The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-02-22

he was the central figure. When the
battle of San Juan was mentioned he
remarked that two Numerically op-
posed stories are told about the part he
took In 1t.
lone of them has 1t that when the
charge occurred I was two miles in the
rear of the regiment" he said. 1.-THE
other is that 1 was away ahead of 1T,
and that l shot a Spanish officer in the
back
Having told the story, the President
looked around and smiled. His guests
wore an expectant look, evidently think
ing that they We're to hear his own ver-
sion of the affair.
And, would you believe it," he said.
laughing, "the Democracy believed both
stories to be gospel truth"
Our friend. Bill" Sewall. the Maine
trapper who has guided the feet of the
President along the tortuous trail of
the giant moose and other beasties. has
troubles Of his own. He wanted to be
Postmaster at Island Falls. and Roose-
Welt got 1t for him several years ago.
Now the old trapper wants to be Col
lector OF Customs OF the Aroostook
District up there in the Pine Tree State.
but he can't "drap" the post Office. No
body wants 1T, nobody will take it, and
Sewall can't hold two Offices at one and
the same time under the rules" and
he is hence in despair. He has come to
washington for the wedding, and mean
times is working little at politics.
Here is what he says about the situa-
ton himself:
81 found a man who would take the
post Office" said Sewall. land have
made my recommendation, but the
Postmaster-General. or whoever it is
hat
fit to act yet. I want to get busy on my
new place. I've held down the Post
mastership long enough. There's a
whole lot to do in that Collectors place,
1 want to say. Why, my County alone
extends over 800 miles along the Cana
dian border. When a fellow spreads
himself out over 800 miles he's got to
be pretty keen, let me say"
Arrangements are being made by the
local members of the National Asso-
citation of Mexican War Veterans for
the 33d Annual Reunion of that organ
ization. which will be held in this city
Feb. % and %. This meeting will be
of unusual interest to the citizens Of
founded here in 1878 by Col. Alexander
M. Kenaday. It's membership is COM
posed of the surviving American SOL
diers. sailors and marines who served
in the War with Mexico in 1S46-47-4S.
The last Reunion held at Washington
was in December. 1883. Hundreds of
veterans came from all parts of the
country. great change had taken
place throughout the land. Army men
had ceased to remember the enormity
of the rebellion, and, being most Of
them on the retired list, or on the eve
of retirement, let their thoughts reach
back to the campaigns in Mexico or the
West and their hearts warmed to the
gallant comrades Of that brilliant past
Again, after % years have passed,
the old guard of the Nation will mo-
Billie in Washington. There were over
1000 at that Reunion of 1883-com-
paratively young men, the vast majority
OF them. that could tramp in parade
from the Capitol to the White House.
sit at the banquet boards far into the
night. and sing a song of love or war,
and feast and wassa1 with the best.
On the 22d-23d of February 1906, q
venerable company of perhaps 100 griz-
Zled and bent old men, whose average
age is sc years, will meet once again
on the Goth anniversary of the battle
OF Buena Vista.
These old men will not keep time in
parade down the Avenue to the spirit
ed music Of military bands, an object
lesson to the third generation since they
carved history with their swords in the
middle of the last century. They will
call upon the President. OF course The
venerable heroes of the Mexican War
were prominent on all occasions doing
him honor, when President Roosevelt
made triumphal procession through the
South.
Now there is a bill before Congress
asking for an increase of their PEN
sions. There are only 800 of them
alive out of an army of over 100. 900.
Many Of them are bed-ridden. many
OF them blind. They are halt and lame
and very old and very poor. So it may
be said that the increase for which
their friends are working in Congress
Is In the nature of a reserve fund for
decent funeral. a post-mortem stipend,
the inexorable fee of Charon ere he fer
ries them across the echoless Styx.
The Navy Department seems to be
getting II in the neck all around. Rep
resentative Loudenslager, of New Jer-
sey. who is a member of the Committee
on Naval Affairs. has introduced a bill
whose object is to put the Navy De-
partment on better business basis"
Now. think of that minute. In this
bill Mr.. Loudenslager provides for two
Assistant Secretaries of the Navy The
First Assistant Secretary must be
Naval officer of the rank of Captain or
above. who shall have charge of the
personnel of the Navy. The Second
Assistant is to be a civilian. and he is
to have charge of all the division of
Materials" which would include all ma
terials needed by the Bureau Of Con-
struction and Repairs and of supplies
and accounts The bill explains that
with civilian at the head of this Di-
vision. through which all material
would be purchased. the author of the
bill believes many Of the defects of the
present system would be corrected
From the very nature of his profession,
Mr.. Loudenslager holds, a Naval officer
II not fitted to go into the markets Of
the country and make the extensive
purchases of materials needed i'm ship
building. etc, with that degree Of skill
and economy that would be exercised
by civilian who was possessed of a
thorough business training"
Among other things which Gov Ma
COON. of the Canal Zone-he who holds
about four Government positions and
gets $l1,500 a year for them-told the
House Committee was that a man might
be charged with murder and condemned
to hang down there without a Jury trial
He said the conditions were not Just
what they should be for n man to OBJ
tain justice, but that they did the best
they could. He declared that the mat
a of lIo ftfaa in hn