Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1907 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and Oanacal Oouip of the National Capital. Special Correspondence tb The Democrat. For ft time at least, politics in Ohio have calmed down, and there ie apparently a truce in the ragged ranks of the Republican party in that state. The President and hie advisors are watching the case closely, however, not being by any means sure whether it is a truce or a lasting peaoe between the Taft and Foraker forces. Senator Foraker was in Washington last week, but he deolined to talk politics, and especially he had nothing to say as to the suspension of hostilities between him and secretary Taft. It is generally accepted in Washington, however, that the Ohio fight has been really settled, that Taft will be allowed to oontrol the state delegation to the national convention in return for allowing Senator Foraker an unhampered re-election to the Senate.

In the meantime, there is the Hughes boom looming up on the horizon, and this is liable to cause fresh dissension in the Bepnblioan party. Gov. Hughes is undoubtedly the ohoioe of New York Republicans for the nomination, and it is said that he will be officially endorsed by the state organization very shortly. This Is one of the outcome's of the fight that be made, but in which he was defeated at Albany for the public utilities bill. Should Hughes go to the national convention with the strength of the New York delegation behind him, he would be a serious factor in the fight. The story has been started that an effort will be made to induce him to accept the second place on the ticket. But this is not ai all likely on the faoe of it. The vicepresident by tradition and necessity has to be a rich man, which Hnghes is not, and preferably he isanonentity, which Hughes is not and never will be. Further he and Taft are both honest, however their principles may be differed with by political opponents, and while the Republican party might stand for one honest man on the ticket, two would be rather crowding the limit.

Commissioner of Patents Allen has resigned, and when he leaves the Patent Office, it will be like the case of the famons western orator who did not leave a wet eye nor a dry throat in his andience. The Patent Office service under his administration has been lamentably lax and inefficient. There were at one time nearly 30,000 cases piled op in the office awaiting action while the Com* miseioner took his customary three months vacation. The work of the Office has fallen so far behind that it has been necessary to add an hour’s work a day to the time of all the clerks, and even at that rate it will be long before the office catches #p. Bat worst of all has been the way in which the Commissioner has allowed an in. flax of all sorts of questionable attorneys and questionable methods in the business before the office. The Patent Office has control over the methods of the attorneys who practice before it even as to their advertising, and it has become the regular thing for attorneys to make all sorts of impossible claims as to “guaranteeing” patents, mak. ing applications and doing all sorts of service without pay and selling patents without regard to merit. This has brought an inflax of inventors with all sorts of inventions that patents could not be allowed on and which would be valueless if they were allowed. The resalt has-been to swamp the office with unprofitable work to the benefit of a horde of un. scrupulous attorneys, and the Commissioner has done nothing to cheok the evil. It is to be sin. cerely hoped that the next com-' miseioner will institute as thorough a house cleaning as is now. going on in the land offioe. t t t It is seldom that there has been suoh a week of gaiety in Washington as that jutt passed. The town has been fall of the officer* from the visiting foreign warships at Jamestown, the Duke de Arbruzzi has been the center of a dozen fashionable entertainments* and now there has been added to the round of festivities all sorts of functions for the benefit of Gen. Enroki, the commander of the Japanese Army in Manchuria and the chief strategist and foremost tactician of the Japanese military service. There was a brilliant reception to the Duke de Arbruzzi at the Italian Embassy on Thursday evening, a luncheon to Gen, Kuroki at the White house on Friday and on Saturday evening an even more brilliant reoeption and dinner to Gen Kuroki at the Japanese Embassy. One of the

• ■ '•. ■■ 7 . * —■ ' >v ;-*”j figures in most of the sooial functions of the week has been the Countess Grey, wife of Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada. She has been the guest of the British Ambassador daring the week and will aooompany the British party to Jamestown and to Riohmond where there is to be a brilliant reception by Gov. Swanson. tt t ■' * The medioal Congress whioh has occupied Washington most of this week broke np on Friday night with a big smoker at the Arlington Hotel. There were medioal visitors from all over the world, several having oome all the way from Germany especially for the meeting. One of the most important branohes of the Congress was the national Association for the study and prevention of tuberoniosie. This society is only three years old, bat already has branches in fifteen states and is to have eight more state societies organized thiß year. The virtue of its work is the way in whioh it is spreading knowledge of consumption among the people and showing how the disease may be checked in its epidemic spread and helped in the individual cases. It is not too much to say that this is the most important medical work being done in the United States today. It is all being done without charge where those benefited are unabl& to pay, and the chief anxiety of the society is to spread its literature among the people who need it and save the poor from wasting time and money on quack medicines and so-called “cures” that never cure. Sufferers from the disease who want to be pat in touch with the society can get information by writing to the health officer of the nearest town that has such an official and asking to be put in communication with the nearest state branch of the National Association. t t t The announcement that an heir bad been born to the Spanish throne was received with . great interest in official circles this week, and Senor Pina, the Spanish Minister, was the recipient of as many congratulations aB though it had been his own baby instead of his prospective King, President Roosevelt immediately on being notified, sent by cable congratulations to the royal parents.