The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-07-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July Sth.

MIR. EDITOR:-ENen senator Duly
Mason must be convinced by this time
that Comptroller Dawes is not only the
administration candidate for seat in the
Senate, but is being coached by that very
shrcwd politician, Mr.. William Mckinley.
1t was by Mr.. Mckinlcy's advice that
Dawes rendered his resignation, to take
effect October 1st. The advice was given
in order that Mr.. Dawes might escape the
criticism as well as the defeat that met
Mr. Meiklejohn, for continuing to draw
salary as Assistant Secretary Of War while
he was for months in Nebraska prose
cutting his canvass for Senator If it be
in the power of the administration TO put
Dawes in the seat now occupied by Sena-
tor Mason it will be done. That has been
known to many persons in Washington
for month, notwithstanding Senator Ma
sons claim that he had Mr.. Mckinley's
positive promise to keep his hands off the
Illinois Senatorship fight, and it is now
plain to everybody.
Mr.. Mckinley tried to satisfy the intlu-
CuCCS W lllCu udN Z ucCH u luS W SCt hilii
to help postpone free trade with Porto
Rico by telling them, before he left Wash
ington to help look after republican inter
ests in Ohio, that he had "discovered~
that the Foraker law made it obligatory
upon him to issue the proclamation, de-
claring free trade as soon as he received
an official copy of the resolution adopted
by the legislature of Porto Rico asking
that it be done. He will probably get that
some time during the present week. There
are some queer stories in Washington
concerning the employment of Gen.
Maxine Gomez, the former Cuban insur-
gent commander, who was entertained at
tue White House last week by the admin
istration, to aid in carrying out certain
plans in Cuba. If true, it would be inter
esting to know from what fund Gen.
Gomez is paid
Commissioner Evans isn't doing any
more talking for publication about the
attempt to push him out of the Pension
Bureau, but since he had a little talk with
Mr.. Mckinley, just before that gentleman
left Washington to take a little squint on
the ground at republican prospects in
Ohio, he has acted as though he were a
firm believer in the adage: "He who
laughs last laughs BEST" and that he was
doing the last laughing.
Letters received in Washington show
that many supposed the suspension OF
hearings in appeal cases before the Com
missioner and Assistant Commissioner of
Patents, during July and August, to mean
that all business before the Patent Office
would be suspended during that period
That was bad case of misunderstanding
There arc one hundred and forty exam
liners working every week day on the
Patent Office, and they decide vast
majority of the cases without an appeal
to the Commissioner. G. A. Snow & Co.,
Patent Lawyers, than whom there is no
better authority on Patent business, say
that very few applications for patent,
probably not more than one in hundred,
will be delayed by the fact that the Com
missioner and Assistant Commissioner
are taking it easy this summer and hear
ing no appeals.
The administration has announced its
purpose to back the Postoffce Department
in a crusade that is to be at once inaugu-
rated for the reform of the notorious
abuses of the law regulating the carrying
of second class mail matter. If it lives
up to the announcement it will deserve
credit, as the abuses have piled up in the
carrying of second class mail until the
government is paying S60,O00,0o0 year
for what it is getting less than $4,000,000,
and experts declare that fully one half of
the matter carried as second class would,
if the law was rightly construed and en-
forced, be made to pay third class postage.
nerve to rightly construe and to enforce
the law so as to shut out every publca-
ton most of them of the fake order that
makes nominal charge for subscription
and offers as premiums articles worth
more than the subscription price to obtain
subscribers-that does not comply with
the strict letter of the law? That is the
question. Officials say yes, now, but what
will they say after the owners of the fakes,
who always stand together and who have
upon more than one occasion shown that
they could WELD an enormous political
pull have sent their 'persuaders' to
Washington, is what will count, and upon
which it is not altogether safe to count at
this time If the Postotfice Department
makes an honest and earnest attempt to
| reform these abuses, which are putting so
much of the peoples money into the
pockets of men who have not the slightest
claim for public favor, it will deserve and
| will almost surely receive the support
of public opinion, without regard
to politics; but if the attempt is to be
| nothing more than 4 move to squeeze re-
| publican campaign contributions out of
| the rich owners of fake publications, in
return for allowing them to retain the
privilege of second class mail, it will soon
| / ! 4