Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-10-04

This is had enough from Republican
point of view. Still it is not 80 bad as
though there bad been two states and
four Democratic Senators. 1t ia claim
ed also that the Democrats who were
in control of the constitutional con.
vention shamelessIy gerrymandered the
state on behalf of their own marty.
But whether this is true or not. The
chances are there would have been
something doing in the same line had
the Republicans been in control of The
convention. 1t is not likely that The
official copy of the new constitution
will be rec, lived in Washington in time
for the President to ISIS lie the procIama-
tion admitting the state before he
stats west, but this proclamation will
be issued Immediately on bis return.
|. There has been great deal of in.
teTest this week in the performances of
the balloon corps of the army In W ash
ington. The army has just esta bIished
such corps and while 1t is not large,
the government has already purchased
10 observation balloons and the men
are being drilled in their use. The
work in Washington this week has
consisted in teaching the enlisted men
how to initiate. pack and transport the
big bags and how to handle them while |
in the air. The work ls under the d.
rection of Lee Stevens, the profession
al aerOnaut and Capt. de Forest Cham
der of the army. There have been
six ascensions made already and there |
will be thirty before the series is finish. |
ed. There is good deal more to the |
work than merely tying the bag of the !
balloon to gas main and letting her |
fill. All Of the intricacies of the art |
are being impaired to the men and |
quite soon the army ought to have a |
balloon observation corps equal in skill !
if not in size to that of any of the for
eign armies.
Toe experience of the Russian bal
loon corps in the Japanese war was
not very encouraging. The report of
the experts was that satisfactory pho
tographs could not be taken from the
captive balloon car both because of the
altitude and the vibration, though it Is
popularity supposed there is no vibra-
no ~ n. hot
the conformation of the earth was so !
deceptive and topography so distorted :,
from safe observation altitude that |
the balloon proved almost useless.
One interesting feature of the work |
on which the government is embark |
ing. however, is the building of diri-
gible balloon. The plans for this are
already drawn. 1t is said that the bag
will be 100 feet long and it will be
driven by two 12O horse power gasoline
motors. 1t is expected that it will be
able to make 80 miles an hour it still
air. The projected cost is about $780,
COO
1t is said by that most useful of all
persons, 1.-THE an close to the Presi
dent" that there will be no objection
offered by this government to the re
appointment of Wa Ting Fang as
Chinese Minister to the United States.
It will be remembered that while Mr..
Wa was an entertaining person during
his stay here, he often Overstepped the
bounds of diplomacy An the things he
did and said. He was also credited
with having instituted the Chinese
boycott OF American goods on his re.
turn to China. so that there were vari-
GUS reasons why the United States
might have o. jected to bis appoint
ment. But i. is said that the Presi-
dent did not wish to show any animos-
ity to China and he decided that while
there might have been wiser appoint
ment made from the standpoint of the
American government, it Was just as
well to accept the old diplomat as
though he were the best possible selec-
tion. 1t is q ute certain. however, that
Mr.. Wn on his second coming here will
not be accorded all the diplomatic lati-
tude he was allowed before.