Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-26
CAPITAL CHAT.
Two Maine Men Consider Fed
eraI Judges Impeachment.
Both Congressman Were Opposed to
Judges Removal.
MIR. Littef;eid Passing Week in the
South.

Oh tt!tTdl Judge NndlicS SWdyIe Vi
Florida. but more of Pennsylvania and
Delaware, has been a dominant theme
| i'll Washington for the last seven days.
There are two Maine men who have
hal q part in the consideration of that
| case III the Judiciary committee, one OF
them being Representative Littletield
| and the other eepresntativ Alexander
| Of New York. Should the House decide
| to uphold the majority report of the ju-
dietary committee in favor of impeach-
| ment, it Is entirely probable that one or
| both of these Maine men will be desig-
mated among the managers on the part
of the House to conduct the trial before
| the Senate.
| 1t is interesting to know that both
| the Maine men mentioned voted against
| the Impeachment of Judge SWayne.
This was entirely on the ground that
the evidence. which the subcommittee
| took in Florida, does not warrant such
proceedings. although this evidence
showed plainly that Judge Swayne had
not fully performed his duty on the
| federal bench. Representative Alex
| ander WAS one of several Republicans
who thought that it would be a whole
| some example TO federal judges
throughout the country. if one derelct
| judge could be punished. He went in
To the case, convinced that Judge
| SWaynes conduct on the bench war
ranted an Impeachment before the Sem
| ate but after he had carefully eXam-
ined the testimony he changed his
| mind and is reluctant to see the case
| tried for fear that it will result in Il
| failure. If he or Mr.. Littlefeld is
| named as one of the managers on the
part of the House. it is altogether prob
able that they will be named as man.
| ayers in behalf Of the judge.
Representative Littlefe!d has been
in the South, this week, on a mission of
respect Tor one of his Southern friends.
| During his service here he became
| warmly attached to Representative
| Charles w. Thompson, young Demo-
crat of Tuskegee. who died here, last
Sunday. Mr.. Thompson was a progress
svc Democrat. who had the welfare of
that section of the country close to
heart and. having large wealth, used
it for the uplifting OF his fellow men.
Mr.. Littlefield was one of several Re-
publican congressman that Mr.. ThOmp-
son invited South some II months ago
to observe the condition of negroes on
the Southern plantations. Mr.. Thomp-
sons contention always was that the
| Southern peopl. treated the negro
more kindly than the Northerners
| would. He preached this on every pos
| SIEle occasion and it was his plan to
| take many parties of Northern Con-
gressmen into Alabama to demonstrate
this. MIR. Thompson and Mr.. LittiefieId
came to have high mutual regard for
each other. They boarded several win>
| tiers at the Hamilton. The trip. which
Mr.. Littlefield has taken South with the
remains of his friend has occupied the
best part of a week.
The weekly list of persons to whom
patents are granted from the patent
office here is an interesting study. The
Yankees of Maine and of other New
England states. with an inventive turn
of mind, for which they have been
| famous for Il century, are still found
on the lists, but they are not as nu-
merOus as they We're a decade ago.
This weekly list, which is printed by
the patent Office and issued in the
form Of Il small newspaper every
| Thursday contains on an average the
names of 400 or 500 inventors. Til"
names are as strange an assortment
as one can find anywhere in the United
States. These names are Of every
conceivable nationality and are by no
means confined to residents OF tn"
United States. Many foreigners who
have secured patents in their own
countries come to the United States to
secure patents also under our laws.
| The Germans secure many patents.
| especially German chemists who ar"
busy inventing various kinds of dyes
arts and sciences.
| Most of the patents issued to New
| FnglaHdprS are for simple devices, al
| though Of late years they have 90 Q
| extensively into PATENTS on devices for
labor saving machinery. This is eSTc-
cially true Of MAJ hinery for the manu-
facture Of shoes. The patent business
has developed along with the remark
able development of ten industries Of
the country and it yields Il large rev
enue to a good many patent lawyers.
These lawyers flourish in Washington
and in large cities of the country, ike
New York and Chicago. They make a
specialtv of that kind of law and 40
often retained by large corporations at
fancy prices. one of the former con-.
missioners of patents. who was a?-
pointed from Maine. still resides here
| in Washington-Gen Ellis Spear, whose
| former home was at Rockland.
| Ex-Gov. Burleish and Mr. Gillet of
| New York, the latter chairman of tn .
House committee on public buildings
ana grounds. have been looking over
the business that has accumulated be-
| fore that committee and discussing
some of The problems of Legislation that
will have to be met probably next wiz
ter during the short session of Con-
gross. Gov Burleigh is earnestly in
| favor of mere public building 1egisla-
ton. lust as soon as the Office of the
superyising architect of the treasury
can catch up with the buildings Witch
CONGRESS authorized a year ago. In
this Mr.. Gillet agrees with him sub
Continued on page 81 -.