Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-11-09
The Patent Office

TO the PRESIDENT yesterday:
UNITED STATES PATENT OPPICR.
WASHINGTON, d. c., November 8, 1870.
Sir ask permission to renew the tender of
my resignation Of the ONCE of CommissiOner of
Patents, made October "a, and temporarily
to the at II Be
nation be accepted to take effect at the Close Of
Thursday, November 10, inst. -
have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
His EzceHency u s. Grant, President United States.
The resignation was accepted, to take effect
on the date mentioned, and 1t has been decided
that, until permanent successor Is appointed.
Gen. Duncan, the Assistant Commissioner, will
discharge the duties of the office.
In this connection 1t may be said that the
statement given out in some quarters, that at
the request Of the President Mr.. Fisher had
some time ago rendered the position to Mr.. vii.
liam Blackwell, of Pittsburg, and that that gen.
tleman had accepted it, does not give the facts
Of the Gaze as they are generally understood by
those competent to judge correctly in the
premises. Nor would the public regard an
indication of this kind, if well founded. a.
healthy indication. Such claims as Mr..
Blackwell may be supposed to have for the
place are based entirely Oh his reputation
and experience as q lawyer in patent cases
at fret glance this might seem to be valid rea-
son in his favor, but in reality it is very grave
objection to the appointment Of any person in
whose behalf it Is urged. For 1t is hardly Dos
sible for any one who has had close connection
with business of that class to avoid subordi-
mating the administraton Of his Office to pre-
conceived ideas in regard to cases and princi.
Piles which must come before him for unbiased
action; and whether he Is or IL not inf uenced to
any appreciable extent in this way, the public
could never have that confidence in and respect
for his decisions which they would have for
those Of person not trammeled by such sur
roupdiDge.
What the place actually needs, and what the
Executive should secure for it, is q person
Of known integrity, we'll versed in the general
principles Of Law, OF sound judgment, and or
frstclass administrative capacity, who has had
no connection with that that special class. OF
business q advocate or attorney. With such
a man at its head, the Patent ONCE will be free
from much ofthe bad odor thst has heretofore at
times surrounded it, and from which il cannot
be too carefully guarded. %. 80
NAVAL ORDRRs.-Lient, Commander. A. L.
Mahan, has been ordered to the .svyysrd, Now
York; Assistant Surgeons Henry T. Eckstein,
navy yard, Commander Henry Wilson, Lieut.
Commanders Frederick PssrSon and Eugene
w. Watson, Lieutenant Henry 4. Nichols, Mas
tiers Samuel Ames and George q. Clay, urgeOn
A. -HoehlinR, First Assistant Engineer b. p.
Mccartney and Second Assistant JIG. Brosha-
han, have been detached from the Franklin, and
placed on waiting orders; Passed Assistant
detacbed from the Franklin, and ordered to
settle accounts; Gunner Wn. Cheny, has been
detached from the navy yard, New York, and
Young, from the Saranac, and ordered to the
navy yard, Mare Island. California; and Assist
ant Surgeon Alfred Griffith, from the Guard,
and placed on waiting orders. -