Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-10-14
WASHINGTON LETTER,
tFrom our Regular correspondent,

(From our Regular Correspondence
Washington, D. c.. Oct Official
dom in the city has been entirely &C.
cupied this week with the mortal ILL
ness, death and funeral of Postmaster.
General Payne. Full and ceremOniOus
honors were paid him yesterday at the
Episcopal church of which be was
member. 1t had been announced that
a military escort would be furnished
for the occasion. but sharp criticism
caused that display to be cOuntermand-
ed. Adverse remarks are still made.
however, over the fact that "of1icers
of the army, navy, and marine corps
on duty in this city have been ordered
to attend in full uniform" Why? He
was not member of either, and had
never been affiliated with either in any
way. being dry goods clerk during
the war instead of going to the front.
OF course the censure which was VS.
tied upon the Postmaster-General on
account of the mistakes he made about
Bristow and "hOt air, y is now proper
ly withheld 1t seems. however, as if
the administration had made its Gus
tomary mistake in accepting a mag
nificently equipped special train ten
dered free" by the Pennsylvania and
the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroads for the use of members of
the Cabinet and other officials attend
ing this funeral. Why should not the
government or the passengers pay for
such transportation instead of having
the administration in power placed I'M
der renewed obligations to these giant
corporations The Postmaster General
was. in his personal relations a cordial
and agreeable man.
The Secretary of the Department of
Commerce and Labor says that the per-
SONS arrested for the hideous crime of
loading with iron the cork blocks for
life preservers will be tried for "a
felonious at tempt to evade the laws of
the United States" Such trial seems
like mockery. If the prisoners were
convicted they could only be punished
by slight fine. If there is no law,
state or national, for the adequate
punishment of miscreants who imperil
human life in cases like this, and the
wrecking of railroad trains, and the
attempt to destroy the Connecticut. it
is high time such law were enacted.
Men have been lynched for lesser
crimes. The unfortunate passengers
of the SlOcum or other vessels who
sank clasping those treacherous bags
of iron were as truly murdered as if
they had been deliberately shot from
the shore.
Weather Prophet Moore is dreadful
ly stirred up because some unauthor-
lied rustic out West has had the au-
dacity not to say temerity, to do some
guessing himself and has made some
long range predictions which beat
Moore's. The wild experimenter ought
to be arrested, of course, and hustled
into the prisoners dock on the charge
of interfering with the labors of the
U. s. government. What's the use of
having an army and navy unless our
own officials can be protected by them
in a monopoly of serving the Ameri-
can people with the things they need
If Tom, Dick and Harry are permitted
to furnish the American public with a
superior article of weather prophecy,
the danger is that some ingenious fell
low will come forward and furnish a
cheap and infalliblc aerial telegraphy
without the slightest permission from
headquarters. This should be put a
stop to.