The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-06-18
ANSWERS TO
CORRESPONDENTS.

poor Doy he rose to fame by his own
efforts alone and secured an educa-
ton and became finally member of
the Washington Bar, and was after
wards sent as Special ambassador to
France to transact some business con-
corning our country and France, and it
was thought that by his wise manage
ment alone war averted between
France and the United States; also that
he was made District Attorney in
Washington on his return home. Who
was Ishmael? 2. 1 also read that Ish-
mael was not published in book form
until recent years, because of its being
founded on the life of one of our great
est statesmen. Why was that?
l. Persistent effort has developed the
| fact that Mrs. Southworth had in mind
| in her portrayal of Ishmael the famous
| lawyer, William Writ, who was born at
Bladensburg, Nd, in 1872, and died in
Washington in 1884. His legal career
began at Culpeper Courthouse in Vir-
ginia, and it was not until many years
afterwards that he settled in Washing
ton, where in 1917 he became Attorney
General of the United States under
President Monroe. In 1882 he was
nominated for the Presidency of the
United States by the Anti-Masons, and
received a popular vote of 33,10S. He
does not appear to have ever held a
foreign mission. According to excel
lent authority the most striking char
acteristic of Mr.. Writ was his devotion
to his profession. From the beginning
TO the end of his legal career he kept
before him a lofty ideal, which, except
for brief interval, he strained every
nerve to attain. To this end all his
studies, literary, historical and scien-
tific, as well as legal, were made to con-
verge. He was conspicuous for his per-
sonal beauty, both in youth and man
hood. His manly, striking figure, in
tellectual face, clear, musical voice and
graceful gestures won the favor of his
hearer in advance. His life, in two
volumes, by John Pendleton Kennedy,
was published in Philadelphia in 1S49.
2. We know of no good reason why the
story was not published in book form
at an earlier date, especially when it is
remembered that Writ had been dead
for SO many years.
q. S. w, Danville, ILL.,, asks: When
were the pension laws amended to
make Sc per month the minimum?
Who was President at that time, and
what was the political complexion of
Congress?
The bill was approved March 2, 1895,
when Grover Cleveland was President
and at the time both the Senate and
the House of Representatives We're
Dem ocratic.
w. J. L. H, Greensboro, KY. asks:
Where or in what work can 1 find the
full text in English of the original Mag
ma Charta, as signed by King John in
1915, and also that of the English Bill
of Rights signed by the joint sovereigns,
William and Mary, in 1888?
Both the Magma Charta and the Bill
of Rights are to be found in English
law books, of which they are so integral
part. Both the Penny Cyclopedia and
the Encyclopedia Britannica give excel
lent abstracts of these two important
documents, and American cyclopedias,
such as Appleton's Universal, Interna-
tional and Nelson's, give briefer extracts
of them. You may further consult
THE Great Charter and the Charter OF
the Forest" by Sir William Blackstone,
and The Statutes of the Realm" also
perhaps the latest book on the subject.
Stubb's Constitutional History of Eng
land" which was published in 1907.
The original manuscript of the Magma
Charta has been lost, but photograph
Cathedral in Lincoln was published in
1865, in a volume entitled National
Manuscripts
G. II. D., Fulton, n. Y, asks: What
has become of the House bill TO in
crease the wages of customs officials.
and what is the prospect of its passing ?
The bill passed both Houses, with
amendments, and was in conference
when Congress adjourned. When the
60th Congress meets for its second ses-
| sion, next December, the Conference
Committee viii report, and action win
be taken, Having passed both House
and Senate, it is probable that it will
| become law, as there is no reason to
suppose that there is any very impor-
tant point of difference between the two
Houses.
NJ ]. p, Lawndale, o., asks: What
are the following gold and silver coins
worth: Gold. IS, of 1916; $50, of 1868;
SO, OF 1880, 1881, and 1886. Silver,
81. 1885; half-dollar, 1876; quarters,
1854 and 1876?
The dealers in New York do not offer
any premium on any of the coins men
toned by you.
c. S. w, Poughkeepsie, n. Y, writes:
A speaker here on Memorial Day said,
Gen. Washington liberated his slaves
to show his love for freedom" Is this
true? have always supposed he owned
slaves at the time of his death, as they
are usually mentioned in connection
with his death and funeral.
We have no knowledge of the fact
that he ever liberated any of his slaves;
| indeed, the quarters in which the slaves
| lived are shown to all visitors to Mount
Vernon. AS a fact, at his death he
| owned 124 slaves, whom he directed in
| his will to be emancipated at the death
of his wife, so that the negroes of the
two estates who had intermarried
should not be separated.
0. s. H., Sandusky, o., asks: Was
there law passed by the present Con-
gress aboIishing the office of Treasurer
at the Soldiers and Sailors Homes in
the United States?
No such law was passed.
F. r. T, Kingswnford. England,
asks: 1. What is the number of persons
employed in the United States Treas
ury? .. What is the meaning of "Chau-
| tauqua' applied to certain entertain
ments? g. What is a cure for the in
sects that destroy timber by boring
small holes in ii till it crumbles, such
as old furniture?
/. There are about 5000 persons en-
ployed by the Treasury Department in
the city of Washington, and perhaps
| $4,000 in all under the control of the
| Department thruout the United States
| 3 The word Chautauqua is applied 10
! a system of popular education which is
4 developed by means of Summer assem-
blies, and also by means Of reading cir
cles and instruction by correspondence
You viii find in recent American CYCLIC
pedias pretty full description of tho
growth of this work. The name was
/ taken from Lake Chautauqua, in New
I York state. 8. We presume you refer
to white ants, which may be most salts.
1 factorily destroyed by drenching Tho
I wood with kerosene or some other pc.
troleu.n oils. Works on entomology vii
I give accounts of insect enemies and