The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-01-15

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ton this week in the Tower branch o.
congress Representative Dalzell Of
Pennsylvania, in reporting rule per.
hitting the house to vote on the ques.
ton whether the grade should close
with the present holder OF the disting.
uished rank, General Arthur Nc
Arthur said:
Il believe that there is an opinion
prevailing that 1t was a mistake to
create the Office of lieutenant general
for any officer after the death of Gen
eral Sheridan; that the distinction
should have been confined to Generals
Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan. But as
often as one officer after another of the
civil war attained to the position where
he would be entitled to this place, If
1t was to be created, congress felt it
would be unfair to deprive him of
what his predecessors had had. The
reason that existed for giving this dis
tinction to these officers has now
ceased to exist. All the officers of the
civil war who would be entitled by
reason of their seniority to become
lieutenant generals have been provided
for, and if the Office is to continue it
will be conferred hereafter upon those
civil war.
Il want to say here it is a great
mistake to assume. as l have heard
it assumed on the outside, that this
measure is aimed at the interest of
any army officer. The measure is in
tended, l think, by the house to be
passed as measure OF justice, because
the reason existing for the creation
of the office has ceased. and the Office
should likewise cease to exist with the
reason. The legislation has no partic-
ular party or. parties in view."
1t is generally understood that Mr..
Dalzell was referring to General
Leonard Wood. now in the Philippines.
but shortly to assume command of
the Atlantic division, when he dis
claimed that the legislation was aimed
"at the interest of some or any army
officer"
The grade of lieutenant has had a
series of ups and downs since the be-
ginning of the government. Wash
ington was the first lieutenant general
and died with that rank, although in
1899 the grade of general of the
armies" was created by congress; but
the act did not take effect so far as
Washington was concerned, because
he died few months after the creation
of the title and before the law became
effective.
Scott was made lieutenant gen.
eral by brevet in 1855. The grade was
revived in 1864 with Grant, who be-
came general of the armies in 1866.
Sherman was made lieutenant general
in 1869 and and Sheridan in 1888, on
whose death both grades, general"
and lieutenant general" became ex-
tinct- Schoffield was appointed lieut.
enant general in 1895. In 1900 con-
gress enacted that the senior major
general should have the rank of lieut.
enant general, which is now the law
The action of the house, however, abol-
ishes the rank of lieutenant general,
the grade ceasing with the retirement
of the present holder of that rank,
Arthur Macarthur, who retires in 1909.
The legislation in no wise affects those
on the retired list holding the grade.
Albert F. Dawson of the second
Iowa district bids fair to become one
of the strong men of the house Of
representatives. II there is anything
in training Albert Dawson has every
reason to expect a useful and maybe
distinguished career in the lower
branch of congress- For several years
he was the confidential secretary Of
that splendid Iowan, William. B. Alli-
son, one of the great leaders Of the re-
publican party in the United States
senate. Dawson took the nomination
for congress in the second Iowa dis
trict which has been looked upon as
safely democratic, but in the Roose-
welt landslide of 1904 he beat Judge
Wade by 1856 votes, the then only
democrat in the Iowa delegation. Mr..
Dawson was renomnated for the Goth
congress and considerably increased
his majority. During the first session
of the 59th congress the young con-
gresham from the second Iowa dis.
trict made his speech on the American
hen which attracted nationwide at
tention, and now he is directing all
his energies toward the perpetuatie n
of the pearl button industry which
thrives in his district.
The pearl button industry, coupled
with the manufacture of pearl button
machinery, amounts to about 100000
600 a year, one and half millions Of
which are contributed by the Mussel
fisherman in the second Iowa district.
1t is we'll known that pearl buttons
are made from fresh water mussels
taken from the Mississippi, Missouri
and Arkansas rivers. So large has the
industry become that the mussel beds
in these rivers are becoming exhausted
| just as the oyster beds along the
Chesapeake and the river emptyine
into that bay are becoming depleted
requiring state legislation to protect
the beds from oyster pirates.
Mr.. Dawson, with an eye to continue
the pearl button industry in his dis
trict, believes that the raw materia
can be perpetuated, and he has takel
up with the scientists connected witt
the shell fish commission in Marylan,
and one of the most famous biologist
in the United States, Professor Gilman
A. Drew of the university of Maine
who, by the way, ds an Iowa boy, tn
habits of the mussel with view of as
pertaining II the seed cannot be pro
pagated. do you know anything abou
the life history of a life mussel?" l