The National tribune., 1908-11-05
ANSWERS TO
CORRESPONDENTS.


E. v. J., Philadelphia, asks: Who
wrote that stirring poem, "Sheridan's
Ride?
According to excellent authority
''Sheridan's Ride" was composed by
Thomas Buchanan Read, on Monday
Nov. /, 1864, in the front room of the
three-story brick building at No. &!
West Eighth ST., Cincinnati, o. 1t Is
said to have been inspired by Tom
Nast's picture of Sheridan's ride to the
front, that appeared in Harper's Week
ly of the aforementioned date.
H. c. c., Houghton, Mich, asks:
What is the meaning OF this Marathon
race?
In the international Olympic games
that have been held at various places
in recent years the long-distance race
of over 20 miles is so called in COM
memoration of the courier who ran
from the battlefield of Marathon, fought
In September, 400 B. c., between the
Persians of Darius and the Greeks un-
der Miltiades, to Athens, a distance OF
about 22 miles, or Is miles, as some
authorities give it, to announce the
victory of the Greks. This subject was
made the subject of one of Robert
Browning's best-known poems.
F. D. M, Chelsea, Mass, asks: How
many battleships has Spain. or were
they all captured by the United States
The annual official reports show that
at present Spain has five battleships
and recent newspaper accounts say that
orders have been given for several
more.
j. G., Ponca City. Okla, asks: What
is the pay of a Captain of Infantry
when placed on the retired list; also,
what Is the pay now of a Second Lieu
tenant in the Regular Army?
A Captain of Infantry on the retired
list receives $3.50 a month during the
first five years. service; s165 after five
and until 10 years, $3.50 after 10 years,
s195 after 15, and s210 after 20 years
service. A Second Lieutenant on the
active list receives a monthly pay of
S141.67 before five years service.
$155.S3 after five years. s170 after 10,
$1S4.17 after Is, and $19S.33 after 20
years service.
C. L., Delphi Falls, N. Y, asks: /.
Has the Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives the same right to vote on
all questions as the other members of
the House? 2. Who were the men that
signed the bonds of Jefferson Davis? !?
3. Did E. K. Jackman. of Bath, N. H.,
have anything to do with the bonds of
Davis, and who was E. K. Jaclman,
of Bath, N. H?
1. He is a member of the House of
Representatives, and has the same right
to vote that any other member has.
In the event of tie the measure fails
to pass: that is to say. the passage of a
bill requires a majority vote. The Vice
President of the United States, who
presides over the Senate, Is not a Sem
ator. and therefore votes only when
there is a tie vote. 2. Mr. Davis was
admitted to bail in the sum of 500, 900,
and his suretfes were Horace Greeley,
Gerrit Smith and Cornelius Vanderbilt
3. The name of E. K. Jackman does not
appear in the obituary notices of Mr..
Davis. nor Is his name given in the
standard cyclopedias of American biog-
raphy.
G. A., bingham, Mass, asks: Does
allowance for overtime work in navy
yards depend on statutes. or must each
claim be proved in the Court of Claims
or 10 whom should one apply to collect
a small claim for overtime in the navy
yard?
Nearly all of the mechanics employed
in navy yards receive a per diem al
lowance for their work. and all over
time is credited to them. In order to
obtain the pay for overtime applica-
tion should be made to the Command
ant or to the Master Mechanic of the
yard The Court of Claims naturally
has Jurisdiction over any claims that
are in dispute.
H. s. c., Fairhope, Ala, writes: Is
ii true that 40 years after the close of
the Revolutionary War Congress passed
a law placing the surviving officers Of
the war who had served a certain
length of time on the Army retired
list with half pay as a Roll of Honor?
During the War of the Revolution
officers who should remain in the SER
vice until the end of the war were
the close of the war the Continental
Congress found itself unable to fulfil
this obligation. In 1882 law was
passed by Congress, which is probably
the one to which you refer. granting
full pay for life to ali who had served
two years in the war and proportional
payments to those who had served less
than two years. but more than six
months. Undoubtedly these gallant
longing to Roll Of Honor, but we do
not think they were ever so designated
officially.
d. T. c., Monongahela, Pa, writes:
l saw in a Pittsburg paper an item in
regard to the Government printing the
Census of 1890, and that it is now in
the hands of the printer. Can you tell
me how I can get copy of this work
The Census Bureau Is reprinting the
reports of the census of 1890, giving
the names Of the heads Of the fami-
lies. Separate volumes are issued for
the different States. That for Penn
sylvania has not yet been published,
but when issued can be had on appli-
cation to the Director of the Census,
D. c., with payment of
about 81 for each volume. Several
States have been published and others
are being published.
d. N. A, Hanginglimb, Tenn, asks:
Have the Cherokee claims been paid
off yet; and, IL not, when will they be
paid, and about how much will there
be to the claims when divided?
These claims have not yet been paid
off. and the Hon. A. A. Richards, of
the Attorney-Generars Office in Wash
ingtOn, d. c.. has been specially as
signed to the work of preparing these
claims for payment 1t is impossible
to say exactly when they will be paid,
and, of course, the amount depends
upon the rulings made.
]. ]. a., Berlin, Pa, writes: When
Mason and Slidell, Commissioners from
the Richmond Government, were taken
from an English vessel, what was the
feeling of the English Government to-
ward the United States? In what spirit
was it discussed in Parliament? Was
Lord Palmerston the Prime Minister
af that time and In hic cpoocb did h