famous trip made
| by party of Senators and Members OF Con-
gress 10 West Liberty, Ky, to escort the re-
mains of the late Representative Kendall 20
their last resting place. will cost Uncle Sam the
handsome sum of So, 1866 The bills have
been rendered to the Committee on Accounts
Of the House of Representatives, and foot up
n
three days service; the Chesapeake & Ohio
| Railroad carried is persons from Washington
to Morehead KY, and return, for S2S each,
making $4,000. and the transportation Of the
corpse was $I445; lunches, 50; meals on din
| ing-car, SIS; Special train from Huntington to
Morebead, $50; special car, sl35; commissary
supplies furnished by the Pullman Company,
$l739I hotel at West Liberty, $45; lodging
and meals for VIM. Phillips, So; carriages and
hearse across country, 1914. Washington I'M
dertaker: casket, $3.50; lining, extension ham
dies, and silver engraved plate, SlOO; copper
metallic lining, $40; hearse, 81; sundry
other expenses of undertaken $1S5: total,
81, 1866. Why should the expense of the fu-
nerals Of Members of Congress and Senators
be paid by the Government any more than
| those of any other employe? If the bills were
to be footed by private parties they would not
be half so large.
In Executive session of the Senate, on Tues
| day, March %, the treaty providing for the
arbitration OF the differences between the
| United States and Great Britain as to the
| jurisdiction of this country over Boring Sea
and rights on the seal fisheries was taken
| up, and after discussing the subject over two
| hours. was ratified by unanimous vote. There
was an unusually large attendance of Senators
when the session began, and before vote was
reached there were y present. Senator Sher-
| man announced that the proposition made at q
previous session that the arbitration proceed
| ings should be conducted IN English had met
| with favorable response from Lord Salisbury,
and the treaty was therefore amended accord
ingly. There was also some discussion over
Article IL Of the treaty, which provides that
the decision of tho tribunal shall, if possible.
be made within three months from the close of
the arguments On both sides, some Senators
thinking the time too long and others that it
was too short. 1t was finally settled that it
should be four months. After these matters
were adjusted vote was taken, and every one
of the az Senators present voted for ratifca-
ton.
Senator Frank Hiscock, of New York, intro
dnced bill in the Senate on Wednesday,
March 60 to provide for the dedication of
statue to the memory of Marquis Lafayette a
Major General in the Army OF the United States
during the Revolutionary War, during the
National Encampment of the Grand Army Of
the Republic in Washington next September.
The statue is already erected at the south
east corner of Lafayette Park, which is the
beautiful square across Pennsylvania avenue,
| Immediately in front of the White House,
sometimes enormously called Jackson Park.
from the fact that the equestrian statue of "Old
| Hickory" Is placed in the center of the park
The park was named after Lafayette at the
time Of his last visit to Washington in 1888, be-
cause while in this city he was entertained at
/ the house Of John c. Calhoun, of South Caro-
| lima, which was situated across II street, north
Of the park. This name was therefore given
the park long before the statue OF Gen. Jack
son was even thought Of As was mentioned
/ in these columns some months ago, Lafayette
| Post, GAR, of New York City, one of
probably have charge of these dedcatory sery-
| ices, and that that they will make a success of
| it cannot be doubted.
Various scientific societies throughout the
country have petitioned Congress to place the
control Of the Naval Observatory at Washing
ton under civil management, they claim
ing the interests of science would be greatly
benefited By this change. The House Com
unmittee on Naval Affairs has had this matter
| der advisemeDt for some time, and On Wednes-
day, March 30, report was submitted TO the
House by Mr.. Lodge, of Massachusetts,. which
gives at length the reasons why the entire Com
mittee are not in favor of changing the man.
agement Of the Naval Observatory. One OF
the arguments against the transfer is the fact
that the institution was founded, has been
fostered, and has reached its present high posi-.
tion through the efforts of Naval officers, and
of Naval officers alone. This institution began
in 1912 as a mere place of deposit Of charts for
the Navy, and at the present time takes rank
with finest and best equipped observatories in
the world. Every step in this advance has
been entirely due to the direct act and influence
Of the officers of the Navy. From the frst the
Observatory has had for it's Superintendent
men Of recognized ability and standing in the
scientific world, and the Committee give O
resume Of the records of the great men whose
genius has directed the Observatory. They also
think that the education Of Naval officers fits
them primarily for the pursuit of that class OF