Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-05-29


to whether Maj Gen. Frederick Dent
Grant, who died few weeks ago, had
q right to be considered a veteran OF
the Civil war. Grant was under fire
in the sixties, but it has been held
that he obtained that distinction only
because of his somewhat adventurous
boy spirit which led him to wander
away from his fathers headquarters
to be made the target for some scat
tering shots of the enemy. The
younger Grant was not sworn into the
service during the Civil war.
Four lieutenant generals are car
ried on the retired rolls of the United
States army. The ranking officer
whose name appears there is Nelson
A. Miles. One year ago General Miles,
II years old, was thrown from his
horse while riding on the Potomac
driveway. He was badly hurt and for
time fear was entertained that he
might not recover, but today he is up
and about, and apparently is lit for
another campaign, If such were neees-
sary, against either the Sioux, the
Nez Perces, the Arapahoes, the Kio-
was, the Pawnees, the Cheyennes.
the Blackfeet or the Apaches, for with
the braves OF every one OF these tribes
the general has measured cunning and
strength.
Chaffee's Bravery at Santiago.
Adna r. Chaffee is a lieutenant
general on the retired list, ranking be-
tween Generals S. B. M Young and
John C. Bates His civilian garb can
not hide the soldier figure, and If the
evidence of form were not there, Chat
fees face would show that most OF
his life had been spent in the open,
and moreover in a position Of COM
mand.
When he was a colonel Chaffee was
in command at one part of the field in
front of Santiago where the bullets
were flying thick enough to make the
situation uncomfortable Captain Lee,
a British army officer who had been
sent to Cuba to watch the operations
Of the war, and who of course was a
noncombatant, wrote story about
the fight in which he said that moth
ing was more magnificent than the
courage of Col. A. r. Chatfee on that
occasion. Everybody under orders ex-
cept Chaffee took such cover as could
be obtained. The colonel turned to
Captain Lee, who seemed reluctant to
consider that seeking cover was the
proper thing, and said: You had
better get something in front of you.
There is no use being killed at this
stage of the game" Lee took to cover,
but in telling the story he added:
Il noticed that Chaffee refused to fol-
low his own advice"
"MoraI" Bills Annoy Them.
Occasionally congress urges that it
must must be excused for not doing
more legislative work because time
is lost by listening to active persons
who are pressing for the passage OF
moral measures" OF course this
plea is more or less pleasantly hui
morous, but the country probably has
no adequate idea of the immense num-
Der of moral reforms that congress
is asked to bring about by proper leg
islauion each year.
1t is a sad mistake to suppose that
the only Washington lobbyist is the
gentleman who would safeguard the
interests of capital and whose check
book is as conveniently placed as his
handkerchief Organizations closely
allied with the churches have their
lobbyists in the corridors and, while
it may involve a statement hard to
be believed by some people, it must
be said in truth that as rule their
lobby is more powerful than the one
which would make for immortality
There is a certain reform bureau
at work so constantly that its labors
may be said to be continuous, which
at one time had eight bills in con-
gress of which it was urging the pas
sage, bills, to use the bureaus own
words, which were intended ito make
the laws of Christ to some degree the
laws of this world" This one bureau
at one time had endorsed and COM
mended to churches and reform socie-
ties for support" legislative measures
to remove the federal shield in inter
state commerce from original pack
ages" imported into the "dry" terri
tory; to prohibit interstate transmits
sion of race gambling odds and bets;
to prohibit interstate transportation
and description of prize fights; to pro-
hibit Sunday toll and traffic in the
District of Columbia; to prohibit sa-
looms in Hawaii; to prohibit United
States district attorneys from engag
ing in private practice; to forbid
liquor in ships and buildings used by
the United States government, and to
restrain traffic in opium.
Fear Reform Movements.
Now here was reform bureau that
had undertaken a good deal. 1t was
a power and is a power. 1t must be
understood that criticism of all kinds
has been directed at members Of the
organization from time to time, but
criticism does not seem to have af-
fected the spirit or the mental and
bodily activities of the reformers.
Congress is always afraid Of a reform
movement Now this does not mean
that congressman are towards, but
there are some reform movements