The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-05-27
NAYI0NAL CAPITAL
An Interesting Letter From Our Regu
lar Correspondent.
HERsEY PENS ENTERTA1NINGLY
Tells What Is Going On in the Way of
Local Gossip - What Montana's
Representatives Are Doing.

Washington. D. G.. May 2O.-Major
Martin Maginnis. who has been spend.
ing couple of weeks at the capital,
has taken deep interest in the organ
ization of our new army, and as an
old comrade and friend of many of it's
high officers he has been in the thick
of the talk and consultations OIL mill
tary movements. At one time it
seemed as if the Montana battalion of
volunteer cavalry would be cut out en-
tirely by the Vaccinations of the Da-
kota and Wyoming politicians who
wanted it all for themselves and all the
officers appointed from among their
local friends. The Montana senators
would not hear to this and soon
showed that we were as able to organ
ize regiment as either or both Of
those states. The adjutant of the
army sent for Major Muginnis and
asked him if he would undertake to
organize a regiment. lie answered
that while he was net looking for u
commission he certainly would not see
his state left ont, ana if allowed to
choose such men as Lloyd and Wallace
he would do SO. Next day, however,
the present arrangement was agreed
upon, which gives us one battalion
with lieutenant colonel and one major
Colonel Lloyd was selected for lieu
tenant colonel, and Notwithstanding
the Sioux Falls claimants, will lakely
be appointed. This satisfies Senator
Mantle, who will agree to the selec-
tion of jor from the east side of
the state.
In answer to my Inquiry as to army
matters in general, Major Maginnis
said:
General Merritt, who is to COLI
mand the expedition to the Philip
pines, is probably the best soldier in
the army. He is we'll supported, Cen
eral Otis, second in command being
not only fine soldier, but one of the
best scholars in the army, and al au-
thority OH military and international
law-the latter AL invaluable acquire
ment in such a position. Both these
gentlemen have commanded in Mon
tana and our boys could not have more
friendly or appreciative chieftains to
serve under.
Knowing that our ex-delegate EN-
joys an intimate acquaintance with
Admiral Dewey. as saw them togeth-
er several tines last summer, asked
for some facts about the man whose
victory at Manila has placed him at
the head OF tine naval heroes OF the
country.
"Admiral Dewey" said Major Ma
ginnis, is q great admirer of his old
chief. Farragut. Only last July he
told me that he had passed the age
when he hoped to command fleet in
action. bat he said, if I ever should,
l should be governed by the ideas and
tactics of the Old Man. How well he
did SO is now history. The stories of
Dewey being dude are fakes He
was always a very precisely and neatly
but plainly dressed gentleman. and is
very genteel in disposition and coul
teous in manner. though naturally Of
quick temper, which. however. he
keeps under perfect control. To illus
trate the mans nature you will re-
member that last summer. having ac-
cepted an invitation to the preseNta-
tion of the punch bowl to the gunboat
Helena, and at the st moment re-
ceiviug orders which carried him out
of town, he came all the way down to
the wharf in the hot sun to make his
excuses so that he should not delay the
departure Of the boat. -
"Major. what is your estimate of the
general of the army?'
Il served with General Miles in the
same corps, under Sumner and Han
cock. and. Of course, l was in close
communication with him during his
service in Montana, which compre-
hended the Sioux, Nez Perces, Ban
mack and other Indian campaigns, in
which he acted most efficiently and
concluded with signal success. There
is no better soldier in the field As to
the criticisms passed upon him at the
time Of the queens jubilee, 1 could
faithfully reply that he was not alone
the most superb looking general in the
more battles aud more men killed. and
any one of those Russian, Prussian,
French. English or Turks-the whole
batch of them put together. He may
lieve. but with such a record he de-
served something more than the sneers
of the press of his own country. But
he re, eived them even in Montana,
where he had protected the lives of
our settlers, our women and our chill
dren, and won peace for our frontiers. |
He will make mistake if he stays IN
Washington at the head of bureau.
It is not his place; he won all his
laurels in the field and he should wear
them there. He may not be an
academic soldier, but he graduated |
high in the actual school Of war.
Miles will show up all right. Let him
get out of the department and at the
head of an army
"What is your forecast, Major, as to
the outcome of the warp
$50 mnch that was unexpected has
already happened that it is hard to say
what will come. That we quickly