The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-05-25
Note and Comment.

Somebody has cut the Hog Island
cable, and the whereabout of our naval
reserve cannot be ascertained.-B
lington Clipper.
Hetty Green's lawyer, who has been
suing her for counsel fees, has post
poned further proceedings in order to
proceed to the front. II do hope the
Spapiards won't kill him." says Mrs.
Green. ~ would rather he would live
with bad conscience, but wouldn't
advise the government to put any
money on board his ship"
In killing the enemy the United
States navy is in the lead, although it
may be difficult TO extract much salts
faction from the fact. If 300 Spaniards
were killed at Cienfuegos, as is now re-
ported, the total, including those killed
at Manila, makes over 600 dead Span
the Americans have lost about ten lives.
The practice by which our naval
captains remain on the bridge during
action is to be deprecated, and we
therefore order them all below into the
coming tower, which was built for
such occasions. The spectacle of the
battle will not be 30 interesting from
that spot, and the ship may be fought
with greater difficulty, but it will be well
for the rule to be established that the
armored bulwark of the coming tower
is the captains place.-New York Sun.
Evidently gunner's affection for his
gun on board man-of-war is like unto
the proverbial troopers for his horse.
During the recent battle at Mantanzas
the gunners on board the New York
lavished words of encouragement and
affection on the guns that no doubt
helped them to do their work so effect
ually. After every round the men
patted the guns and exclaimed, "Good
grill" or "Soak 'em, old girl Sing 'em
a song, my dearie"
THE Charleston Ne,os and Courier
says the proposition is grateful to the
old confederates, but "it is too late now
to think of returning the battlefags":
"Let them stay where they are, where
they will illustrate forever the valor of
the men who fought under their tat
tered and bloodstained folds, and where
they will also serve to show the spirit
OF those who kept them when their re-
turn would really have meant some.
thing of brotherly regard and true ma
tional spirit"
Senator Foraker now believes in the
propriety of giving back the Confeder.
ate battlefags. The impulse to do this
has been for long time growing in
force. The act proposed will be OBJ
jected to, doubtless, by many as the OBJ
liberation of memorials of hard-won vic
tar,ao lint Of he Aon
peared forever there will remain in
destructible the grandest monument o.
American heroism possible to conceive
namely, united, patriotic and irwin
chile country.
APROPOs OF the reported movements
OF the Spanish squadron a newspaper
correspondent pertinently observes
The nation whose chief amusement il
the bull-fght is not unlikely to use the
tactics of the bull-ring in its larger war
fare. The great trick is not to stand
up and fight the bull, but to divert his
attention with red cloak, and draw
him into q chase after that, while ar
expert swordsman lies in wait on the
way and plunges his sword into the
brute's side. This is what makes sus
picious the eagerness Of the Madrid gov
eminent to represent the Spanish fleet
as at Santiago.
Never again should the efficacy oil
the rabbits foot and the four-leaved
clover be doubted. They were respon.
sible for Admiral Dewey's victory says
DIR. w. Lang Chapman, surgeon Of the
Gaelic. When the Gaelic was last in
Hong Kong the American squadron
was there. DR.. Chapman sent Dewey
rabbits foot and four-leaved clover
He was thanked in a brief note by
Admiral Dewey, who further told him
that Capt. Gridley of the Olympia and
he had tossed up. He had won the
rabbits foot and Gridley the clover
leaf, and both would go into action on
the watch chains of their owners. The
returns show that they did.
At recent meeting the "Senior
Daughter" Of society Of the Ameri.
can Revolution in Binghamton, N. Y,
requested the members each to prepare
for the next meeting some little patri-
otto sentiment. Imbued with patriotic
zeal and in order to carry out this re.
guest, one of the ladies of the order be.
sought her husband to help her out in
her selection. This wretch of hus.
band replied as follows:
My Dear:-You know that the
events Of the past week have filled our
country with delirious paroxysm OF
patriotism. The success of our arms
in Manila and the unparalleled energy
shown by Dewey in his attack have
rendered him and his men famous.
know of nothing better that could be
given as a patriotic sentiment than the
remark Of one Of his sold salts" who,
when the fight was stopped and the
feet piped to breakfast, remarked: etc
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