The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-02-06

will choose successor To The venerable
Senator Plat will be elected in Novcm-
ber and the prospects of an eiection OF
the President to the place VIII depend
upon happenings between now and that
time.
This being the age of a greater Navy
for the United States, 1t is appropriate
to recall that 46 years ago the most
famous ironclad vessel in the Navy OF
Uncle Sam was launched.
The first successful and most famous
vessel in the American Navy was the
Monitor which was built at Greenpolnt.
Long Island. under direction of John
Ericsson, and launched on Jan. 80, 1852.
The Monitors defeat of the Confeder-
ate ironclad Merrimac on March g.,
1862, was one of the most important
and significant engagements in the his
tory of the world, as it demonstrated the
value of armored vessels and the rela-
tive uselessness of the old style wooden
warships.
The Monitor, however, had but a
short career, for on Dec. 81, 1862, while
en- route to Beaufort, n. c., she sank
during a storm, four officers and II
seamen perishing with her.
The Monitor presented to the eye
when afloat a simple platform, sharp at
both ends, and bearing in its center a
round Martello tower, 20 feet in dame
ter and 10 feet in hight, made, as was
the rest of the vessel, of heavy iron.
1t was a bomb-proof fort, in which were
mounted two 11-inch Dahlgren guns.
The hull of the vessel was but eight and
one-half feet in depth, with fiat bot
tom, was 124 feet in length and "a feet
the greatest width at top. On this hull
rested another, five feet in hight, which
extended over the lower one three feet
seven inches all around excepting at
the ends, where it projected 25 feet, by
which protection was afforded the
anchor, propeller and rudder.
The whole was built of three-inch
iron, and was very buoyant. Its ex-
posed parts were guarded by a wall of
white oak go inches thick, over which
was iron armor six inches in thickness.
A shot to strike the lower hull would
have to pass thru Is feet of water, and
then strike an inclined plane of iron
at an angle of about 10 degrees The
deck was also well armored.
A bill authorizing the House Commit
tee on Library to employ an artist of re-
pute to paint 10 oil portraits of
former Speakers and the present
Speaker. has been introduced by Rep
resentative Parsons, of New York. The
portraits are to be substituted for the
crayon pictures of these men now hang
ing in the lobby of tn. House. An ap-
preparation of $500 is made for the
portraits.
The following are the men whose
portraits will be painted: J. K. Polk of
Tennessee; Howell Cobb, of Georgia; J.
W. Davis, of Indiana; J. w. Keifer, of
Ohio; r. NJ. T. Hunter, of Virginia;
John G.. Carlisle, of Kentucky; John
White. of Kentucky; Andrew Steven
son. of Virginia; NJ. G. Kerr, of Indiana;
Lynn Boyd, of Kentucky; Philip Bar
bour, of Virginia: John Bell, of Tennes-
see; Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana; Jona-
than Dayton, of New Jersey; J. w.
Jones, of Virginia; ]. L. Orr, of South
Carolina; Langdon Cheeves, of South
Carolina, and J. G.. Cannon, of Illinois;
and my word for it, most of the por-
traits are something painful to look
upon. Many of them were "crayoned'
early in The floodtide of the cheapened
way of doing them. and they are ghast-
ly reminders of great men.
1t looks as tho the United States be-
lieves in Expositions. despite the fact
that there never was one which any
where near paid expenses.
Senator CuIlom, Chairman of the
Foreign Relations Committee. has intro
duced a bill authorizing Government
exhibit at the International Exposition,
to be held at Tokyo, Japan. in 1919.
The bill authorizes the President to
accept the invitation OF the Japanese
Government to participate in the Ex-
position, and provides an appropriation
of S350,000 for suitable exhibit by the
United States. The appointment of a
Commissioner-Genera at salary of
$4,000 a year, an Assistant Commits
sioner at $1,000 and a Secretary at
$4,000 are also provided for.
The committee also authorized favor
able action on the bill providing for the
participation of the United States in
an International Exposition at Quito,
Ecuador.
Senator Frye reported bill from the
committee authorizing an exhibit by the
United States at the Pan-American
Scientific Congress.
That New Mexico will not make a
fight for admission to the Union during
the present session of Congress was in
timated in hearings before the House
and Senate Committees on Territories.
Gov. Curry and former Gov. Prince,
of that Territory, appeared before the
committees, and invited them to make
visit there during the next Summer
vacation and after the Republican Con-
yention.
Former Gov. Prince reviewed the eff
forts OF the Territory for the past so
years to gain admission, and declared
the population is not less than 400, 900,
based on the last school census.
No action was taken by either COM
mittee.
The establishment in the Department
of the Interior of a laboratory for the
study of criminal, pauper and the NOR
ally defective classes generally is pro-
vided for in bill which has been in
PRODUCED by Senator Dolliver. Repre-
sentative Sterling has introduced the
same bill in the House.
Senator Dolliver thinks great benefit
may be derived by the study of moral
and social diseases. The bill provides
for appointment of a Director to have
entire charge of the work in the laDora-
tory. He is to be appointed by the
President at $1,000 a year.
1t is thought the proposed study will
strike at the fundamental causes of
crime and degeneracy, something not
now possible so far as the Government
is concerned. 1t is the purpose TO
spread broadcast the results of the in
duiry. Medical authorities and scientists
generally approve the plan.
Representative Acheson. of PennsyI-
vania, has introduced a bill prohibiting