Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1899 — WASHINGTON GOSSIP [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Inquiry at the patent office reveals the fact that inventive activity is greatest just now in processes for the manufacture of acetylene and other illuminating gases, the motive being to discover methods of producing Light cheaper than under any of the existing processes. There is also great activity in the field of automotive devices. The great strides which have been made lately in autovehicles of all descriptions seem to have wonderfully stimulated inventive genius in that field. In electricity the applications for patents are mainly for the perfection of machinery already in use and for the application of principles that are already well known to mechanical uses within somewhat restricted limitations. Little interest appears to be taken in storage batteries or in chemical electricity at this time. Compressed air is not, as many suppose, a new thing, and there is little new to report in that field. Inventors tried for a while to perfect safe processes for compressing acetylene, but they have abandoned that idea on account of the prejudice against it.

An interesting story comes from Indian Territory regarding a United States court there, judge, attorney, clerk, sheriff and marshal, with all necessary assistants and paraphernalia, which travels from place to place over the territory, holding forth as occasion demands. This novel institution is in the northern section of the territory, where the towns are few and far apart, and where it is cheaper for the court to go to the people than for the people to go to the court. Much money is saved the people each year by the movable outfit. There is a small bouse on wheels, resembling a mover’s wagon, in which the court travels, and in which the court records are kept. Here, also, in towns where there are no better accommodations, court is held and justice dispensed. With the court is a complete cooking outfit, presided over by a firstclass culinary artist, who sees to it that the court does not want for food even if it does want for some of the other things which are common in civilized communities.

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Poetmaster Gorban of Chicago will have to go into his private purse to pay for the handsome furniture he purchased for use in his office and that of his assistant. Mr. Gordon purchased, among other things, a desk for which he paid SIBO and a chair which cost S4O. In addition to this some furniture for the assistant poetmaster was purchased at a rather high rate. When the account was sent here for approval the officials held that the prices were entirely too high. 'The account was disallowed and Mr. Gordon will either have to pay for the furniture out of his own pocket or send it back to the manufacturers.

After the recent improvements on North Capitol street had been made it was dlacovered that some of the workmen bad thoughtlessly made away with the historic corner stone set in place by George Washington at the time of the original surveys to mark the northern boundary of the city. The stone cannot be found, but a committee of citizens has been appointed to prepare a suitable pillar or tablet to mark the spot where the stone stood for ao many years. 4 j——

A new-style domestic money order has been issued by the Poetoffiee Department. The new form is somewhat smaller than the one previously in use. Its dimensions are about those of the ordinary bank draft. The color of the order is blue, with a ground of very light blue. The tints and the intricate lathe-work, it is snid, will render counterfeiting very difficult, but as an additional safeguard, a horizontal watermark, composed of the initials U. S. M. 0., in broad capital letters is wrought into the paper on which the new forms are printed. State Department officials decline in the most emphatic manner to say what* Consul Bedloe’s actions were which offended the Chinese and caused his suspension, but say that the consul’s integrity is in no way involved. Assistant Secretary Oridler said that the granting of an American charter to the Abbe, which is now being held by Behr Admiral Watson, had nothing to do with the suspension of tfcp cqpstf, although in granting an American charter to that vessel, in the opinion of the officiala here, Dr. Bedloe exceeded hia authority.