Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-11-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our Regular Correspondent

From our Regular Correspondent
Washington, Nov. 10Th, 1885
The tale of a telephone has made the
Interior Department q center Of inter
est during the week. Secretary La
mars court has been sitting on the
Bell patent. 1t is q case in which not
only the mOnOpOlists Of electric talk are
interested but the public as well. The
room which Is the scene Of these pro-
ceeding-, IS that of the assistant Attor-
ney General of the Department, and it
has been filled at each hearing by dis
linguished lawyers, inventors and
officials Arguments have been made
10y representatives of the Bel Telephone
Company, he Washington Company
and the Pan Electric Company.
Secretary Lamtr's course OF proceed
uro in this case is almost without
precedent in the history of this gov
ernment. 1t is perhaps the first time a
CABINET officer has called upon a de
fendant in possible government suit,
to first produce his evidence in order to
delei mine whether such a suit should
| be brought 1t is evident that Mr..
Lamar thinks this is the right course
for a great and strong government, and
that when it has once issued q patent il
should hear every possible bit Of testi-
mOny to be produced before proceeding
to begin the suit TO set aside a right
once confirmed. He proposes to 60 to
the verge of extreme fairness, and
" hatever his decision, may be, there Is
! little doubt that it will be based upon
the facts in the case.
The Int, riOr department has been
called the 'GOVeInmenJ Waste Basket"
| This name, however, is only expressive
| of the nature Of the department as
| receptacle Tor all miscellaneous bust
ness not coming under the especial
! Jurisdictions of the other departments.
/ The business of the department is every
J thing but the government waste or
! trash, More Individual citizens of the
/ country are directly interested in the
/ Interior han all the other departments
| combined.
The Secretary of the Interior has
! supervision of the Land Office, Indian
! Bureau, Pension Bureau Patent Office,
! Bureau OF Education, railroads, ge0lOg-
/ ical survey, census and bureau of labor.
! He has charge of matters relating to
| the civil guvel nment of the territories,
! and the appointment of territorial Off
! GERS. lie has control of the govern
/ ment hospital for the insane, that for
/ The deaf and dumb, the Free imam s
/ hospital, the \ Yellowstone National
! Park, the Hot Springs reservation in
! Arkansas the Maryland Institution for
( the blind and the government Printing
! Once.
II variety seasons life. Secretary
/ Lalnar's Is not lacking in that feature.
lie may issue a patent to-day for some
/ new weapon of war with which his
! Ind an ward is killed tomorrow. Or
the Indian may scalp a soldier, and the
! Secretary grants a pension to his widow
/ and orphans. The Secretary has to
/ keep one eye on the great mOnyed cor
/ pOratiOns TO see that they construct
| their roads in compliance with the re-
! quirements Of their charter With the
/ other he has TO wa ch the cowboy and
! sQuatter to see that they do not trespass
\ upon Uncle Sans broad acres. He
/ has TO feed and clOthe the red man and
/ educate his pappOOse- He gives the
I old veteran 100 acres of farming land
for services rendered, and then patents
/ all sorts OF labor saving machines with
/ which 10 work it. There are hundreds
/ OF other duties devUlVing upon Mr..
/ Lamar and the assistant high keepers
/ OF the Government Waste Basket, -
/ i hen every ten years this department
/ must see 10 summing up the nation s
/ profits and loss from its mum 0erless in
uusLfleSs ana tell now many more there
I are of US than there were ten years ago.
Score a~y Lamar, who was known 10
/ be a schC lar aud a student, has supris-
/ ed some people VINO doubted his quail
/ tDadOns as a business man. H8 has
] reDrganizsd the Interior Department
/ by arranging It's work in divisions, so
/ that he can take in a complete picture
! OF the service without being perpIexed
/ with too much details. He reads all the
/ decisions made, and his health. which
/ his friends ia .ught would succumb 10
\ the strain of his Official work, seems TO
/ be improving under the stimulus.
/ Much criticism is being directed
/ against she Land Office for not issuing
/ land patents rapidly enough. Com
missioner Sparks says patents are now
/ being issued st the ste of i've thousand
an )nth, and rs fast he can obtain
evidence which enables him 70 separate
/ the honest from the dishonest settler
The billingsgate Of Josh Billings net
ted him an estate of SEQ. 600. This fact
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