The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-11-02
G, THURSDAY NOVEMBER

VAOI11NU1ON, u. VI, lf1UhOI
the statue got wretcheddl,y' e chipped from
the weather The extended arm in
which George holds a. sword makes q
fine bird-roost. The statue is supposed
TO represent Washington returning his
sword to Congress after bidding fare
we'll to the army. though goodness
knows that if Washington had ever APP
peared before Congress wrapped in a
scant sheet there would have been
something doing right off. Irreverent
correspondents say that Washington Is
holding his sword out and saying to
people. Here, take Irmy sword and
bring me my clothes from the Smith
sonian.'
Secretary of War Taff says with a
merry ha. ha, "Aroint thee, witch. no
Presidential boomlets for me this early
in the game" But there Is hereafter,
and If ones friends urge and are in
sistent, why. then
Dear me! 1t is now stated that
young men entering West Point are not
tall enough to make good soldiers, and
that they never grow tall enough. The
West Point authorities intend to try to
have the height admission made five
feet six inches. And IL they made 1t
six feet, what matter IL soldierly quail
ties do not back up the bulk? In the
war of the rebellion it was not the big
men who made heroic records, not by
a long shot. Nearly all the famous Cen
erals were small men, nearer five feet
five than six. Some of them were tall,
1t is true, but the majority were short.
There were men In the service who
were only five feet in height, and they
parade soldiers such as the West Point
ers are mostly, at least while in the In
stitution, a six-fOoter shows up better
In the glove-fitting uniforms, q shorter
man will probably fight better when put
to the test, for he isn't so sure that he
Is being picked out as target for the
enemys bullets.
When a man gets only $40 a week he
lives up to 1t and often a little more.
When that salary Is increased by tens
up to 800 week he finds when he gets
to that high-water point that he lives
up to 500 a week and q little more. and
when he is cut by tens, 1t hurts like the
mischief to drop in the style Of living,
and he usually does q good deal Of
kicking, but arranges his menage ac-
cordingly. Now this is true of the Gov
Departments. 1t is quite remarkable
how the Departments expand and In
crease their expenditures when there is
plenty OF money, and how easy 1t is to
find that there are lots Of these ex-
penditures that can be Topped off when
the time Of adversely comes. Erin
stance: Secretary of the Interior Hitch
cock has found that in the General
Land Office there are 10 Land Receiv-
ers who can easily be dispensed with,
that they are useless pieces of furniture
anyhow, and that this will save to the
Government a total of $250,000 a year.
Now, why under the sun has nobody
discovered
Hitchcock says that to abolish the Land
Office Receivers will effect q saving not
only in money, but in time also. Well,
now! Maybe there are other places in
Government employ that are quite as
useless, and II they are Topped off at q
be the saving Of a very tidy sum.
Additional equipment for construc-
ton work on the Panama Canal, aggre-
eating $982,000 in cash. was purchased
last week Of the BucyrusI Company, of
cludes 10 75-ton steam shovels. at $10,-
600 each. and contract to the Amer
lean Car and Foundry Company, of
Pittsburg, for 500 wooden freight cars
for the Panama Railroad, at $500 each.
From now on 1t is expected there will
be evidences Of activity in the construc
ton work OF the canal. and many con-
tracts for new and improved equipment
may be expected within the next few
months. '-e
Senator Dolliver has got himself into
hot water, II not hot OIL He was speak
ing In Sedan. Kan. the other day. and
referring to the University Of Chicago.
Rockefeller's college, said that 'its
campus smelled like a Kansas oil
town." He had to explain his little joke
by saying that the pressure of Standard
Oil was SO great there that the Pro-
fessors did not dare speak their own
minds, and that the influence of John
ID. Rockefeller was SO potent that the
teaching of the Professors was directed
to such an extent that no good political
economy doctrine could be taught there.
And you just ought to hear the chorus
Of "'taint so's'' that is going up from
the Chicago University.
Government position out in Nevada
goes begging. 1t is almost impossible
to keep clerks In the postal service out
there. because times are SO prosperous
that Immediately postal clerk is sent
there he finds something better, where
he can have religion, politics and a
mind Of his own and exercise and ex-
press these as he likes. The contrast
between that and the muzzle that
Government clerk has to wear makes
the freer business more desirable. This
is particularly true in the mining re-
gions.
Friday, Oct 81 was the 47th ami
versary Of the birth. of President Roosez
welt. and was celebrated in good
many different localities, notably in
New York City, where a big club meet
ing was held in the house in which he
was born, ex-senator Thurston being
the orator Of the day. 1t might have
been a day Of mourning, though happi-
ly disaster was averted just in time.
The President was on the tender Mag
nOlia, being taken to the warship West
Virginia. when she ran into fruit
ship. the Esparta. There was a general
shaking up Of things. and the Presi-
dent, who was in bed. worn out with
the labors in New Orleans, was hastily
aroused. He dressed himself, and
meantime the Magnolia, which was
pretty badly injured, was beached, and
her sister tender, the Ivy, which had
gone on ahead, was signalled and re-
turned to take the President out to the
West Virginia. No one was injured in
the collision. The Espartas Captain
says that the collision was the fault of
the Magnolia. and the Magnolia's Cap
tain retorts that the. Esparta did not
obey signals and there you are. 1t was
narrow escape, and again the ques-
ton arises, HAS the President Of the