The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-08-20
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent.

desk in the State Department, and his
f1at-footed declaration that this gov.
ernment would not guarantee to ia.
pan the execution of the decision OF
the arbitrator who will pass on the
controversy between Japan and Ha-
waii shows that his backbone is in tin
top condition. He says his little out
ing and rest did him much good and
that if the weather in Washington re-
mains as pleasant as it has been for
several days he will not go away again
this summer. Secretary Sherman
says he doesn't think there is ANYTHING
in that story about Minister Sewall
having last week declared protector
ate over Hawaii, and that if "Old
Glory has been raised over the islands
1T was because some act of the Japa-
nese had caused Minister Sewall to
consider such course necessary to
avoid future trouble and complica-
tlons. Mr.. Sewall has autho rity to
raise the flag over Hawaii at any time
he may consider it necessary.
The innovation of the Navy Depart
ment, that our naval vessels must be
put to better use than being made
to serve as attractions at seaside fash
ION resorts, will not please the young
dancing officers who have found pleas
ure in posing as summer resort mash
ers, but it is being strongly endorsed
by men who wish to see our navy
made as efficient as possible by prac-
tice in sea drills. There has never
been any good reason for making our
navy an adjunct of seaside society.
Senator Germans little bluff about
he not being candidate for re-elec-
ton is regarded in Washington as
about the poorest one he ever made
and as indicating his desperation. He
knows that there are a considerable
number of democrats in Maryland
who intend to aid the republicans to
elect majority of the legislature, in
order to be sure that he cannot be re-
turned to the Senate.
Some of the testimony in the hear
ings, now going on, as to whether
John Wedderburn & Co., should be
disbarred from practice before the Pat
ent Office has developed a condition
that ought to open the eyes of every
body to the matter in which til ose who
become victims of the get-rich- quick
through-a-patent fever, given them by
insiduously worded advertisements
and circulars, are being worked for
their hard earned money, or the
money of their neighbors who are
caught by false reports made upon
their alleged inventions by unscrupu-
lous patent attorneys. Officials OF the
Patent Office have stated in their tes-
timony that only about one-half of
the thirty-seven hundred-odd applica-
tions for patents filed by John We'd
derburn & Co. during the past two
years have contained anything that
was patentable, and that the portions
that were patentable in many of the
remainder were of such a nature that
it was practically impossible for the
inventor to ever get back the money
it cost him to get the patent They
further stated that Wedderburn & Co.
solicited and got in many instances,
additional fees for making applications
for foreign patents upon these devices,
which they knew, or should have
known were unpatentable also that
they sought to obtain, and did obtain,
money for advertising them for sale at
fabulous price when they knew, or
should have known that they were
worthless.
Ex-Congressman, Robert J. Trace
well, of Ind, has qualified as Comp
troller of the Treasury. This is the
position that was held under the Cleve-
land administration by Rober B. Bow
ler, of Ohio, who obtained some un-
enviable notoriety by setting himself
up as higher authority than the courts
or an act of Congress, only to tumble
| ANONYMOUSLY off his self-erected
pedestal Mr.. Tracewell is very diff
ferent sort of an individual, and will
perform the duties of this important
Office in the same careful and thorough
manner that he served his constitu-
ents in Congress.
Hon. Benz. Butterworth, Commits
/ sioner of Patents, is living up to ex-
pectations in the matter of raising the
standard of practice before the Patent
Office. His latest and most import
ant move is an order providing that
register shall be kept of all persons en-
titled to practice before that Office,
and establishing rules under which
attorneys may get their names upon
that register. In these rules Maj.
Butterworth has gone to the extreme
limit of authority given him by the
present somewhat unsatisfactory laws.
Ho hoe otbor roforp, idooc which will