The age-herald., 1901-12-08
>AsHINaToN. pecemher 7-


 N/AMI CSpeciaL1 V To the observ-
 N/NH ant eye of an AlabamIan.
 Washington is a mass of Alabama aspirants for government office and their packers There are hordes of them here-Democrats as well as RepuD- licans. The Democrats are not confined to the gold element, either. There are those of silver trimmings as well. Fx- Governor Johnston only left last night. He dined with the President He and Booker Washington are the only two dls- tinguished Alabamians who have been so honored. It is said among Aiabamians here that Booker Washington suggested to the President that he invite ex-Gover- nor Johnston to come here to confer with him about Alabama appointments. It is further current gossip that Johnston recommended w. w Thompson for col leotor of internal revenue at Birmingham to succeed Bingham, the present holder of that remunerative office. Thompson is brother of Congressman Charles Thompson. Another. brother will prob ably be appointed postmaster at TusKe- gee. Of course, there is all sorts of talk
 
 ing to get control of the Federal patron age in Alabama but no direct evidence 10 confirm 1t. Like lots of other Alabama Democrats, 1t was doubtless a pleasure to him to express himself to the PresI- dent about people in Alabama and to recommend those who have been his good political friends in the past and who might be in the future. Johnston cannot dictate Federal patronage in Alabama. He probably would not care to- either. He naturally would recommend his friend Thompson for collector of internal revenue. Thompson is good man, but with it all, Bingham's record is said to be perfect, and he will probably be reap pointed.
 President Roosevelt is fiickering on the matter of turning out Republicans and appointing Democrats in the south. Some of his lifelong personal and political friends have been talking to him without gloves on this subject recently. It is fool ish and suicidal of you to turn out good Republicans and put in Democrats, while you make no improvement in the men to fill the offices" said a New Yorker who has been a lifelong friend of the President, to him few days ago. You will destroy yourself politically and in- jure your party materially, while you ------------- - Since then he has been engaged in river and harbor work, chiefly on the Ohio and some of the small rivers in Kentucky, with the exception of a years service in the Philippines He became a First Lieu tenant in 1888, and from that time until 1892 he was in charge of the work on the Green and Barren rivers in Kentucky. In 1896 he became a Captain and was put in charge at Little Rock, Ark. In Sep tember, 1898, he took command of Com pany B of the Engineer battalion and as commander of that organization he went to the I nllippines in July 1899. "Ie made an excellent record while in the Philippines from August 10, 1899. to May 5, 1901, when he was ordered back to the States. The records in the War De- partment indicate that he fought during the day and did his engineering work at night. In recognition of his services Gen l eral Wilson, now retired, In June, 1901, recommended <. to Secretary Root that l Captain Sibert be breveted major and l lieutenant-colonel.
 "The specific act for which recognition was asked Is his conduct on the firing line October 10, 1899, on the Buena Vista road. He was also recommended for ap- pointment as a brigadier-ge of vol unteers for soldierly conduct and excel I lent service throughout the campaign in | Northern and Southern IllZOn.
 Captain Sibert's campaigning in the ! Philippines was done as commander of I the comp pany of engineers attached to the \ expedition which moved north from Ma l nila in August, 1899. On August r he asked that his men be permitted to go to I the firing line, which permission was I granted. Although the men had never been under fire before, they behaved well enough to cause General Schwan, never lavish with his praises, to devote long l paragraph in his official report, praising the captain and ending with this sem l tence: Captain Sibert, not only in his capacity as engineer. but also on the I firing line. notably on the afternoon of l October 10 on the Buena Vista road. con l tributed in a marked degree by his ef- forts to the success of operations; the service rendered by his company was con- stant and invaluable.'
 'In another report the General said: "I cannot commend too highly the work of l this officer. His constancy, his tact, his | professional skill are worthy of special mention."
 Tn letter to Adjutant General Corbin General Schwan urged the appointment of Captain Sibert to a volunteer colonel cy He said he knew of no individual officer who had done more for the suc- l cess of the movement than Captain si bert.
 About Persons.
 E. A. Meling and wife of Owensboro, Ky, are at the Hilman.