The National tribune., 1907-08-15


| proving the sentence of the court, Maj
Gen. Grant. commanding the Depart
ment of the East, holds that the SEN
| tence is entirely inadequate. and that It
should have been sufficiently severe to
| guarantee that an officer would not be
again guilty OF such conduct.
And Gen. Grant is right A good
sound thrash!ng with a tcowhide would
be good medicine for such an officer.
1t seems Incredible that such a fellow
should get into shoulder straps at all.
He may be an officer. but a man who
would wantonly insult a. poor. SORROW
ing mother in that fashion can never be
| a gentleman. tUZ
| There is apparently real friction be-
tween Winthrop N. Crane, the junior
Senator from Massachusetts,. and the
| Administration at Washington. repre-
| sented in New England by the Presi-
dents personal friend. Senator Lodge.
Two recent events add color to this as
sertion. One Is the announcement that
Senator Crane will have charge of the
Knox Presidential boom in New Eng
land; the other is the Senator's refusal
to accept the Chairmanship of the Com
mittee on Resolutions. which will draft
the platform for the coming Republican
State Convention. Cranes decision to
so far as possible remain aloOf from
the convention is explained by the fact
that it is dominated by Senator Lodge.
who will drive it in whatever direction
he wishes to serve the ends of the Pres
idential National candidate.
1t is understood here that Senator
Crane is opposed not only to the can
iidacy of Secretary Taft. but of Gov.
Hughes, of New York. Knox is cam
didate after his own heart.
A postal card of new design is about
to be issued by the Post Office Depart
ment.
1t is made of cream-coloredN paper.
three and a quarter by five and half
inches in size. and Is printed in black
ink. A frame surrounds the stamp. The
portrait used upon the stamp is pro-
file of Mckinley in q circular frame.
with the date of his birth and death.
"1Si3. Mckinley, 1901" inclosed In
ribbon.
According to the Navy. service pa
per supposed to be familiar with naval
construction and competent to point out
defects that would not be discovered by
4 layman. the vital error in the con-
struction Of the magnificent battleships
Of the American Navy is to be found in
the badly planned turrets ana arnmuni-
ton hoists 1t is declared that nothing
short of pure good luck mas prevented
the most disastrous of accidents. and
that the construction of the magazine
hoists. on the elevator plan. one above
the other is constant invitation to
accidents of more or less damaging
character.
Taking the Georgia accident as an II
'ue:ration. this paDer says the true sig
nificance of that disaster lies not in the
fact that several ctficers and men were
killed. but in the fact that burning
grains of powder from the charge that
was issued burned in the upper eight
inch turret aud Cell into the h1ndlng
room below the :u-ret." The Navy as
serts that the method OF constructing
the handling rooms and magazines o.
he American ships is dangerous and
reasonable. and has been the subject
If protest by officers Of the line for
Years past. IT is shown that If there is
I fire in an upper turret there is abso-
i,iteIy no means Of Dr6venting the drop
Ding of the fire into'tne aDartn nnts be-
low. and that nothing hut;the self-sac-'
icrg spirit cf EmaTican seamen has
prevented such accidents from destroy
ing some of our finest ships.
Every other navy" says the editor
has 4 complete deck separating the
.urret from the handling room and
magazines Our ammunition hoists run
straight up from the handling room be-
heath the furrets. The ,Pureaus. after
long series of energetic. not to say
bitter, protests from ine officers. and
after something likeffiftrf lives had been
sacrificed to their persistence in their
initial error. finally, devised an auto
matte shutter. end now that they have
lone II it is proved a mere inefficient
makeshft.
"AH other nayies provide for lifting
L.,
'lling rooms into the turrets by mems
Of what is called two-stase hoist. The
ammunition carrier which rises from
the handling room into the tu~-et RIGGS
into a closed box on the deck under
heath the turret. From this box the
charges carried up by the first hoist are
pushed into a second hoist which takes
them into the turret. There is TO pos
:ibilfty whatever of blazing powder fall
ing from the turret into the handling
room.
Is there to be no ending to this viii
rul perversity:'
The report of the Board of Inquiry
which investigated the Georgia acci-
lent and which was approved by Act
ing Secretary Newbcrry. is characterized
as utterly ridiculous" and the state
ment is made that thru this approval
the Departn ent saved the face OF the
four bureaus responsible for this dan
gerous constructive scheme.
All of which sounds very fine. but
probably isn't SO.
Another page in the life in Washing
ron, of that picturesque character, Will
liam NJ Stewart. for so long Senator
from Neva da. is closed. In the days of
ais affiuence he INDUCED in all sorts Of
playthi1gs. and among them was a
model dairy farm near Washington. II
contained something oSer 500 acres and
was located in Loudoun County. Va.
near Ashburn. X sold for 100000. 1t is
said that Senator Stewart is making a
pot of money these days. and that he Is
winning back all that he lost in the
panics and crashes after he became
United States Senator.
The President has made set of reg
ulations for the government of the Gus
toms receiyership established in Santo
Domingo under the terms of the Con-
vention of Feb. s. 1907. 1t is provided
that the accounts of the general receiv-
er shall be rendered to the Cpntadur ~
General of the Dominican Renuhlic ard1
to the State Department at Washington
and referred for verification to the Bu-
reau of Insular Affairs. which is given
immediate supervision and control of
the receiverShip.
Every precaution is taken to guard
against irregular DracticeS and heavy