The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-12-10
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4th, 1896.

now without meeting one or more
Senators and Representatives. Secrel
tary Olney has been overrun with
Congressional callers, especially since
the circulation of the rumor that he
had a short time ago notified the
government of Spain that this govern
ment intended to bring about peace
in Cuba if the revolution was not put
down in three months, all anxious to
know the exact status of Cuban
matters. Members of the Senate and
House Foreign committees are said
TO have received some definite infor
nation but to all the rest it was stat
ed in general terms that no immediate
change was contemplated in the
policy of the administration towards
Cuba, and it is expected that the
Presidents message will treat the
matter in about the same style. The
other members of the Cabinet have
also had numerous Congressional
callers, some on business for their
constituents and some merely to pay
friendly visit but President Cleve-
land has not had much of his time
taken up by them and is not likely TO
have.
The Presidents message is all
ready TO be sent to Congress, and the
usual precautions have been taken to
prevent its premature publication. If
it be fair to judge from the lack Of
curiosity as to the contents Of that
document this year, those precautions
were hardly necessary. 1t will, of
course, be printed as a matter of news
when it goes to Congress, but it is
doubtful whether an advance copy of
it could be sold to any paper in the
country, not because of the belief that
it will be any less interesting than
Mr.. Cleveland's previous messages,
but because Of the knowledge that the
situation in Congress is such that no
matter how wise or how important
the recommendations of the message
may be there is no possibility of their
being carried out by legislation at the
present session.
There are all classes of men in
most professions, but the increase of
men who conduct their business upon
the greengoods mans theory, that =" a
new sucker is born every minute" in
the ranks of the patent solicitors has
aroused the honorable patent lawyers
to the necessity of taking some action
that will protect the inventors of the
country and their own profession from
the degradation and decentralization
of the methods adopted to cajole
money from the pockets of the inven-
\ tors without any intention Of giving
any equitable return therefor. Under
present laws and rules the Commits
sioner of Patents can do nothing to
protect either the honest patent law
yer or the inventor, except in cases
ofthe most fragrant nature, and then
it must come under his personal
notice after an application has been
filed in the Patent Office but it is
thought that Patent Bar to proper
extent under the jurisdiction of the
Commissioner of Patents, could easily
compel the lottery patent solicitors
and the delusive circular patent soil
citors to either reform their methods
or get out of the business. In either
case the inventors and the honest
patent lawyers would be gamers.
Speaking of the probability that
one or more Senators may be asked
to Join McKinley's Cabinet a veteran
republican Senator said {: swell,
everybody must judge for themselves,
but the Senator who has been in
Office for more than one term who is
willing to enter the Cabinet must
either have been blind to what went
on under his nose or imagine that he
possesses the ability to make his ex-
perience different from that of other
men who have tried the same thing
Many Senators have been persuaded
into Presidents Cabinets, but don't
believe there was ever single one OF
them who did not regret it. Senator
Lodge, of Mass, who has been men
toned as cabinet possibility, says he
would not leave the Senate for any
position in McKinleys gift. Lodge
may not have level head on every
thing but on this subject he has
There is nothing in official life. except
the Presidency, better than Senator:
ship.
There is alarm among the repuoli-
cans over a report that " Teddy
Roosevelt is firing of his New York
job and wants to come back to Wash
ington as Assistant Secretary of the
Navy under the Mckinley administra-
ton. They don't want Teddy" tc
come back to Washington, but he
has knack Of getting what he wants: