The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,

alarms securing the city for absen-
tees, who struggled in one after
another until six O'Clock in the morn
ing. Divers and sundry were the ex.
cuses of the recalcitrant Members,
who were arraigned like so many
truant school boys in front of the
Speakers desk on Monday night and
Tuesday morning, and as they were
one after another excused on motion
of some merciful Member, they skunk
away to their seats with apparently
deep-seated determination TO come
up with somebody for hauling them
out of a comfortable bed upon such
an uncomfortable night. The sxsas,sRsi
occasion of all this turmoil was the
resolution to fix a date to consider
the bill for pensioniDg the veterans of
the Mexican war, to which the c3m-
mittee had added the Creek, Semi
mole, and numerous other petty dis
turbances that were not at all rele-
want to the business in hand. The
Republicans were determined to fight
against this unwarranted attachment
to the bill, and so with but a hand.
full OF Members under his lead. Ir.
Hiscock kept the friends and prOmot-
ers CT the obnoxious measure at bay
for whole night. By sheer force of
numbers the Democrats passed the
resolution on Tuesday morning
which indicates the passage of the
bill so far as the House is concerned.
Whether it will successfully run the
gauntlet of the Senate and Executive
is further along.
"Dey whipped me almost to death
and / tux TO de woods and laid dar
for two weeks, because l dasn't go
home," was the evidence of Handy
Father before the Senate Investigate
ing Committee upon the Copiah out
RACES, And Mr.. Salisbury was there
to hear this, and much more of the
same sort of testimony, developing
the political way of doing things in
Mississippi. Here were witnesses af.
ter witnesses, Notwithstanding that
they were being terroriZed over by
the instigators of these Outrages, COM
ing forward and giving their unshak-
en- testimony as to the fact of these
murders, whippings. burnings, and
other atrocities committed in the
name of Democracy. George Hamil-
ton, the Democratic clerk of the elee.
tioI . repeated to Senator Salisbury
the story of the murder of Mathews,
who, while casting his vote. was fired
upon and instantly killed by one
Wheeler, who fired two charges Of
bucksh0t into him at a range of elgh
teen feet. This deliberate murder,
committed in the presence of dozen
people, was never inquired into, be-
cause nobody dared to enter upon
such inquiry, and Wheeler was never
even arrested for his crime. Verify
the Southern outrage business as p0r-
trayed by these witnesses, is picture
that has never been overdrawn, nor
has the half OF its history ever been
told.
Hon. E. M. Marble, ex-Commis.
sioner of Patents, who recently re-
signed to enter upon the practice of
his profession here. has found plenty
to do, and is looking more hale and
hearty than when presiding over that
yexatious department, the Patent
Office. He thinks with many others
that the Government fees for letters
patent might well be reduced, and
that instead of earning large surplus
from the tax upon industry and ge-
MUS, the Office should simply be self
sustaining. There are other reforms
which Mr.. Marble would have been
glad to inaugurate had he remained
in the Office. One of these. the com.
piling of complete descriptive di
gest of all the patents issued from the
founding of the Office, he did have be-
gun, by the consent of Congress and
a very valuable and convenient work
it would have been, to the public
and the department, but so much OPP
position was made by parties interest
ed in keeping the Office in it's present
state, that Congress was induced to
withhold the necessary appropriation
for carrying on the work. In few
years at most, the department will
advance to Mr.. Marbles views on all
these points, Meanwhile, his long
connection with it, both as law officer
and Commissioner of Patents, ena-
bles him to render valuable service
Ito tho.se who consult him. 1t is won.
'derful how rapidly the business of
the Office increase and what compli-
cations grow out of it, Just now
there is among many other contests a
hot battle over the different telephone
patents. The Bell Company have
had practically a monopoly so far,
hut it is a question whether other