The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-09-30


Difference in favor Of New YORK, 81
Gas No er-Number Of Patents issued
Number Of Patents issued to the fifteen
slave States, %
Difference in favor Of New York, as
Glass No. 22-Number Of Patents issued
TO New York, IS
Number of Patents issued to the fifteen
slave States, ~
| Difference in favor of New York,
Total number OF Patents issued TO the free
State Of New York, from 1880 to lS47; Ash
| Total number of Patents ISSUED 10 the
whole fifteen slave States, including the
Distinct Of Columbia, 221b
Total difference favor Of New York, 2295
Hence it appears, that not one-half as many
Patents for discoveries and Improvements have
been issued TO all the slave States in the Union
as TO the one free State of New York. II IS,
moreover, worthy Of note. that here also, as IN
| all former comparisons, the excess Is, IN every
class, in favor Of free institutions.
/ Now II is not easy 10 conceive how a stronger
case could be made out, To show the paIalysing
effect Of tyranny ami servifude upon the mind, the
genius and the enterprise Of a people. And it
should be k7'OwH unto all men, let IL be proclaimed
throughout the Length and breadth Of the land, By
sreTy ioveT Of freedom, that the Empire State, COM
neaciHg NTH population in 1870 Of only 340, l20,
Tess than sixfh Of that Of altle Stare States,
and nth an area Of only 46 220 square miles. less
than Ohe-sirfeeath Of that o. all the Stare States,
has done more, far more, IrithiH The last half cen
iHry, for the advancement Of society, and for hs
aHeiiorafi0a Of the condition Of mankind, By dis
cOreries and Improvements made iH the PrOdRetirs
and economic arts, and in the applications Of sci
eRee and Of the POuers Of nature to the practical
purposes Of life, than all Of the fifteen Stare States
Of the Union. This proud prominence which
the State OF New York occupies by virtue Of her
numerous discoveries and Improvements made in
arar lA,.ar4a.a1..at ~-.-l 81. ih.
useful arts, over allthai fair portion Of our great
country where tyranny and seTvitude reign, Is
one Of the legitimate fruits OF her free institu-
tons, and Of the general intelligence of her PeO-
pic- ~ iCSdii Adiib 1tthhi
to attract the attention Of rejecting and ntelli-
gent men. II will require bnt an imperfect
knowledge Of the extent To which New York has
availe herself OF the AMI Of the powers Of nature
in the work Of production, 10 convince such men
that the labor performed annually foT this great
State, by natural agents through the appliances
OF modern science and art, Is probably far great.
CT than that yielded with reluctance and extorted
by the lash, from all the six hundred thousand
slaves of the Old Dominion, and Of her proud
daughter, Kentucky.
The facts now before the reader suggest many
! interesting subjects for reflection, to few Of
which only, will call attention.
lit will be observed, that in every cumpar
lson which has been instituted Of the improve
ments that have been made in that department
of industry to which the slave States claim TO De
exclusively devoted, the difference has been
J found TO belargely in favor Of the free States
2.-There can be no doubt, but that a large
proportion OF the inventions and discoveries
which have been patented for the slave States,
were either suggested by Improvements that had
been previously made in the free States, OF were
actually made by persons who had either emi.
grated from the free States, or had been educa-
tedether in the schools Of the free States, or by
teachers who originally came from the free
States.
Total number Of Patents issued from
the Patent Office in Washington,
from 1870 to to 1917, 1899
. Total number Of Patents issued to the
slave States during the same penOd, 2,276
Now could we deduct from these 2,276, all
those that either drtctlyoT indirectly, had then
origin in the free States, take it that the num-
Der for which the slave States could claim
credit, won1 become Ub0antifally lsss," 20 a
degree that would somewhat suIpnse our ingeni-
Gus and inventive gentlemen.
Awhile the inventions patented at Wash
rngton are an important and convenient crte-
non by which to estimate the progress made in
the arts in a given time, they are by no means
the only criterion. Many new and valuable
processes are annually discovered by our coun-
Iymen, many ingenious and useful combina-
tons OF the agencies and elements OF nature
are devised, and great improvement is made in
the skill and ingenuity Of machinists, Of which
the records Of the Patent Office give us no &C.
J count OF the truth Of this assertion, no one
|, can entertain doubt who knows any thing OF
the processes OF the arts, who at all acquaint
ell with the innumeTable and nameless improve.
ments which mark the path Of their progress &c
lpenectioh.
Now il Is fair to pIes1me-and no intelligent
and observing man whose travels have extended
beyond Mason and Dixon's line will regard the
presumption as bold one-I say It is fair to pre-.
sumo, that large proportion of these unrecopi
; ell Improvements have been made in those por
tons OF the country in which the great mass Of
the recorded ones have had their origin.
ga learned writer has somewhere remark.
Ell, that "Thep hilosophic study Of facts may be
undertaken for three different purposes: the sim
pie description Of the facts; theiI explanation OF
theirpreiiction; meaning by prediction, the de-
termination Of the conditions under which simi-
lar facts may be expected again 10 occun." We
have already INDUCED quite extensively in the
descriptive. In the way Of explanation we have
occasionally made a suggestion, while as a
prophet, We have said little. and our pretensions
have certainly not been high. In the present
stage Of our enquines, we feel strongly inclined
toturn philosopher, and to inquire with all ear