The Southern herald., 1899-04-14
Our Washington Letter.

buried in Arlington Cemetery, yes
tsrday, after an impressive military
funeral, 81 we're unidentified. What
sort of Management must there have
been when 25 per cent Of the men
who died or we're killed over there
were buried without being marked
in some way for future identihca
tinn? Il must have been every BIT
Sc loose as that which had TO do
with feeding the living, Il was all
right and proper that these men
should be honOrsd by a military
funeral and the closing for half a
day of the government buildings
in Washington, bot this honor will
not make the parents and friends
Of those 81 soldiers whose graves
will be marked unknown" forgive
those in authority who neglected a
plain duty in failing to look after
their proper Identification.
Things have reached an acute
stage 10 the beef inquiry. The court
has done several things this week
calculated to make the pnblic sus
pect its fairness, and believe ths, it
had a preference ss TO the kind Of
testimony it wished to hear. 1t
started by ignoring a courteous re.
quest from ex representative J.
Hamilton Lewis that be be allowed
TO appear as counsel for Dr., DAILY,
when he gave his testimony, and it
aggravated matters by trying TO
dodge a specific request of Gen
Miles that 13l witnesses whose
names he furnished should be sum
moned. The brought out a sharp
letttl from Gen. Miles, from which
the following is an extract; 1T is
my belief that at least 25,000 men,
and undoubtedly a much greater
number. would confirm the t,stl.
mony that has already been given
that portion of the food supplied
the army was unwholesome and
unsuitable for use " Gen. Miles
knows that the people are with
him in this case and he has no idea
Of being bluffed off.
Ifall the applications are grant.
ed, and they continue being made
as rapidly as they have been, a
goodly proportion Of the men who
enlisted for the war with Spain
will coon be on the pension roll OF
the government, From official fig.
ures at the Pension Bureau it is
shown that the number Of appi.
cants for pension have been com.
parstively enormous. Out of FIVE
regiments, which lead the pension
procession, there have already
been filed 1875 applications for
pension. These regiments and the
number Of applicsnts from each
follow: Thirty.four,h Michigan,
39S; First District Of Columbia,
3j2; Eighth Ohio, sometimes called
the Presidents OWN, 349! Thir-
,y-Third Michigan, 3l9; aud the
Second Massachusetts, 3l7.
No law seems broad enough to
protect employees oi the govern.
ment from their euperiurS who
wish TO have them "vulunlarily"
contribute 10 buy a present for a
retiring Official. The individual
contributions for this sort Of thing
are small, but The aggregate is large,
and at least ninety. nine out Of every
hundred who contribute would re-
fuse to d. so, if they did not know
refusal would be followed by a
course Of petty nagglng that would
be far more annoying than the loss
Of the money. The latest "volun-
tsry" contributions were made by
the employees Of the Internal Reve.
nue. Office, TO buy a 500 watch and
diamond studded chain, which was
presented to Mr.. Nathan B Scott,
who hss resigned the position OF
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
TO become Senator from ". Va.
Ex.Gov. and ex-Congressmar
McCreary, Of Kentucky, was ir
Washington this week. He said II
the political outlook in his State
"a spirited contest is going on be
J tween the three aspirants for th'
governorsbip, but it matters not II
which the nomination falls he will
be elected by 25, ,000to 10000 votes
We lost the State in '96, but mex
year Mr.. Bryan or whoever is tn
J standard bearer Of the party vii
get Kentucky's electoral vote.