The National tribune., 1904-07-28


the Democratic ticket. He says
''The ticket is good as to its head, but it
seems TO be all frontispiece. An octogen-
arian for second place is hardly the thing
that will commend itself to the voters of
this country. For Judge Parker l enter
tain sentiments of esteem and profound
respect The idea of leaving out such an
essential part of platform as the money
plank was ridiculous. and is apt to make
those who would like to vote the Demo
cratic ticket this year hesitate. l am
hesitating myself. and haven't really made
the independent Democratic vote that
elected Mckinley in 1896 and 1900, and
the same element may be the balance of
power in 1904"
Islands off, up in Wisconsin. That is
to be the healthy disposition of the
Spooner-La Toilette row up there, so far
as the Republican National Committee is
concerned 1t is considered a State mat
ter. with the National ticket not en-
dangered, so the family" is to be per-
mittel to settle its own fractional differ
enceS.
Hon. John r. Mcbride. formerly a men,
Der OF Congress from Oregon. died at his
home in Spokane. Wash. last week.
The United States seems to be playing
good deal of the dog in the-manger policy
regarding the old hulk of the Maine which
lies in the mud of the harbor at Havana,
obstrryting navigation. Cuba wants the
hulk ont of the way. 1t is cons ant
menace to her shipping. She has asked
the nited States Government to remove
it. bur Il penuriouS sort of policy the
mar of hp has
from doing its whole duty in this respect.
Then tuba arranged with New York par
ties To raise the wreck. Now the Government
of the nited States steps i'll and says that
this cannot be permitted. 1t certainly $
not nice way to treat Cuba. Just rs
certa ,:iy. il is not kindly treatment OF the
old h; k which is the tomb of number OF
the gallant seamen and marines who went
down IN her and whose bones whiten IN the
sands III the bottom of the harbOr. The
hulk ought to be raised and the United
States ought to TO the raising, even if it
should cost a round million or more. This
istoo rich Government to forget what it
owes It's heroes.
Brighten. \. W. Greedy. Chief Signal
Officer has gone to Sitka. Alaska. where
he Will attend the formal opening of the
Government cable between Seattle, Wash.
and Sitka. The last stretch of $50 miles
from the Sitka end is now being laid. and
IL
pletei and in working order before long.
TIL International Geographic Society
will meet i'll Washington. Sept. 3. i'll its
eighth annual session. But it isn't going to
stay here. 1t IS sort of a progressive
affair. it seems. 1t will meet in Washing
ton Oh Thursday, Sept. 8, and remain that
week. then it will reconvene in philadel-
pha the next Monday. in New York on
Tuesday. Niagara Falls Friday. and in
Chicago on Saturday. 1t will finally con-
vene III st. Louis Sept. 10, in conf junction
and Arts. Scientists from all over the
world will gather in Washington for the
Congress. and the session will be of wide
spread interest. Hundreds of papers will
nown who will give their views on the
scientific developments of the day.
The st. Louis Exposition paid the second
installment of $4,000 like a little man
right on time. and the Administration feels
ing over the $4.OO0,OOO loan to the Exposi-
ton. but it looks though it is going to
come out all right. 1t is great EXPOSE
ton.
We will have two new battleships ready
for launching in September. They are the
Connecticut and the louisiana, sister
ships in type.
After 10 years of experience the War
Department has decided that the so-called
dynamite guns which at one time formed
picturesque feature of certain harbOr de-
lenses are obsolete. and is getting rid of
them as quickly as possible. Guns of this
type were mounted at Sandy Hook, Fish
er's Island. San Francisco and at one or
two other places. All of them have since
been sold and removed except the three big
15-inch pneumatic guns at the Iresdio of
San Francisco, and these. too. will be sold
in short time to the highest bidder.
Their removal will mark the passing of
these guns. which at the time of their in
srallation were expected 10 reyolutionize
modern warfare.
District of Columbia Day at the st.
Louis Exposition has been changed from
Wednesday, Oct. -, to Thursday, Oct. 20.
Mr.. o. f. Cook. the discoverer Of the
boll-Weevi-eating ant, that nice little
hannibal creature which eats everything
that it should. and nothing that it
shouldn't. reports that his experiments
down in Texas are all that could be de-
sired and that his imported "critter" is do
ing lis whole duty by the cotton-boll de-
btroyer. lie says, also, that the ant is nice
and gentlemanly to the ladybugs, and does
not harm them or their eggs, and that they
Seem 10 be on neighborly terms. This story
IS so dreadfully smooth that we may ex-
pect to hear of dire disaster in some direc-
ton. after the ant has cleaned up its
natural prey. 1t will then hunt something
else 10 feed upon. and then-will we have
a repetition of the sparrows? However, If
the ant is really as valuable as the first
reports seem to show, Mr.. Cook ought to
be given a gold medal by Congress
France has decorated Secretary Of State
Hay with the medal of the Grand Cross
of the Legion of Honor. which is the very
highest decoration in France. There are
two or three grades of this decoration, and
there scads of the lower grades par
celled out to Indifferent Americans on all
sorts of occasions, but there are but two
or three who possess the highest grade
Secretary Hay has deservedIy earned this
decoration, and it is to be hoped that Con
gress will let him have it right away. II
doesn't make much difference about
some of the other medals which France
and other countries have bestowed upon
American citizens. Most of the Others
have been given in a perfunctory way
Somebody picked up a handkerchief for
his lOrdShip. or held open the carriage door
for Baron Thus nd So or pava d;p,a,