San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-24
Washington GOSSIP

Washington, ID, c., Dec. 2i.--Spe-
cial)-Presiden Mckinley will, ac-
cording TO trustworthy, though inoffi-
cial information, shortly meet the OBJ
legations that exist, in and out of
Congress, against present conditions
in the civil service, by issuing an exc
cutive order making material modifi-
cations in the blanket extern
sions of the civil service rules made
by Mr.. Cleveland during his last year
in office. While the opposition on the
part of Republicans in Congress
doubtless was factor in this matter,
it is well known that he president has
had it in his mind ever since his cleo
ton. 1t will be remembered that he
said in his annual message: There
are places now in the classified SER
vice which ought to be exempt and
others not classified, may properly be
included. l shall not hesitate to ex-
empt cases which / think have been
improperly included in the classified
service. Just when this order will be
issued or the full extent Of the modifi-
cation has not been fully determined,
but 1t will not be surprising should the
OIutI ut lSSueu DelOTe the re1SSplnD-
ling of Congress on Jan. 3.
Senator Hanna has gone to Ohio to
remain untihthe legislature elects his
successor. Just before leaving Wash
ington he said: "The story sent from
Ohio that number of the Republican
members Of the general assembly will
desert me If l am not successful on
the first ballot seem to me absurd.
Every Republican county but four has
instructed its legislators for me; the
party is pledged to me through the
action of the Republican State conven-
ton at Toledo, and / am unable to see
what can stand in the way of my
election"
Notwithstanding the numerous re-
forms brought about in the practice
before the United States patent office,
as a result of the long investigation
conducted by Acting Commissioner
Greeley with such striking ability,
there are some abuses connected more
or less directly with that office, and
directly associated with it in the minds
of nine out of every ten persons who
know of them, which have not yet
been reached but Mr.. Greeley is more
luun hnStOuS ~ uO ~. 10 hOW
vestigating numerous complaints
against patent solicitors who have OBJ
tanned money from inventors under
the pretense of getting foreign patents
for them and selling them, knowing
that no valid foreign patents could be
obtained for them, and that therefore
there would be nothing to sell.
Uncle Sam rubbed it on to John
Bull in the bill dealing with open sea
sealing, which has passed both
branches of Congress and only needs
the presidents signature to become a
law, and that it will probably get
Canada, backed by England, has play
ed the hog right through in this seal
ing business, by refusing to join the
United States in efforts to prevent the
speedy destruction of all the seals by
agreeing to a cessation of open sea
sealing for even limited time. and
the Canadians doubtless chuckled with
joy when this bill, which prohibits
open sea sealing by the citizens of the
United States was introduced in the
Senate, because of their belief that it
would leave them n monopoly of the
taking of seals in the open sea. But
they will not chuckle. nor will their
English supporters, when they learn
the purport of q section of the bill that
was kept quiet while the measure was
pending before Congress. That sec
ton absolutely prohibits the bringing
of seal skins into the United States
from any source. When 1t is remem-
berd that he United States furnishes
the largest and best market in the
world for seal skins and that the bust
ness of supplying that market has
been materially monopolized as to raw
skins by Canada. and entirely as to
dyed skins by England. The full
significance of what Uncle Sam has
done to John Bull becomes apparent.
The act for the relief for those Am
orleans who are in the Klondike gold
regions, and who, it is believed, will
be in pressing need of food before
spring, was as promptly signed by
President MCKINLEY as it was pass
ed by Congress, and it now only re-
mains to get the relief to the suffer
ers in order to make it effective. This
is in the hands of Secretary Alger, and
if success is possible, he will achieve
it, as his sympathy for the KlOndikers
is of the active kind-so active that he
offered weeks ago to offer money out
of his own pocket to send relief, if any
practical way of doing so could be
pointed out Secretary Alger will go
to Ottawa to secure the cooperation
of the Canadian authorities in relief
operations.
The fact that the Senate did not act