The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-11-16

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Foeux, formerly Governor Of Hong
Kong. The last time Sir William dined
in the White House-which was also
the last time he was i'm Washington
was AZ years ago. and his host then was
President Buchanan.
1t looks now as though "Old Kahn
tuck had gone back on Joe Blackburn,
the eminent judge of good whisky, and
for SO long United States Senator from
Kentucky. Of the Democrats elected
to the Legislature in Kentucky more
than two-thirds are said to be pledged
to q Democrat Of the anti-Black burn
forces. If this Is true 1t will deprive
the United States Senate Of one Of it's
most picturesque characters and one Of
the very last Of the old school Of Demo-
Gratis.
1t is reported that our old-tfme friend
and Chinese ambassador, WI Ting
Fang. has become perfectly deaf from
the explosion OF a Chinese bomb thrown
ny Chinese fanatic when the Chinese
Commissioners were leaving Pekin to
visit foreign countries.
Truly, pioneering today and yester-
day are two different things. Yester-
days pioneer crossed the plains and the
mountains to the golden Pacific coast,
walked good deal of the way, hunted
wild creatures, bear, antelope, rabbits,
wild geese, and ducks for meat, killed
buffalo and ''jerked" the best parts for
a supply in case Of emergency IL it
came, and it always did: he was in
cyclones, billiards.. prairie fires.
wolves. mountain lions. bears; he
froze, roasted. starved, thirsted, on the
perilous trip, yet he got there, his shot
gun, pick and ak being his sole trust.
aside from his abiding faith in the pro-
tecting arm Of the Almighty. He built
bridges. hewed his way through forests.
cut mighty paths through the seemingly
impenetrable mountains, and in all
that wonderful journey from ocean to
ocean he saw not a book but the Bible
There were few daily newspapers, and
certainly none along that unknown
pathway, but he got there, and his fam
lily was right at his side, often q baby
taken into camp at the Golden Gate
that the stork had not thought of when
they left the Eastern home. They
grew and prospered, this man and his
family, and they made the mighty
West.
Are the young men Of today made
Of weaker stuff? Down at Panama
where we hope sometime in the next
century to have a canal, there is un-
told trouble with the clerks, and the
semf-official gang that seems to be run
ming things. They do not like the grub
the Government furnishes What's the
matter with taking the provender and
cooking 1t themselves? They do not
like the houses. What's the matter
with knocking up some houses for
themselves? They kick on the small
90 wages paid. They could have
stopped at home. They were not
forced nd
strings tied to them now They have
no daily newspapers. no clubs, no thea
ters, no bowling alleys, no football
games, no billiard tables. they say Well
the Lord save the mark,i Not only
this, but the Government is now asked
to expend $1,000 for club houses! The
Cristobal Club is already organized,
and IL the Government can be Induced
to build another club house or two.
why, other clubs will be organized. Now
wouldn't that frost you? Mr.. Murphy
must have told the whole truth when
ne said that the trouble down there
was swell head" and soldiers Of for
tune who engaged to do clerical work
for what they could bulldoze out Of
Uncle Sam.
The imported bay trees that have
decorated the east and west terraces Of
the White House are being removed To
be put in Winter quarters. The weather
Is getting too cold for them to remain
out All these trees came from HoI-
land. They cannot be raised in the
United States. but after they are about
three years old they will live in the
United State under proper care.
The war has been declared a fail
ure by the rebels; Congress has re-
turned the rebel flags that were can
told that we should do all the forget
ting and most Of the forgiving. which
we are trying to do with what grace
can be summoned to the aid of the
loyal. but here is something that is
simply past comprehension. Commits
deluged with letters from all parts Of
the country asking if a law has been
enacted, reimbursing those who paid
money to be exempt from the draft in
1S63-64.
deputy Commissioners Davenport
says that OF course there is no such law.
And let US hope there will never be.
IN 1863 Is became necessary i'm some
States to resort to draft to fill town
quotas" says Mr.. Davenport. ut seems
that at that time anyone could pur-
chase exemption for fixed price. In
many towns that price was $500 1t was
simply barter and trade arrangement
between the man liable to be drafted
and the town. The man purchased ex-
emption upon paying his 5000. This
money was used by the town to hire a
substitute to serve in the place of the
man who purchased his right to stay
at home.
The question is Did the man receive
the full equivalent for his money! 1t
seems that he did, as at that time the
regular price for a substitute was
like $500. The town was
compelled to add 5000 to the $500 it
had received from the exempted man
to purchase his substitute.
Somebody must be laboring under
the impression that these drafted men
should be reimbursed for this $500. IT
does not look that way to an outsider"
Probably there are men who, afraid |
to go to war, were drafted and sent
who really expect to get |
paid for that noble performance. 1t |
Will be remembered that Mr. Cleveland |
sent substitute who cost him $500 or |
maybe 1t was only $500. but it is not |
likely that he will ever ask reimburse
ment for that. There are also people. |
those who fought under the stars and
bars, who expect the Government to
pay them some day-if the Northern
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