Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-09
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Especial to The Bulletin.) }

is considerable speculate here as to the outcome of the Colby nomination for secretary of state. Will the sen-a ate confirm him, after delay that suggests a case of teasing the4 mouse" or will he be rejected? It is quite certain no immediate action will be taken by the foreign relations committee before which the appoint ment must be considered, as the trea- ty is taking up all their time. They will look pretty carefully into. the qualifications of MT. Colby, for the senate resented regardless of party, the method resorted to by the preSi-
 dent in dismissing MT. Lansing from the {. i. sinet.
 LoUAlng back over the files of cab
 inet appointments it is found that in
 number of instances rejections of
 the presidents choice have been
 made. In every case. the rejection
 came between the years 1884 and 1868 inclusive, during which times the factional fights between the whigs
 and democrats. and the aftermath of
 the Civil war, were in marked promi- hence. President Jackson named Roger B. Fancy secretary of the treasury in 1884, and his prompt re- | jection by, the senate was the first onl record. The most noted instance was
 when Caleb Cushing of Massachu- | ] SCllS WGS llll OO l4AAACS 1CJSSNSu AOA cabinet positions. This was during | | the Tyler administration which fur nished three others, as Greene, Por- | ter and Henshaw were all rejected for 1 l cabinet offices under the same ad
 ministration. Twenty years later l President Johnson named Stanbury | attorney general. but resigned to de- fend Johnson in his impeachment l l trial, and on Johnson'S acquittal was promptly renominated, with all 1 equally prompt rejection following,
 There is one precedent for leaving a 1 cabinet nomination unacted upon,
 that was Ewing in 1868. so any sort
 of action the senate may select for
 Colby will have a precedent.
 1 Connecticut men carrying on large | industrial concerns appealed to the members of congress from that state to aid in securing more. prompt ser
 vice from the patent office, and Mir. 1 Merritt of the fourth and MT. TilSon
 of the third districts took up the mat
 ter with vigor. MT. Titson made a i personal investigation into the cause i of delay and found it was largely due to the fact that expert employees Of that department are underpa4d and so are tolled away to other branches
 of service or private concerns by larger salaries. He at once brought lll0 UldlLGI u tue dlISitlOIl O1 GOt1- | gross and asked an official investiga
 ton be made and steps be taken to l remedy the situation. MT. Merritt
 likewise took up the matter. This
 week when the bill for that purpose Il was before the house MT. Merritt made strong speech urging imme
 diate acton to relieve existing con- ditiens. He called attention to the
 fact that all the electrical industries,
 the rubber industry. telegraph. tele-
 phone Wireles and in fact all the
 great world inventions of modern civ ilization are under control of patents and that it is of the utmost import 4 anee to the industrial world that , quick and accurate information can be obtained from the patent office. It
 takes experts to give that informa- tion, and with a shortage of, expert [ examiners and other clerical help at 5 the patent office great loss to man ] ufacturers follows. He referred to f the manufacture of arms and am D munitions and to Connecticut inter | ests at some length. He urged ade- I, quate salaries and every means to ex- pedite the work.
 The bill passed and at the end of , the present fiscal year better service r will be obtainable as the appropria- | tion has passed the house. giving an n increase of $500,000 over that of pre- o vious years in the matter of salar-
 ies, and the senate will doubtless ac- ' cept it. The committee report show ed that the salary paid by outside : companies was frequently twice that - of the patent office, men earning jt $270O in the patent office left to as ,fi sume $4500 positions elsewhere.
 - The hearing before the ways ant
 means comm lttee with reference tt :1 loc ell fO,. ie @ under way and is of course of the V very first importance. Any Iegisla- :. tion to effect the objects desired vii call for a huge appropriation, the ef = feet of which will be felt by every 'r family in the United States. Bu l. this should not be the first cons d 'ei eration in such legislation. Tn, is first consideration should be to d. )r justice to all those who were in tn service. Justice would seem to cal ,+ for first attention to those who wer Dt wounded and otherwise disabled, an IL that has been to a large extent take e- taken care of by congress in tn > Sweet law and other laws An le complaints on that score at the pres le ent time must be directed largely to lg ward the administration of the la7 1e rather than to the law itself. Com ;u menting on the matter Congressma lii Merritt said:
 'h When it comes to doing justice t
 those who are not disabled, the res
 difficulties begin. It should be born
 in mind that we are dealing with
 select class of young men most ( ue whom are in rugged health and mos t- of whom have employment. Ali
 which would take the form of makin
 these men better citizens and bette on producers in their own interest an ed the interest of the nation might | np justified but it is a question whetht
 a straight bonus or gift indiscrim
 nately to all men in the service wou not do more harm than good. While ne is of course true that the serviC -te these men have rendered especial be those who have been overseas, cam / be compensated for in money, it
 also true that the motive which al un tuated them was patriotism and u I,a service of their country. When tht
 went abroad they had no idea in mir Hr of bonus or present of any sort. ]
 make such a present to those WI
 do not need it and many of whom Ia not want it is questionable. It is n ms a healthy thing in any nation to hal if any considerable body of men WI
 join together and who use their cor
 bined strength to make demands u
 on the government for their own i ad terest. Every one appreciates tn zen the object of the legion is patriots h. and service to the country, and it
 certain that many thoughtful men the legion view a straight bon
 with alarm. This is eviT1al1 ced 44'