The National tribune., 1899-10-19
CHAT OF THE CORRIDORS.

| wonder if the people outside of Wash
ington appreciate Just how ridiculous to its
citizens appear the noisy struggles which
from time to time fill the air with clamors
over the appointment of q National Com
mittceman for the District of Colum bia?
They are certainly the noiSiest contro-
vcrsies in the whole country, probably be-
cause there seems no other way of settling
them except by comparison of The volumes
of the several vociferations. Elsewhere,
scraps of this kind come to n conclusion,
sometime or another, because the matter is
settled at the primaries, where the regularly
recognized voters of the party determine
who shall be the party's representatives,
and the fellows who are in the minority add
q few more strong anathemas TO their
previous remarks, and shut up till the time
for holding the next primaries. But there
being no election machinery in Washing
ton, this method of settlement is impossible,
and it must be taken out in loud and con-
tinuouS talk. The honors contendcl for
are shadowy. The National Committee
man of each party is supposed to have some
influence in filling the local offices, when
the President OF his party is in power, but
this influence is vastly over-rated. AS n
rule these matters are settled by the polit-
ical bosses for the time bcing@Scnators,
Representatives., etc.-who pay little at
ention to the man who represents 10 votes,
and can influence none. The District is
entitled to two votes in each National Con-
vention, but these Delegates are of the
smallest account in any political calcula-
tion. AS Il rule. the great mass of Re
publicans in the city pay no attention what
ever 10 them. There are two mcn-Perry
Carson, formerly keeper of n har-room and
restaurant, but who now holds q small
inspectorship, and is the leader of a faction
of negroes; and Andrew Gleason, Il con-
tractor, who leads Il faction made up of the
white laborers-who represent the District
in Republlcan COnvei tons, because they
have gang of followers which will take
possession of any caucus, and fight each
other to a standstill and compromise, to
the exclusion of any consideration of the
more representative element of the city.
The Democrats have been going through n
noisy turmoil for the past week or more, to
select their National Committeeman.
Lawrence Gardiner, the man who held the
place for some years, died recently, and the
strife IS over the selection of his successor.
AS L have said before, there is no way to
settle the matter, except by noisy insistence,
until the opposing sides are talked TO
standStill. Chairman Jones, of the Demo
cratic National Committee, has been ap-
pealed to to decide between the competitors,
but he wisely keeps his hands off. and tells
them to determine it according to the Demo
cratic principles Of local government;
and so they are at it.
s,s ~
The Navy Department has disposed of
three of its condeInned vessels: The sirglc
turret monitor AJAX, S29, ,567 the single
turret moiitor Passaic, S19,7S6; the
3chooner-rigged Hector, formerly the
Spanish vessel Pedro captured and cor
demned as a prize, S65,1 $50. The appraised
value of the three vessels was $74 900, and
they brought S114,503.
Mr.. b. Tamaki, of Toxic Japan, who
was in the city last week, is a positivist on
the necessity of the Government having as
absolute ownership and control of the
telegraph and telephone as it now has of tic
mails. Correspondence by wire is now as
necessary as that by letter" The japanese
system makes charge of about one cent a
word for telegrams; but Japan is very
small compact country.
An impetus has been given to the interest
in military education in the public schools
by the decision to attach the High School
Cadets to the National Guard of the Dis
trict of Columbia. The white cadets will
form separate regiment and the colored
cadets a battalion.