Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-24
FRIENDS FOR YEARS
Bond of Affection Between
Chaffee and Whitside.
PROPOSED ECONOMICS
SUGGESTED GENERALIZATION OF
TELEPHONE AND POWER PLANTS.
Secretary Morton's Value as an Ad-
wiser to the President on the Cues
ton of Transportation.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

| BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
| There was singular bond of affection
| between General Chaffee and the late Gen.
| eral Whitside, who was buried at Arlington
/ last Sunday. On the morning of the 22d of
July, 1861, lad of nineteen years left his
| fathers farm in the village of Gustavus in
the northern part of Trumbull county, Ohio,
| for Columbus, to enlist in the oath Ohio In
| fantry, which his intimate friend, the son
| of neighbor, had already joined He got
| as far as Warren, where he was to take the
| railway cars, and was wandering about the
| streets waiting for his train when his at
tention was arrested by flaming poster
| which represented a cavalryman in brilliant
uniform, with dripping sword, charging into
! the ranks of the enemy. While the lad was
admiring the picture and his soul was
stirred with ardor and ambition recruit
ing officer emerged from the adjoining door,
way and inquired if he didn't want to enlist
| The farmers boy replied that he was al
| ready on his way to Columbus to join the
2ith Ohio Volunteers, whereupon the officer
| described the superior advantages of the
| cavalry and the regular army. His argu-
| ments were convincing, and few moments
| later Adna r. Chaffee now lieutenant gen.
| eral and chief of staff of the military forces
! of the United States, signed his name to the
papers that made him private in Troop K
| of the 9th Regular Cavalry.
| A few days later he was sent with other
| recruits to Pittsburg, and there came under
| the command of Samuel M. Whitside, first
| sergeant of X troop, who had enlisted at
| Carlisle Pa, in November, 1858. A little
| later Whitside was made sergeant major of
| the regiment, and then second lieutenant of
| K troop, in which the farmers boy from
Gustavus had been advanced to the respon-
sibilities of corporal. Two years after
ward Chaffee was made a second lieutenant
also and assigned to 1 troop, and the two
men served side by side in the same regi-
ment year after year, as second .lieutenants,
as first lieutenants, as captains and as
majors, until 1888, when Chaffee was trans
ferred to the 9th Cavalry. All this time
their friendship had been unbroken and
their affection had grown stronger, and no
one felt the death of General Whitside more
keenly than the comrade Of his boyhood
days.
Secretary Morton's Advice.
Secretary Morton was induced to remain
at the head of the Navy Department be-
cause Of the Presidents need of his knowl-
edge and experience in the contest over
transportation matters which is coming on
in Congress. Mr. Morton is recognized
among his profession as one of the best
traffic men in the world He has been en-
gagged in that business since he was six
teen years old, and is familiar with every
detail. If the President should search the
country over he could not find more COM
petent adviser, and Mr.. Morton was con-
WINGED that it was his duty to remain In
the cabinet in that capacity. He WILL there
fore, be the general traffic manager of the
administration, and the clerks at the White
House already have orders to refer to him
all communications bearing on the legis-
lation concerning railroad transportation
rates recommended by the Presidents mes
sage.
The joint committee of Congress which
has been investigating the mercantile ma
rine of the United States can obtain forci-
BILE illustration Of our present necessities
and conditions by inquiry at the War De-
partment. No mail has been received from
the Philippine Islands for nearly month.
The latest letter was dated November 1,
and the next mail, which left Manila No
vember Ii, has not yet been received.
Proposed Economies.
The telephone service of the executive
departments of the government at Wash
ington costs $4,000 a year, not including
the Capitol and Congressional Library, the
government printing Office the Capitol
stables and other governmental branches in
that part of the city, which probably pay
altogether $4,000 more, making total ex-
penditure annually in this city alone of not
less than $4,000. That would pay the inter-
est upon a plant costing $15OOO0O.
1t cost $4,000 last year to heat the Capt.
toll and $4,000 to light it. The power for
lighting is obtained from the same boilers
that furnish the heat, SO that the two sery-
ices are practically one, and represent an
annual expenditure of about 100000. This
would pay big interest upon the cost of
private plant which it is proposed to erect
near Garfield Park, five or six blocks from
the Capitol, to supply all of the govern
ment buildings on Capitol Hill with heet,
light and power. The appropriations for
fuel and light for the Congressional Library
alone were $4,000 last year, and for the
White House and the park surrounding
they were nearly $4,000. 1t cost $4,000 to
heat and light the State, War and Navy
departments, $4,000 to light and heat the
Post Office Department, $4,000 for the
treasury and $4,000 for the weather bu-
reau. There are dozen other buildings to
be heated and lighted at similar rate, so
that the total expense of the government
for that purpose in the city of Washington
alone will run way beyond $350,O00 per an
mum. Bernard r. Green is preparing a
statement on this subject for the informa
ton of Congress under instructions from
the House committee on appropriations,
and 1t will contain some surprising in
formation.
To Encourage Silk Raising.
The Department of Agriculture is giving
away silk worms to all applicants who have
mulberry trees upon which they may feed.
AND it is furnishing mulberry seedlings to
those who desire to raise silk and can show
proof of their ability to do so. The distri-
button is managed very much like the dis
tribution of fish by the fish commission
and any club. association or Individual can
obtain supply of young fish by furnishing
evidence that they have the proper kind of
water and other facilities for breeding
them. because it is the policy of the gov
eminent to encourage everybody to raise
food fish. For similar reasons 1t IL also
the policy of the government to encourage
the silk industry. 1t has been tried several
times in the last century and has always
failed Two hundred and fifty years ago,
and again a few years before the revolu-
ton mulberry trees were planted and silk
worms were brought into Maryland, Vir-
ginia and other southern states, and the
patriotic DC ople of the colonies were urged
to raise the material for their own ball
dresses. as well their cotton and wooden
gowns. You can still see the mulberry
trees down at Williamsburg and among
the estates of the barons Of the Rappa-
hammock and the colonial nobility whose