Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-08-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Secretary Of State Sherman on
Hawaii.

The Navy As An Adjunct to Fashion -
senator Gorman's BluR-Patent Law
yers' Troubles Notcs on the Comptroi-
lex Commissioner Of Patents and Mr.
Fosters Return.
Secretary sherman is again at his
desk in the State Department, and
his fat footed declaration that this
government would not guarantee to
Japan the execution of the de
cision of the arbitrator who will
pass on the controversy between
Japan land Hawaii shows that his
backbone is in tip top condition He
says his little outing and rest did
him much good and that if the
weather in Washington romans as
pleasant rs it has been for several
days he will not 90 away again this
summer Secretary Sherm an says
he doesn't think there is anything
in that story about Minister Sewall
having last week declared a pro-
tectorate over Hawaii, and that if
"Old Glory" has been raised over
the islands it was because some act
of the Japanese had caused Minister
Sewall TO consider such a course
necessary to avoid future trouble
and complications Mr. Sawall has
authority to raise the flag over
Hawaii at any time he may consider
il necessary.
The innovation Of the Navy De
partment, that our naval vessels
must be put to better use than be
ing made to serve as attractions at
seaside fashion resorts, will not
please the young dancing officers
who have found pleasure in posing
as summer resort mashers, but il is
being strongly endorsed by men who
wished to see our navy made as eff
cient as possible by practice in sea
drills. There has never been any
good reason for making our navy an
adjunct of seaside society.
Senator Germans little bluff
about his not being candidate for
reelection is regarded in Washing
ton as about the poorest one he ever
made and as indicating his despera-
tion. He knows that there are a
considerable number of Democrats
in Maryland who intend to aid the
Republicans to elect a majority of
the legislature, in order to be sure
that he cannot be returned to the
Senate
Some of the testimony in the
hearings, now going on, as to
whether John Wedderburn & Co.,
should be disbarred from practice
before the Patent Office has develop
ell condition that ought to open
the eyes Of everybody to the man
ner in which those who become vic
TINS Of the get-rioh- quick through
apatent fever, given them by in
siduously 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 unscru-
pulous patent attorneys. Officials
of the Patent Office have stated in
their testimony that only about one
half Of the thirty seven hundred
odd applications for patents filed by
John Wedderburn 81 Co, during the
past two years have contained any
thing that was patentable, and that
the portions that were patentable in
many of the remainder were of such
a nature that it was partically i'm
possible for the inventor to ever get
back the money it cost him TO get
the patent. They further stated
that Wedderburh & Co., solicited
and got in many instances, addition
al 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 OBJ
tain, money for advertising them
for sale at a 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
Cleveland administration by Rober
D. Bowler, of Ohio, who obtained
some unenviable notoriety by set
ting himself up as higher authority
than the courts or an act Of Con
gress, only to tumble ANONYMOUSLY
off his self erected pedestal. Mr.
Tracewell is a very different sort o.
an individual, and will perform the
duties of this important Office in tn,
same careful and thorough manner
that he served his constituents il
Congress.
Hon. BENZ Butterworth, Com
missioner of Patents, is living up t.
expectations in the matter of rails
ing the standard of practice beforl
the Patent Office. His latest and
most important move is an order
providing that a register shall bS
kept of all persons entitled to prac
tioe before that Office, and estab
fishing rules under which attorney
may get their names upon that reg
lister In these rules Mai. Butter
worth has gone to the extreme hmi
of authority given him by the pre-
sent somewhat unsatisfactory laws
He has other reform ideas whicl
will require the sanction of Congress
before they can be carried out.
Ex-Sacretary Of State, John w
Foster, has returned from his diplo
matte trip to Europe in behalf 0
the seal fisheries, and expresses him
self as being entirely satisfied wit
the result of his TIP. There will b
conference in Washington next Oct
s. Ils