New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-11
The Patent ONCE.

beg leave % request You 70 publish a few re-
marks upon the article Of your correspondent Merton,
in your paper of Thursday asst II contains attack
upon the Patent Office. which appears TO have been
prompted BY Of fancied wrong entertained by
party whose name De easily guessed at And 81.
thoughts lot suspected that this party s the
author the direct promp;er Of the writer Of thai,
article t Is clear that breaihes throughout his feel
ings OF angry disappointment In respect 20 the head
of the Department i 10 well known that under the sys
tom which has unluckily prevailed at Washington
since the beginning Of the Administration Of General
Jackson he obtained HE Office reward for political
services snd By the removal Of political opponent
lie has feta certainty of being removed II the Wing
party succeeded in eectng their candidate and be
been warm and open opponent of the election Of Gen
Taylor With many others Of his supporters the vri
tor hopes that the Of that dsng ushed per
son will have great effect in modcrstiuc the rancor
of party prescription and restoring the practice Of the
earlier and better days of the Republic, when eli
Gent and faithful officer who had not prOsttuted his
station a. the bsscr designs of party ever removed
tor the quiet exercise Of his elective franchise But
even with the return Of such hacyon days Mr Burke
can hope for favor aud h. Is rot b be- blamed for
his oNcrton Ia the late Election, having fairly stskcd
his office the chance OF the bailot-bOx. Ills most
ardent opponents however. cannot sege that his
tons In politics have diverted his attention from
the business of his Office that the least bias has been
exhibited his official decisions favor OF brother
LocoFoco. or against Wing applicant
Il NAV be- next remarked thar the decisions Of the
Commissioner Of Patents not hna u he refuse 10
Patent appeal remains 10 the Courts OF the
Unitsd States 10 Is therefore evidence Of weak
when the appointed remedy for his - not resort
ed To- and appeal 10 popular feeling made through
the newspapers In the 10 which your CORES
pendent refers the Patent not refused because the
applicant was a foreigner. but because be claimed 4
priority over an American Pslentee upon discoveries
that were not made public Al the time the Patent was
granted the latter aud this decision made by the
Commissioner upon the adyice OF the legal officers Of
the Administration. whose opinion 10 before the public
Your correspondent appears Ia intimate pretty strong
y that more VI the officers OF the Pstsst
Office has iasihed dates. Upon this point IL - only
necessary To say that 1t impossible that this can have
been done without some tact IN contradiction of the
alsdcstiOn being visible the records of the office
There many checks upon the several officers u
permit date 20 be enormously given without the Ger
tainty of detection, unless m the almost impossible
contingency that the records should be mutlsted by
league between the clerical and the scientific depart
ments and IN this ease the mutilat0n would DC rs
good evidence OF mayersgton the uninjured record
would De OF iasehood Here again similar
proof OF a thst does not venture 10 bring It's
charges b the test of legal process
Your correspondent seeks 20 raise popular odlum
agsinxf Mr. Burke by referring 10 the salaries paid
under the late law 10 the scentic corps OF the Patent
Ohce. Whether these be exorbitant or not the Com
missioner IL not responsible IL Is well-knOsn fact
that the delays attending the issuing Of patents bad be-
come a crying evil and had with other difficulties under
witch inventors lsb0rci become the subject OF cOn.id
Grafton with a Convention held In this City Ia October
80. This Convention suggested as remedy an in
In the number Of examiners and assistant and
putting their salaries upon such footing A. would IN
sure that they should remain In the Office after their
experience bad made them efficient An instance was
quoted Ia support Of the latter suggestion, where the
Oldest and valuable Of these officers had sought
profitable occupation, and Il was urged that the
-. .ttn frtFA
that Of the public these officers paid had right 20
be heard In naming the salary by which alone they
could hope 10 nave their work well done.
These salaries fixed after two years deliDers
ton by Congress and no one who knows the eXten,
Of knowledge and tho amount Of labor that these ON
demand, consider them az being large
After the delay the force Of the scientific corps
was increased by law IN the new appointments the
writer hes good 10 know that none Of them were
made reward for party service, and that the Com.
s.ioner looked solely ~ qualifications That be DID
80 IL also record 10 proceedings before the Courts Al
Washington the Cabinet and the House Of Representa-
IN these Il appears that he passed ~ one VINO
then claimed D be political snd personal friend u
appoint stranger whose politics were unknown 70
him because be considered the latter more likely 20
prove efficient officer The wisdom Of the COmmis'
sioners choice OF Examiners, and the sautary action
Of the new law has been proved by the results AZ the
time IL into effect nearly twice As many applies.
tons for Patents came IN monthly as could De disposed
Of and the business the docket had accunuaLrd 70
such an extent as o be than year In arrear In
the Of less thsn six months nine months OF ar
rearages cleared OF. beside keeping up with the
apple atoms and one halt more cases are no" DIS
posed Of monthly than presented Tor examination
Ia thus removing the accumulated business and daiy
essening the delay 10 which applicants for Patents
have for years been subjected the Commissioner
and Examiners have encountered labor wnlen mas
impaired the health OF more than OF them, and
could not have been undergone, without the certain
prospect OF speedy relief by the clearance Of the docket
A MEMBER oF THE CONVENTION Oh INVENTORS.
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