The National tribune., 1908-04-23

Secretary Taft is zealously interested
In the efforts to prevent the spread OF
tuberculosis, and at great sacrifice ol
time attends all meetings where he feels
that he can do any good by telling wha1
he knows to be a fact about cures, and
also the prevalence of the dread white
plague. At society meeting the 9th
er day Secretary Taft stated to the So
ciety ladies who are working for hos
pital and camp that he felt that the
disease could be prevented, and knew
that it could be cured.
I'VE have it in the Army" he said
1--WE have it still more in the Philippine
Islands. The truth is, the destruction
from that disease in the Philippines is
so much greater than anything that
comes from merely tropical diseases
that tropical diseases cease to be q mat
ter of much fear.
We have in the Army a place where
we think We cure tuberculosis, and we
not only think it, but we believe it, be-
cause we send men there who have it,
and they come back here without it.
brought here a man to convince you OF
the fact. Gen. Edwards was certainly
afflicted with the disease. He went TO
Fort Bayard. He was treated by DR..
Bushnell, stayed several months under
the treatment they had there, and he
has come back as strong and able to re-
siSt the ulSedSe aS any SOluler III tne
Army. The same thing happened, /
am informed by him, with respect to
Judge Robb, whose going to Fort
Bayard l was able to facilitate by max
ing the order.
Now, if we have gotten that far in
the treatment of the disease, certainly
We have made progress, because the
tir'le is not so long-it is not so far back
in the history of the disease when it
r6ad q r tbinl-
ably the physicians here will confirm
that statement. In the Departments
we are attempting to avoid things that
are supposed to spread the disease"
Secretary Taft was followed by Surg
Gen. Sternberg, who described the work
at Starmont Sanitarium, Washington,
and his talk was illustrated with inter-
esting stereopticon slides, showing the
method of providing outdoor sleeping
quarters in tents for sufferers from
tuberculosis. He said experience has
proved that sudden removal to high
attitudes is extremely harmful to ad-
yanced cases of consumption, and that
life in the open air and proper diet in
the environment to which the patients
are accustomed has been found most
beneficial
The statement was made by Assistant
Secretary of the Navy Newberry TO the
House Committee of Naval Affairs that
at the rapid rate of graduation of Mid
shipman into the Navy which now OBJ
tains Is or 20 years hence the active
list of the Navy would contain Lieu
tenants so years old.
To obviate overcrowdirg the grades,
Mr. Newberry suggested plan, which
he said had the approval of the Depart
ment, to retire yearly by selection a
certain percentage of officers, wedding
out the less efficient and retaining in
active service the best. To this end the
Department has submitted for consid-
Grafton clauses to be inserted in the
Navy personnel bill, which is now be-
fore the committee. 1t is proposed to as
sign officers on the reserve list to shore
duty only to provide promotion of one
grade only, retirement to be by appli-
cation as now provided.
Speaker Cannon is often called the
Modern Abe Lincoln" and is almost
as good at telling stories as Lincoln
was. Speaker Cannon is against wo-
man suffrage. He says that woman
already commands one vote, the vote
of the man who loves her. With woman
suffrage established, she would COM
mand two votes.
And that" he said the other day,
would be unfair. Woman has SO many
other privileges. Let her attend to-
them instead of going for our privi-
leges.
THE woman suffrage seeker reminds
me of a dog 1 once owned. This dog
one night got into the pantry, where
all the provisions were kept.
Hannah 1 said the next morn
ing to the cook, did the dog eat much
when he got into the pantry?'
sTndaed ir Hannah a
cleared up every blessed thing but the
dog biscuit"
Victor Metcalf, son of the Secretary
of the Navy, who was forced by i'll
health to resign from the Navy, was
operated on recently for appendicitis,
and is recovering nicely. He was to
have been married about the time the
operation took place, but the marriage
has been indefinitely postponed.
The recent order TO Surg. Joseph C.
Thompson, of the Navy, to report to
the Secretary of War, coupled with the
fact that Surg Thompson has since
sailed for Europe, has given rise to a
report that Maj.-Gen. Wood, now on
his way home from the Philippines on
the Army transport Mcclellan, is 10 un-
dergo another operation to his head in
Paris or London, with DR.. Thompson in
attendance, and that the latter is to re-
main with Gen. Wood SO long as his
services may be needed. On being re-
lieved from command of the Philippine
Division, Gen. Mood was given six
months leave OF absence, with permis-
sion to remain in Europe, and the trans
port Mcclellan was placed at his dis
posal TO make the trip To one of the
Mediterranean ports. The Mcclellan
was reported at Port Said a few days
ago. Several years ago Gen. Wood met
with an accident to his head, and altho
an operation was performed, it is feared
that il was not entirely effective. That
is given as a reason why another oper-
alton is required. Surg. Thompson ac-
companied Secretary Taft home from
the Philippines, and enjoys the lriend
ship ana confidence of the Secretary
End of Gen. Wood.
We have no DEVILS Island to which
troublesome officers can be sent, but the
President has found a novel way to
punish an officer who goes Just near
enough the limit to keep from being
cogrt-martialed and punished as a SOL
diei' and gentleman is usually pun
ished
BY direction of the President Col
VIM +. Stewart, of the Coast Artillery
Corps. has been assigned to duty az the
old abandoned post of Fort GrG.----.., riz,,
where he holds supreme sway with the
companionship of the caretaker. an
Ordnance Sergeant and cook. The
only explanation vouchsafed for the
practical exile OF Col. Stewart is that il
sc Idnna safar eroo5 aud