Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-11-08

from Oklahoma beside about 81, 900, 0O(
bushels of wheat. The furry in New
York did not. of course. affect the
material prosperity of that part of the
country, but like so many other agri-
cultural sections, the scarcity of ready
money and the contraction of credit
clogged the wheels of commerce inst
when they should have been moving
The most rapidly.
There is a good deal of quiet specula-
ton outside the inner official circle in
Washington as to the meaning of Sec
rotary Taft's changes of plan with re-
gard to his visit to Berlin. He is max.
ing the grand tour with a vengeance
and, being an American Cabinet officer,
when he calls at a foreign capital and
sees the sovereign it is little difficult
to make it appear that the call is pure
ly personal instead of official. So long
as be was in the Philippines he was
there in his official capacity. But
when he got outside of American ter.
| ritory, 1t was advisable for his visit to
have more personal and less official
character. lis original program call
ed for his trip to Berlin while the
Kaiser was out of the country and it
Is understood that Emperor William
himself sent him personal invitation
to delay his visit till be, the Emperor,
had returned. Secretary Taft vas go
ing to do this and had even Notified
the War Department of bis Intention
when long cable correspondence en-
sued between him and the P, esident,
the result of which has beer that he
will visit Berlin while Emperor Will
liam is still absent. 1t is belle ed that
the talk of close understanding with
Germany has been dispeasine to the
Administration and that it il Co still
this talk that the program OF Secretary
Taft's visit has been set forward rather
than back SO that there will be no an.
pearanee of his meeting Emep7or Will
liam for an official conference.
One of the interesting guests of
Washington this week has been Capt. |
Roald Amundsen, the Arctic xplorer
and the man who definitely Iecsted the |
magnetic pole. He has been 4 guest
at the Cosmus Club, the RESORT Of gov
eminent and other scientists. He is
going to make another trip to the
north, hoping to either make a new
''farthest north" Or to reach the pole
itself. The novel feature of his COM
ing trip Is that he is going to employ
polar bears for his sledge journey. He
mas several teams of these animals al.
'eady In training and says that they
will solve the problem of the polar
Quincy. 1t certainly appears on the :
ace of it as though they might since !
ach Of them has the pulling power of
en- horses and they live by preference
q the arctic and are used to the cold
nd privation of the far north. Capt.
mundsen says that they can be brok.
q to harness quite as we'll as dogs and
is on this theory that he is proceed
lg with his strange teams. !
The first fruits of the army test ride [
-e becoming manifest in that twelve
ficers who are admittedly sound in
lad bnt possibly not so in wind and
NIB have been ordered before retir-
g board. The move marks a new
parture IN the army. Heretofore it mi
s not been the custom to subject Of an
ers over the rank of captain to a
ysical examination for promotion,
d there are large number of officers M
40 are good technical men and who
we not any manifest physical defect -
10 probably could not stand the if
en- mile horseback ride that a num-
r of the officers have recently under.
ne. In fact it is said that if the new
stem is Kept in force it will mean
elimination from the active list of
lily ten per cent. OF the officers who
me up for promotion. 1t will strike
me of the old established desk men
the War Department. men who new
expected to see an examining board
ain till they were ready to go on the
tired list voluntarily. 1t is creating
great deal of apprehension among all
le officers who have reached middle
Re. Of course there is great deal of
ult found among the men who are
10 victims of the new order, but it
i'll make far more rapid promotion
I'd is accordingly welcomed by the
ounger men.