The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-02

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sioner. The return of corrected vouch
ers will increase this amount some.
This new boon to the pensioners j:
the result of an act passed by the las
session of Congress, which requires tn,
pension agents to send with each vouch
or which the pensioner is required to fiji
out and return, penalty envelope
been sent out by most of the pension
agents, the order will go into effect will
the November payments.
| Secretary Garfield. of the Interior De.
lpartment, has completed his official in.
Ispection trip to the Hawaiian Islands
and will leave there on the United
States armored cruiser st. Louis fol
San Francisco. He is expected to reach
California about July 4, and Washing.
ton about two weeks later
/ ambassador WI had a birthday las
week, but he who loves to ask questions
loves not to be observation-disclosures GER
tain things at least For instance jus
which birthday he was celebrating he
would not tell. No, indeedy: wher
asked the question point blank he gave
an equivocal answer, as the Irishman
would call it, and asked, "Who owns
the paper that said 1 was going to have
a birthday" The ambassador declares
that he intends to live 100 years. But
he will have to keep tab himself unless
he imparts to some one the information
desired-as to which anniversary of his
birth he is observing.
Capt. ]. A. t. Hull got there with
votes to spare. 1t would have been a
distinct calamity had he not been re-
turned to Congress, The veterans have
in him stanch friend.
When the President indicates to Con-
gress that he would like to have it do
specific things Congress may kick, but
Congress ends up by doing exactly what
the President desires. But when the
President asks the President of his
alma mater to do things which that
President has decided he will not do,
he tells the President in simple. moth
ing DOING and there isn't. That is all
there is to the controversy between
President Roosevelt and the President
of Harvard, DR.. Eliot. A couple of
Harvard students ''filched" some refer
ence books from the college library,
and one of them gave a fictitious name,
and when he might have got little
honor from giving his own name did
not do so. President Eliot suspended
the young men for infraction of a very
strong rule Theodore Roosevelt. Jr
was much exercised over the suspen-
sion, as the two young men are mem
bers of the varsity crew. and disaster
seemed to smile upon fair Harvards
colors in the boat race with Yale. He
asked his father to write President Eliot
in behalf of the two suspended men,
and the President did so. He wired,
rather, that it seemed unfair and I'M
necessary to make others, meaning the
boat crew, suffer for the misdeeds of
these young men, and suggested that
some other punishment might be found.
The answer that came from President
Eliot sounds as tho it might have been
written by the Presidents dearest foe,
rather than by the President of his
alma mater, whose guest he would have
t been but for the deafh of President
Each man did a dishonorable thing
One violated in his private interest and
in crooked way a rule made in theI
common interest. while the other gave
a false name and did not take subse-
quent opportunity to give his own The
least punishment was putting them on
probation, but that drops them from
the crews. A keen and sure sense of
honor being the finest result of college
life. I think the college and graduates
should condemn effectively dishonorable
conduct. Tho college should also teach
that one must never do scuryy things
in the supposed interest or for the
pleasure of others"
The letter was signed by President
Eliot. Really the ethics of his reply
are all right. The college men had been
guilty of conduct unbecoming gentle
men. and punishment that would hurt
the worst was what they deserved. They
got it, and got what they deserved-in
all probability.
Important changes affecting the adj
OF the General Land Office
have been carried into effect by Com
missioner Fred bennett, OF that Office.
under the direction of Secretary Gar
field, of the Interior Department They
are the result of the examination of this
and other offices of the Department last
Summer by a force of expert account
ants, engaged for the purpose by Mr..
Garfield soon after he assumed his pres
ent post.
The changes are in the nature of a |
of the Land Office force
according to modern business ideas. and
with view to obtaining the most sys-
tematic and consequently the quickest
and best service.
Briefly stated, the reorganization
to the creation of three new
main Bureaus or classifications. One is |
under the Chief Clerk. which office is !
held BY Frank Bond, and is intrusted
with the keeping of all records, survey
ing and the preparation of maps, the
keeping of the accounts, the handling |
of the mails and files and the super
vision of the personnel OF the Office. |
The second branch is the field work in |
charge of Chief of the Field Service. |
ard II. II. SwartZ has been given this |
position. Mr SNartz has charge direct |
~ of the Land Offices ali over the coun |
try. and directs the work OF the Sur
Il.
Thc thir md most important branch
O. rlfi Office under the new regime is
IT. sdjudicating branch. which has
20 placed under the administrative
ion of an administrative officer"
G--4.=e duties in no way interfere with
the semi-judicial duties of the Chiefs of
Divisions, who still prepare their deci |
sions for the eye of the Commissioner.
been elevated to the new post, deyotes
his tifue to seeing that there is proper
of the force of the office in
the various divisions, with a view to
preventing ore division from falling
away behind the others. as has fire.
quentiy occurred in the past, thereby
seriously with the orderly
work of the office.
II is not generally known that the
work of the General Land Office is diff
ferent from almost every other in the
executive branch of the Government in
that it is really judicial in character.
Commissioner bennett is authority for
t1,a .fafa hot Of ft.fn ,f-ls