The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-12-23
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec, 18th, 1907.

best ana Wits OtteneSt Wnen IL is ag
gressive is we'll known. Therefore
the action of the democratic caucus
of the House in running up the party
flag with declarations, writ so large
that even he who runs may read,
against the retirement of the green
backs, either directly or indirectly;
against any extension of privileges en-.
ioyed by National banks, and for the
recognition Of the belieerency of
Cuba, and the enactment of lust
and wise bankruptcy law, was wise as
well as good politics. 1t shows the
country that if the republicans in
Congress were afraid to announce a
policy for the session in advance of
the Christmas recess, which extends
from tomorrow until Jan. sth, the
democrats were not.
1t has been often denied on the
floors of Congress that the logical
outcome of the present civil service
law would be civil pension list, but
now Secretary Gage has actually
started civil pension list, under the
alias OF "roll of honor" to which
all Treasury Department employees
more than 70 years old are to be
transferred for life, at a uniform an
nual salary Of 5000 each-,hat is,
they are to be, unless Congress upsets
this programme, which it is more than
likely to do Nothing has occurred
since the civil service act was placed
upon the statute books that will do
more to open the eyes of the people
to the correctness of the position of
those democrats who favor the repeal
o. that law. The country is today
staggering under the burden of its
military pension list, and will not
carry civil pension list.
Those snide patent attorneys, SAID
to be quite numerous, who make a
practice of getting the cash oflnven-
tors under the pretense of procuring
and selling foreign patents on their
inventions, knowing that no foreign
patent that is worth the paper upon
which 1t is written can be gotten for
them, and that no sale can be made,
are in a bad way. Acting Commits
sioner of Patents Greeley, who earned
his spurs by his conduct of the inves
tigation that resulted in reforming
number of glaring abuses in Patent
Office practice, is on their trail, and
determined to break up such criminal
methods, and his determination, abil-
ity and honesty are all OF the a. l.
brand.
An attempt is to be made to have
the House and Senate Indian COM
mittees agree on legislation for Indian
Territory, but inasmuch as the Sen
ate Committee has already agreed to
a bill for apportionment OF the lands
of the five civilized tribes. it looks as
though that means merely an attempt
to get the House Committee to &C
cept the bill of the Senate Committee,
which Is supported by the Dawes
Commission and opposed by the
representatives OF the Indians.
Although the National Board of
Trade, which held its annual session
in Washington this week, changed the
time for holding its annual meetings
from January or February to Decem-
Der for the avowed purpose of inhuen-
cling Congress, its members must be
fully convinced Of the impossibility of
getting the gold legislation they, in
common with Secretary Gage and his
side partners of the ''monetary confer
ence," are trying to secure from the
present Congress.
This has been a red-letter week,
indeed, in the career of Senator
Daniel, of Va, who has been chosen
to succeed the late Senator Harriss,
of Tenn, as member of the Senate
committee on Finance, and unanl-
mously reelected to the Senate by
the Va, legislation. Two such honors
seldom come to any man in a single
week, and it is not surprising that
Senator Daniel should be overwhelm-
ed with congratulations on his good
fortune.
The republicans of the House
should be held responsible for their
failure to save the $I,ooo,ooo or
$I,5oo,ooo a year which Representa-
tive Bingham asserted could in the
opinion of himself and his colleagues
on the Appropriation committee be
saved by the reduction of extravagant
salaries paid to clerks in the depart
ments. If that committee has such
an opinion, it failed to perform its
duty when it reported the legislative,
Executive and Judicial appropriation
bill, now before the House, without
providing for those reductions.
There are reasons for believing
H.. Al. har of