Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-06-13
Woodstock BusInosS eardO
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence.)


or print paper investigating commit
tee of the House, which presented q
preliminary report to that body sew.
eral days ago, will continue its investi-
cations during the recess OF Con-
gress. 1t is the purpose of Chairman
Mann to gather a great deal OF stats
tical information from the Census Blu
reau and the Department of Labor
during the coming summer.
Congressman an Art crItlc.--Wash-
ington, with so many statues about Its
public squares and parks, has never
given any particular notice to any Of
them to the extent of bringing up their
good or their bad featues for public
criticism. Congressman Mccall, of
Massachusetts, however, has develop
ed into an art critic to the point that
he cannot pass the statue of General
Thomas without stopping to admire
the fine pose Of the horse on which
the general is seated. THAT horse"
said the Congressman, the other day,
"looks like horse, and his pose is
correct in every detail. But as for
the charger that General Andrew
Jackson is supposed to be riding, the
sculptor must have trained him for
that particular feat which he has set
forth. No horse outside of a circus
could hold 1t more than second"
Copyright Decslons.-The supreme
court has just decided some important
copyright cases, the opinions being
handed down by Justice Day. The
first decision was in the case of the
Bobbs-Merrill company versus r. H.
Macy & CO., and Isador N. Straus, the
decision being in favor of Macy & Co.
In this case the court dealt with the
question whether the sale by retail
dealer of copyrighted book below the
price fixed by the publishers is an in
fringement Of copyright. The Bobbs-
Merrill company published novel and
stipulated in printed notice that it
should not be sold for less than one
dollar copy. The suit was based ON
the theory that the right to dispose
OF copyrighted work gives the own
er the right to place restrictions on
its sale. That the republication of
map printed in an official publication
right law was held by the supreme
court Of the United States in deciding
the case of Globe Newspaper Publish
ing company of Boston VS.. George H.
Walker & Co., in which case the deci-
sion was favorable to the newspaper.
The suit grew out of the fact that the
Globe reprinted map of the electric
railways of Massachusetts which was
compiled by Walker, and published
as part of o state report in 1899.
Walker brought suit for damages on
the charge of infringement of copy
right and the United States circuit
court for the district of Massachusetts
awarded him $3.50, but the supreme
court reversed the decision of the low
er court.
Simple but RevoIutIonary.-Sscre-
tary Victor H. Metcalf of the navy
gave the bureau system" a jolt a
few days ago that has made the bu-
reau chiefs walk around dazed. Here
1t is: General order No. 66-Here-
after all orders issued by the secre-
tary or assistant secretary of the navy
direct to any commandant or other
officer in the naval Service shall be
executed and the officers to whom
such order is issued shall promptly
notify the bureau or senior officer con-
cerned of it's receipt and execution" :"
It's simple thing, but revolutionary
in its simplicity. When an officer in
the future receives an order from the
civilian secretary or his civilian as
sistant, all he has to do Is to obey 1t.
When that has been done he Is to
report to the bureau concerned what
he has done. In the past when an
officer received such an order, he sent
1t to the chief Of the bureau that has
charge of the particular line Of work.
II 1t came back with an o X he exc,
cuted it. If it did not come back he
forgot It.
Cheaper Postage to Great Britain
Postmaster-G General Meyers announced
the other day that an agreement had
been reached with the British govern
ment providing for letter postage OF
two cents an ounce between the Unit
ed States and Great Britain and Ire
land, to become operative Oct /, 1908.
He stated further that ehe British
acknowledgement, Sydney Buxton,
was making a like announcement to
the house of commons. The matter
of penny postage" as 1t is called
in England, has been under consider
alton for some time, and as far back
as last July President Roosevelt ap-
proved Mr.. Meyers course in urging
restricted union with England
On Oct. 1, 1907, the Universal Postage
union, which governs the internation-
al postal transactions of the various
civilized countries, reduced the rate OF
letter postage from five cents a half
ounce fat to Ave cents for the first
ounce and three cents for each add
tional ounce, which is the present
rate between the United States and
Great Britain, with which we have d.
rect steamship communication, but on
mail to which we have to pay an add.
tional charge to countries through
which It passes in transit. Under the
articles OF the Universal union, any
two states can form a restricted un
ion. Examples OF restricted unions
are those now existing which permit
a two-cent an ounce letter rate be
tween the United States and Cuba, the
United States and Panama, and the
United States and Canada. Postmas
ter.General Meyer believes that thii
reduction in the rate of postage TO th'
United Kingdom ultimately VIII result
in an increase, because It has always
been found that reduction OF the let
ter rates resulted finally in increastni
the revenue. He is also Of the opin
ion that lower postage will lead q