The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-17
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

"dSAAn5toIi, July lo.-'A tChaplaln' s Duties and How Best to Perform Them is the title Of Uncle sam's latest best seller in the literary world. The book is published by the War Department. and was written by Eleventh Cavalry To hire army champlains by contract instead of permanently employing them by giv- Ing them commissions, is recommend ed in the book. nhe author decries the proposed scheme to give chaplafns higher rank. He also urges that rec tories be provided for chaplains at ar my posts and that a distinctive flag, a blue field with a white cross, be ace corded them. To change the chap laln's uniform by making them more clerical and less military is also sug- gested by Chaplain Warirfg. The pub- lieation is made by authority and di- rectlon of the War Department. but without comment to show it has the official sanction of the Department heads.
 Although waged for several months. Senator Rayner, of Maryland and Senator Hepburn, of Idaho, are still unable to settle their dispute over the Banner is the nations anthem, ac- cord1ng to-. Rayner. This is disputed by Heyburn but he does not mama any particular song as his choice, merely picking the field" Heyburn favors My Country, Iris of Thee,'' as She national song The dispute, which has been fought out privately bstween the two Senators in the Sem ate cloak rooms off and on since last
 winter was provoked by Rayner's championing of a bill to perpetuate and preserve old Fort Henry. which repulsed the British fleet in 1872. Sem ater Rayner's resolution recited that there the national anthem-the "Star Spahgled Banner"-was born. Hey burn did not eoncede Or admit that the ''Star Spangled Banner" was evoked at Fcet Henry, but denied that it was ever officially chosen as the national anthem.
 A neV amphitheatre in the National Cemetery at Arlington will probably be christened on Memorial Day of 1913. Members of the G. A. R. are responsible largely for agitating the plan to build the new amphitheatre, which is to replace faded, dilapidat- ed wooden structure, which has done service for thirty years. Of white marble, the new amphitheatre, as planned by a special commission, will
 seat 5000 persons, including room for 200 to 300 on the stage, or platform. Part of the amphitheatre will be un- roafed as is the present building. Patriotic societies holding services at
 Arlington are expected to use thA building, in addition to the annual Decoration Day ceremonial.
 The biggest bargain sale of machin- cry in history is promised upon the completion of the Panama Canal. To dispose of machinery costing more than S15.000,060 is, the problem con fronting government auth critics when the canal is opened. Although under stood in a general way, Colonel Goe-
 thals, superintendent of the canal work, reports actual figures of ma chinery bought since the United States began digging the ''big ditch.'' Here are a few of the principal items:
 Steam shovels, 102 ;cars, 4181; loco- motives, 189; rock drills, 725; cranes, 79; dredges, IA; barges, A. Many of the locomotives and ears will be use- ful in operating the canal and the dredges, steamshovels and mountains of other steel implements will be put on the block for sale. Secretary of the Interior Fisher has suggested the plan Of transferring much of the dis carded machinery to Alaska for u1S in constructing a government railroad to fthe interior of that territory. If Con- gress does not authorize the federal railway in Alaska, however, most of the Panama machinery will be sold for the best price it will bring. Col onel Goethals emphatically declares, however, that the French plan of leaving discarded machinery to rot and
 rust will not be adopted by this coun- l try. Uncle Sam is too thrifty. Old | eorroded, discarded machinery once
 used by the French in their attempt l to dig a canal were monuments of
 their failure, lining the canal route un- | til the Americans took charge, Some of the. old French material was used
 but most dumped into the jungle far | away from the excavations.
 1 The hlore severe cloths-autumn serges and mannish worsteds-pronl-