The National tribune., 1907-06-27

Frank NJ. Williams. sfcnographer and
typewriter in the Military Information
Division. General Staff, War Depart
ment, last week made one original and
three carbon copies of "A technical mill
tary translation. consisting of 12.000
words. in three hours and 20 min
utes The matter WIS compared and
found to be almost absoiwia:y correct,
but five typogra phicaI errors being dis
covered.
Considering the Time expended in In
serting and removing the carbon paper.
this performance is considered little
short of phenomenal. 1t is believed
that the record for this time is about
1880 words with no carbons
Brig-Gen Henry ii. Sharpe. Com
missary General of the Army, will next
month make an inspection trip to Flu
rope. visiting London. Paris. Berlin and
other places. for the purpose OF inquir-
ing into the organization of the supply
departments of the English. French and
German armies. particularly us To COM
missary methods and system He Will
also visit the cooking schools of the
military establishments and other
branches of the Commissary Depart
mene. He will give special attention to
the subject of the preparation of the
ration In the field, including cooking
and baking. This will be the first time
that an officer of the Subsistence De-
partment OF the Army has been sent to
Europe an official inspection trip.
Civil Service Commissioner John A.
Mcllhenny has decided to make an ex-
tended tour of the South at an early
date to look into the causes of the i'll
disposition of Southern young men and
women to enter the service of the Gov
eTnment. Mr. McIlhenny, himself a
Louisianaian and Democrat, has been
struck with the disparity between the
number of blacks and whites in the
South who apply for the Civil Service
examination required for appointment
to subordinate positions In the various
grades of Federal Government. The
North and West show no backwardneSS
of this kind, as result of which those
sections have more than their quota OF
positions in the Government service
Southern blacks, too, display an eager
ness to get into the service, and they
are taking the positions open as fast as
their examination papers are approved
in Washington. 1t is suggested that
young white men and women in the
South are holding aloof from the exam-
ination mainly because they would be
brought into competition with blacks.
and Mr.. McIihenny is inclined to in
dorse this view of it. II ne finds this
theory correct while on his Southern
tour he may recommend on his return
to Washington that the whites and
blacks be examined in different rooms.
and on different dates. In future.
And yet these young men and women
We're reared with the blacks. nursed by
black mammies. slept and ate with
them. have foster brothers and sisters"
among the blacks, have them for maids
and all that O-shucks, That sort of
twaddle is simply funny. May be. the
s"bIacks" are better fitted for taking
Civil Service examinations. don't you
know?
Important changes Will be made in
the schedule of clothing and equipment
of enlisted men of the Army. orders hav-
ing been issued to this effect upon rec
ommendation of Maj.-Gen. Bell. Chief of
Staff. 1t has been decided to remove
many articles from the lists which are
regarded as now unnecessary. The
principal articles which are to be
omitted are leather waist belts, rubber
knee boots, muskrat fur caps, and
gauntlets. buckskin leather gloves. tan
shoes, cotton drawers. nainsook draw
ers. and number of articles. in lieu of
which more suitable articles of clothing
will be substituted.
News comes from Georgia that Sen
ator Clay is confined to his home at
Marietta with a stubborn attack of the
grip. and that his physicians fear that
some time. He has been suffering from
the ma'ady for several weeks, and it is
thought that after he convalesces 1t will
be advisable for him to take a long
rest in some other climate than that OF
Georgia. AS his campaign for re-elec-
tion is just opening. the prospect is not
reassuring to. his friends. Mr.. Clay be-
longs to the Woodworking, unostenta-
tious element of Senators who enjoy
the respect and confidence of their col
leagues on both sides 4efythe Chamber
Physically. he looks robust, but il has
been only about a year since, while out
walking. he was overcome by serious
attack Of stomach trouble. For several
hours his life was despaired of.
The news from Iowa that Mai John
Fletcher Lacey may enter the race in
that State to succeed Senator Allison, in
the event the Senator does not stand for
rejection, Is pleasing to the former 8
friends in Washington. He served many
years in the House and was defeated in
the last election by a series OF accidents
which nobody apprehended. He and
Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio. were pointed
out TO gallery visitors at the last session
of Congress as the most distinguished
members of the flock of lame ducks
Maj. Lacey could have fallen into a
comfortable berth had he desired to be
thus taken care Of in the vernacuIar
of the machine politicians. but he pre-
ferred to return TO his home and re-
sumo the practice OF law The Presi-
dent at one time had about made up
his mind to invite Mai Lacey to accept
the Commfssionership of the General
Land Office, but the Iowan gave every
body sternly to understand that he was
neither a financial nor political beggar.
He is a Virginian by birth. and has lived
in Iowa since he was a youth.
John Barrett. the versatile and voIu-
BILE -eX-diplomat, eN-newsplpcr man.
and ex a number of other things who
succeeded Williams G. Fox. now United
States Minister TO Ecuador. as Director
of the International Bureau of Ameri-
can Republics. and is now in charge of
the multifarious affairs of that institu-
non, has succeeded in startling Washing
ton again. People who passed near
Lafayette Square one morning last week
saw strange something floating in the
air over the building occupied by the
Bureau. in Jackson Place. After they
rubbed their eyes once or twice they
discovered that il was flag they beheld