Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-04-15

public domain,
President Taft has called the atten.
ton of Congress to the slowness OF
promotion in the ANY, which results
in a high average of age among those
who reach the rank which entities
them to fleet command. He submitted
figures to show that in the navies of
the principal nations Of the world the
average g Of rear admirals Is fifty
years for Japan, fifty-one for Germany,
f%ifty-three for Great Britain, ffty-ive
for Austria, fifty-six for Italy, fifty
nine for France, and sixty and one-half
for the United States. 1t is desirable
that naval officers attain commanding
rank at an age when their bodily as
well as their mental vigor is unim-
paired. The American plan of arbi.
trary retirement at sixty-two makes
this difficult, but the President hopes
that some way may be found to lessen
the difficulty.
More land in Montana and Wyoming
was designated for settlement under
Lu0 SuldTSSu llOAlCoCCdu oSt ~
tary Ballinger. In Wyoming 363,SSO
acres which were not susceptible OF
successful irrigation at a reasonable
cost from any known water supply
were placed under the terms of that
act, making 13,5S2,040 acres in the
state which been so designated. In
Montana 155,O4O additional acres will
be disposed of as enlarged homesteads,
bringing the total UP to ~2S,466,37O
acres. In aid Of proposed legislation
affecting the disposal of water-poWer
sites on the public domain, Secretary
Ballinger has Withdrawn temporarily
from all forms of disposal 22,4O6
acres in Washington, California, Colo
| RADIO and Idaho.
The ordnance department OF the
army las decided to adopt a new arm
the Benet-Mercie automatic rifle.
also known as the Hotchkiss portable.
Brig. Gen. William Crozier reports
that 100 Of the guns will be imported
and arrangements made eventually TO
manufacture the arm here. 1t is said
to be the simplest machine gun made,
and to have an almost perfect"
mechanism. 1t may be fired in sim
gle shots, as a semiautomatic or as a
full-fedged automatic. In general ap-
~pearance it resembles an ordinary RI
file. In action n man does the firing.
while the other loads. At Monterey,
wher it was tested. $500 shots were
! fired without a hitch.
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Ninety-two years ago Congress
adopted the American flag as we know
it, from a design by Capt. Samuel G.
Reed. Then there were twenty stars
and thirteen stripes. To-day the stars
number forty-six. In less than a cen
fury the United States of America has
become the richest nation Of the world,
advancing with a rapidity ~unequaled
in history. What prophet SC bold as
to look back upon the glorious record
of achievement under the Stars and
Stripes in the hundred years just past
and attempt to ~foretell the destinies
Of this giant nation during the hum
dred to come?
No estimate of the value of the es-
tate of Justice David j. Brewer, of the
United States Supreme Court, is given
in his will. His home in Washington.
with most of his personal property, is
bequeathed to his widow. His cottage
at Thompson's Point, with its contents.
and also 100000 life insurance, are left
to his three daughters. Each of his
grandchildren is to select some keep
sake from his personal property.
President Taft is not as strenuous
in his sports and exercises as his pred
ecessor, but he is getting to be quite
an adept with the gloves and it will
probably be news to man that there
is hardly a day he is in Washington
that he does not have a round of box
ing, wrestling and such like violent ex-
e~rcises.
Ex-President Roosevelt and all other
ex-Presidents of the United States or
their widows will be granted the
Thanking privilege during their life
time under the terms of a bill passed
by the House by a vote of 120 to 76.
The measure met some opposition on
the Democratic side. Mr.. Sisson OF
Mississippi offered an amendment sx-
Guiding from the franking privilege all
political correspondence. 1t was voted
down, "A to sc.
-:
A beautiful bronze tablet, presented
~ the Naples section of the Italian
Naval League to the officers and en-
listed me of the United States war
ships which rendered aid in Calabria
and Sicily after the earthquake OF Dee.
%, 1908, has arrived at the Navy De
partment.g It will te placed in q COM
%spicuous position on the battleshtD
| Connecticut, flagship OF the Atlantic
feet. Similar tablets have been pre-.
sented to the navies OF Great Britatns
Germany. France. Spain and RasslA
T