Middletown transcript., 1901-07-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.

-
- duty all the summer, with only an oc-
casional days outing. He is one of the
few persons that prefer to take their va
cation when the weather is not warm.
He moved Monday to the suburban resi-
dence that was purchased and occupied
by Mr.. Cleveland when he was President,
where he will spend his nights and Sun
days until the return of cool weather.
Secretary Hitchcock and his family are
also still in Washington, and expect to
remain until about the first of August.
***
Postmaster-General Smith, having had
his idea of a thorough revision of the
rules regulating second-class mail matter,
approved by President Mckinley and his
fellow members of the Cabinet, is giving
his personal attention to the revision and
his long experience in the newspaper bus
iness has fitted him to do the work well.
1t is not intended that single legitimate
publication shall be hurt by this revision,
but the many fake publications, which
have been enabled to make money solely
because they have been allowed to send
their papers and books through the mails
at one cent pound, instead of eight
cents pound, which they are likely to
have to pay under the new regulations,
will be hit hard, and there is no doubt of
their deserving to be hit hard. The Post
master General has received many as
surances of support in his effort to save
many million dollars by shutting out of
second-class mail privileges, publications
that should not be entitled to them, from
prominent editors of papers of false po-
litical shades, and he is confident that
his action will be supported by practic-
ally all of the legitimate papers and per-
iodicals of the country, not only because
it will save lot of money-the revenue
from second class mail is less than s., ,OO0,-
600 year, while it costs S60, ZOO, 900
year-but because every legitimate pub
Usher is interested in shutting out fake
publications.
Nv
Representative Mudd, of Maryland,
thinks the Republicans will be able to
elect Senator Wellington's successor-his
friends think he has chance to be the
man. He said: "The legislature is now
Republican. A portion of the Senate
and all of the House will step down. The
Democrats will have slight advantage
in the number of hold-overs in the Sem
ate, but the chances are in our favor,
notwithstanding the new ballot law, the
object of which is disfranchisement of
illiterates. In every county in the State,
Republicans are waging an educational
campaign, and by ballot time many of
those now practically disfranchised, will
know how to mark the tickets. The
difficulty confronting Republicans is not
as great as we anticipate. Although the
matter of the Republican candidate for
the Senate, has taken no definite shape
as yet, the convention which will meet
in Baltimore, August 9th, will probably
not instruct. The Republican policy
has been against instruction. 1t is
thought to be better to suppress agitation
along that line until after the election"
~
A historic relic was shipped from
Washington to the Buffalo exposition,
several days ago, that will have more
than passing interest for thousands of
visitors. 1t is an old shoe, eighteen
inches long and seven inches wide, that
was made by the father of General U. s.
Grant, and was for several years previous
to the Civil War, part of the sign in
front of the tannery of Grant & Perkins
at Galena, Illinois.
Nv
President Mckinley announced before
leaving Washington, that he would issue
the proclamation declaring free trade be-
tween the United States and Porto Rica,
on and after July 25th, in accordance
with resolution adopted by the Porto
Rican legislature, as soon as he gets an
official copy of that resolution. 1t is un-
derstood that Governor Allen, will in
person, carry an official copy of the re-
solution to Canton.
Nv
The erroneous idea seems to have gone
abroad in connection with the official
statement that the Commissioner of Pa
tents and the Assistant Commissioner
would grant no hears during July and
August, that the work of the entire Pa
tent Office was suspended. Speaking of
the matter, a member of the firm of C.
A. Snow & Co., Patent Lawyers, which
probably does more business before that
office than any other firm, said: every
few applications for patent, perhaps not
more than one in hundred, will be de-
layed by the fact that the Commissioner
and Assistant Commissioner of Patents
will take long rest this summer. The
vast majority of cases are decided by one
hundred and forty examiners without ap-
peal to the Commissioner in person"
nv
Regret over the resignation of Mr.,
Charles G. Dawes, as Comptroller of the
Currency, which has been rendered to
take effect October 1st, is by no means
confined to official circles. He has filled
q most difficult position in a manner
highly creditable to himself and satisfac.
tory to the business world, but in view
'f the fact that he purposes beginning an
active canvass for seat in the Senate
Early in the fall, it is felt that his courses
n resigniug was wise. The talk about
MS being the administration candidate
or the Senate, is ridiculous. The ad-
ninistration has no candidate for the
Senate, in Illinois or any other state,
Announcement