The National tribune., 1907-07-11

also true that they do not deceive any
body. and that they only succeed in
making themselves ridiculous. America
is noted for its beautiful old women,
but their beauty is natural, not COM
pounded from drugs
| Nehemiah c. Ordway, who died re-
Gently at Norwood, Mass, was once a
familiar figure in Washington, and is
well remembered by all the old-timers
| here. For dozen years, generation
ago, Mr.. Ordway was Sergeant-at-Arm
| of the House of Representatives. he
was 10 years old when he died. He knew
Lincoln, and was in charge Of the party
which took the body of the murdered
President to his old home at Spring
field, H.. for burial. At one time Mr..
| Ordway was Governor of the Territory
of Dakota, having been appointed to
the position by President Hayes. He
was born in New Hampshire, and was
at various times member of the Leg
islature of that State, Sheriff of Mer-
rimac County and City Marshal of Con-
cord
Medical Director John C. Wise, U. S.
N, who was the first Southerner of the
war to enter the new Navy, and who is
also President of the Naval Medical
School at the Capital. has just returned
| from attending the meeting in London
of the International Red Cross Associa-
| ton, which convenes once every five
years. The other American delegates
were Surg.-Gen. O'Reilly, of the Navy;
w. Carey Sanger, President of the New
| York Red Cross Society; Miss Mabel
Boardman, of Washington, representing
the Central Committee. and Ernest
Bicknell, of Chicago. who did such mag
nificent work in connection with the
San Francisco earthquake, altho not a
n cd CrngS mennhpr In SnQakinQ of his
mission. DIR. Wise said:
1T was one of the most inspiring
meetings In the history of the OrganiZa-
ton, and replete with beautiful Incl
dents. Every civilized power was rep
resented, and the reports from every
country, especially from Japan, Russia
and the United States. were of the
greatest value and interest. The dis
cussions took a wide range. One of the
chief topics was the much mooted ques-
ton of the practicability of allowing
neutrals to render aid to the inhabitants
of besieged cities. Another was wheth-
er the International Red Cross should
engage in tuberculosis relief work. The
proceedings were conducted entirely in
the French language, and the meeting
was presided over by the Marquis de
Vogue, a magnificent specimen of Old
World aristocracy of the best sort.
''It is a great pity, 1 think, that the
american people no not appreciate Tic
services of an association dedicated to
the cause of suffering humanity to the
same degree ii seems to be appreciated
by other Nations. What l hope to see is
the popularization of the Red Cross in
the United States as IL is in Japan.
where the humblest peasant woman
considers it high privilege to be on its
membership rolls. Now that Congress
has given the association here perma-
nent and solid status, local chapters
should be started everywhere, until
America shall be recognized as the lead
ing Red Cross country of the world"
An apparently innocent military or
der recently issued by the War and
Navy Departments makes public the in
formation that Congress at the last ses-
sion, by indirection, increased the pay
of officers of the Army, the Navy. the
Marine Corps and the Revenue Cutter
Service. All details concerning these
increases are withheld from the public,
and the military officers who have
thus been benefited indirectly after Con-
gress declined to vote an increase of
pay appear to be doing their utmost to
prevent the general public from know
ing they have been given a very neat
bonus
Whether this increase was allowed byl
accident or design is not known, but
the impression prevails that the major
ity of the members of the two Houses
of Congress knew nothing of the pro-
vision in the Army bill that carried this
increase, the benefit of which goes al
most entirely to those officers on de- |
tached' duty; that is to say, the men
who have the good berths in the vari-
Gus military departments in Washing
ton and elsewhere, where there happens
not to be Government barracks or quar-
ters.
This increase in pay comes to the Off |
GERS in the shape of increased quarters
which they are permitted to commute,
where the Government does not provide
quarters. at the rate of $12 per month
for each room the law allows them, and
in a little provision that provides for
the lighting and heating of their quar-
terS, the policy of the Government up
to the enactment of this law having
been that military officers should pro-
vide their own heat and light.
AS everybody in Washington under
stands. there are very few Army or Navy
officers on duty in the Departments who
are quartered in Government property.
There are very few at the Navy Yard,
the Marine Barracks and at the Ar
senal Those quartered at Fort Myerj
are the officers attached to the troops
stationed there. The vast majority of
Army ard Navy officers live in private
houses, in apartments or in Washington
hotels, and these are the men who are
not those in the field. These
are the officials who control affairs in
the Department have pull with in
fiuential members of the two Houses
and they largely are the beneficiaries of
Uncle Sans unexpected gratuity.
Under this new law the quarters al
lowed the Northumberland jump
from six to nine rooms; Brigad;er-
Generals, from five to eight rooms;
from five to seven rooms;
Lieutenant-Celonels, from four to six
rooms: Majors, from four to five rooms:
Captains, from three to four rooms;
First Lieutenants. from two to three
rooms. Second Lieutenants remain at
two rooms as in the original law.
These quarters allowed by law are
into money where officers
are not stationed at Government posts.
This one item means in extras to the
officials benefited in the shape of addi-
.ional rent money over that already
furnished by law of the following sums,
bearing in mind that it includes not
only Army officers, but all officers of
every arm of the service having a cor
responding rank: Lieutenant-General.
1916 year; Major Generals. $432;
Generals. $432; COlonels.
s2S9; Lieutenant-Colonels. s2SS; Ma
iors, Captains, and First Lieutenants.
sl44 each. Second Lieutenants must
be content with the TWO rooms allowed
under the old law.