The National tribune., 1906-03-01
ais failure to be assigned to any recent

ais failure to be assigned to any recent
duty. has been practically dropped from
the service. has forwarded to the Comp
troller of the Currency petitions looking
10 his retention as an Examiner.
Although Congress made Washing
tons Birthday legal holiday in the
District of Columbia and the other Ter
ritories, it seldom observes its own
child. In the Senate, on Feb. %, the
Farewell Address was read by some
Senator, and a little later the Senate
adjourned but not because il was
Washington's Birthday! Bless you.
no. 1t adjourned as mark of respect
to the death of a Member of the House
from Pennsylvania. over in the House,
Mr.. John Sharp Williams. leader of the
minority, moved to adjourn; but no,
indeedy. Capt. Hull. Chairman of the
Committee on Military Affairs. wanted
to get on with his Army appropriation
bill, and Mr.. Payne. of New York. had
some excuse. and so did several others.
and so the House went right on doing
business at the same old stand. Some
body wanted to hear the Farewell Ad-
dress. but the majority would not have
1t. 1t isn't very patriotic, to say the
least. Congress will adjourn for we'd
dings and for funerals. for receptions,
and for various junkets of more or less
official character. but it cannot stop for
"a AoN VI lioulS " uISCuSS lIt lilt anu
character of the man whose name stands
out in letters of fire before every mau,
woman and child who loves and vener-
ates this country and its history.
1t is a difficult matter to teach pa
triotism to child whose father has
none, or if he has, is in too big hurry
to say so, or too Indifferent to give ex-
preston to it. 1t is by bringing to the
notice OF the children the heroic deeds
OF those pioneers in the making of this
Nation that we hope to rear a new Ma
ton of heroes. If we fail in our duty
to the older heroes, how can we expect
10 have the children emulate their vir-
tues? OF course, the members of Con-
gress plead "the country's business.
Bosh! If we had not had Washing
ton we would not have had a country,
and it cannot be in better business than
taking brief rest and barking back to
those days when the widest dreamer
never visualizej Nation such as we
have grown into. MOI Congress was
just about 100 years from being pa
triotic: 1t will probably act the same
way about Memorial Day.
George A. Castor. Representative from
the Third District (Pa.) died last Tues
day week after long illness. He was
81 years old.
Representative CdStDT mas not Deen
in Washington this session. He was one
of two men who had not yet taken the
oath of office. Mr.. Castor was born in
Philadelphia, Aug. 6. 1855. He was q
member of the Republican City Com
mittee of Philadelphia for Is years, and
was candidate for Congressman-at-
Large before the Republican State Con-
vention in 1892. and failed of a nomi-
nation by only IL votes. He was elect
ed to the 5Sth Congress Feb. IS. 1904.
TO fill vacancy caused by the death of
Representative Henry Burk, and was
reelected to the 59th Congress.
Oh dear. how the fur did fly in the
House the other day, when the Hon.
Marcus Aurelius Smith, Delegate from
Arizona. and the Hon. Charles Edgar
Littlefield, of Maine-they are all hon
orable gentlemen''-tackled each other
on gambling in the Territories of New
Mexico and Arizona and prohibition in
Maine. Judge Littlefield began the bat
tie by introducing a bill to prohibit
gambling in the Territories named Now
think of that just for a second. To pro-
hibit gambling in the wild and woody
West! Now, honest, you know, that is
very funny; but ii struck the Hon. Mar
Gus. etc. very harshly. and he got mad.
He surely did. He just foamed at the
mouth. SO to speak, and declared that
MT. LlltleHtlu Hdu pfOHlDltlVe laws III
Maine. one prohibiting saloons. for in
stance, and that in Bangor alone he
was informed there We're $50 saloons.
He declared that If the bill became a
law it would only serve as a bluff to
drive all the gamblers into supporting
joint Statehood should that be submit
ted to a vote of the people. For the
State would not for a moment counte-
nance such a law. In fact, he talked
like a man whose constituents were
about to be deprived of life, liberty AMI
the pursuit of happiness.
OF course, Mr.. Littlefield came back
at him. He said that he had tried to
treat Mr.. Smith as a gentleman, and in
return had been met with sneers. He
said that he had information that gam
bling in the two Territories mentioned
was carried on fiagrantly and openly.
and that young men going there from
the East were corrupted and degraded
by contact with the gamblers ard their
environment. He thought that such 4
law was necessary, and then to show
Mr.. Marcus, etc. what he could do he
called for a vote, and the House was
wild i'm. He passed the bill by a big
majority. there being only two or three
dissenting votes.
The President in a lengthy message
proved a lock canal. 1t will be remem
bered that the foreigners on the Canal
Selection" Commission voted for a sea-
level canal, and the Americans, minor
ity, voted for the lock canal. The Pres
ident thus approves the minority re-
port. 1t is not worth while to go into
detail about it, because there will be
a thousand plans perfected, and then
torn to pieces before that canal is built.
w. 3. Poland, of Seward, Alaska,
Chief Engineer OF the Alaska Central
Railway, has appeared before the House
Committee on Territories to urge the
Lowering bill, which aims to assist Alas
kan railways by guaranteeing the inter-
est on their bonds. He declared that
projected railways, which are now par
TALLY built, cannot be completed with
out Government assistance. John E.
Balaine of Seattle, Wash, told the COM
mittee of the mineral wealth of Alaska,
and said it could rot be developed with
out the assistance of the railways.
During the Centennial Celebration at
Colorado Springs on Sept. 8 to 16 of
the discovery of Pixies Peak by Gen.
Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Government
troops are to play war in the mountains.
Secretary of War Taft has consented,
according TO Secretary Wray, of the
Colorado Springs Chamber of Com
merce, to hold the Army maneuverS dur
ing Centennial week, and one of the
features of the celebration will be a !
sham battle involving 10000 Regular
artillery and cavalry. These |
will hn 10 Iyaf, frn, civ