Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-11-23
WASHINGTON LETTER
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. |

and it is believed by members of the
supreme court that he is thinking OF
appointing Judge Rufus Prckham Of
the New York court of appeals, brother
of Wheeler H. Peckham, who was
rejected by the Senate after 1t had
rejected William b. Hornblower. when
the president nominated them last
year IN the attempt to fill the vacancy
caused by the death of Justice Blatch.
ford of New York. The New York
senator's having prevented him from
filing this vacancy with New Yorker,
President Cleveland appointed
Southerner, Senator White, Of Lou
isiana, aud now that he has vacancy
caused by the death OF Il Southerner
ne feels bound to make another effort
to give New York representation on
the supreme bench.
No NEED To Do Ir-Cspt. Hooper
Of the revenue cutter Rush, who COM
handed the Behring sea patrol fleet
This year, arrived in Washington re-
,ently to give Secretary Oney the
benefit of his intimuts knowledge of
the situation in Behring sen, to be
used in the conferences with Sir Julian
Pauncefote in regard to new regula.
tons for the protection of the seals.
Capt Hooper said tina, the number of
seals in the sea was rapidly decreas-
ing, owing to the pelugic sealing, and
ii something was not done to at
ford more adequate protection to the
females and their young while in the
water, it would not be u great many
years before the herd would be prac-
tically extinct As to the extent of
sealing within tho prohibited zone,
Capt. Hooper said he did not believe
there had been many seals taken there.
The patrol of that water had been
very thorough, and, as far as he knew
only one vessel h,d attempted to tnke
seals within the prohibited area, and
that one had been captured.
GEN. MILES REPoRr-The report
of Major-Geu. Miles, commanding the
United States army, differs in many
material respects from statements in
regard to its contents previously pub.
'ished. The entire gulf coast and all
says northward to Philadelphia are
entirely without modern guns. With
one exception the cities east of New
York are IN IL similar condition to
those south of it. He shows that tor
pedo plants are useless without pro-
tective batteries, and that the water
in our principal hurbors is so deep
that light draft war vessels might pass
over torpedo mines without danger. He
strongly recommends the con ,truction
of all the high power guns and systems
of defenses called for in the general
plan of the Board of Ordinance and
Fortitications, and to meet i'll part the
expense OF this costly undertaking he
suggests the application of the funds
that might be derived from the sale
OF abandoned military reservations.
He approves the use of bicycles and
motor wagons in tue army ard recon-
mends that force OF IL companie,
be equipped with these devices. Gen.
Miles argues for an Increase in the
strength of the army, saying that there
is no reason why it should become
crystalized and kept at one strength
as it has been for years. 1t should
increase with the growth of the coun-
try aud he Determined 10y tho ceIisus
at minimum of one soldier for every
1000 population and maximum of
one in 1000.
WANT THE BEST Commodore Ed
win Stewart. paymaster- general of the
navy and chief of the naval bureau Of
supplies and accounts, in his annual
report asks for the repeal of the law
providing for securing tobacco for the
blue jackets. "robacco being pur-
chased, he says, ''for the use Of en-
listed men, who pay for it and who
wish to have and are willing to pay for
the best that eau be procured, it would
seem proper that their preference
should be considered and that the
award should be made not necessarily
to the lowest bidder, but the one
whose tobacco is considered by the
board of inspection as best adapted
! for the Use OF the navy. I recommend
that Congress be asked to repeal or
modify the law accordingly"
For THE TEACHERS Washing.
ton, ID. G., teachers a,e pushing for
ward big "bazaar," modelled prob.
ably upon the bazaar given in Bos-
ton a few years ago. At tue Boston
fair profit OF $40, 900 resulted, for
the benefit of i'll or aged teachers
The desire of the teachers Of Wash
ington is that fund of $50, 900
shall be realized from their undertak.
ing, and I hope they may succeed;
but their task is an onerous one, since
they can hardly count opon as hearty
cooperation and aid, from the float
ing population of tn, national capital,
nor from the old resident portion Of
the community, who are more or less
influenced by the general Southern
estimate of public school training.
A NovELTY-A comparative novelty
in the book Of the Pension Office is the
claim of cornetist, who seeks an in
crease of pension on the ground that
he ruptured his windpipe When com.
PEELED to play with potentiality OF
breath which overtaxed his lung
ability. What success COrbett aud
Fltzsim mons would achieve as cOrnet.
| lists!
CONSULAR APPROXIMATELY Presi.
dent has made these appointments:
G.. r. Simpkins Mass J, to he secretary
Of the U. s. legation to Chile; Owen
McGarr Tenn. consul mt Cienfuegos
Cuba; A. E. Morlan (Ln. }, consul AT
Belize, British Honduras; F. d. Hill
MINI, consul Mt Lagauyra, Vcnez.
uela, and A. F. Fay (Ill.), consul al
Denia, Spain.