The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-19

| ties In said quotations.
| When write to person of limited knowledge
who uses cant, sometimes use some Of bis cant
when IL seems probable he will understand such
writing, but will not understand correct writing.
| /, In few instances, used some OF your cant
merely because thought you would be more likely
TO understand IL than any other language. Is
| proper for me to adapt my writing, IN some nea
sure, to the capacities of thoFc to whom write
| IL Is no less incumbent on you, than on me, TO
write with propriety and II you are not capable OF
doing so, you should resign the office OF Commits
| sioner of Patents.
part of one of your letters of April %, 1916,
seems to me to be unsuccessful attempt to ridi
| Guile me for claiming what did. Commissioner
of Patents ought TO know better than to rldicule
applicants for patents account of their claims,
when the Commissioner Is as Ignorant OF the sub
| ject claimed you But made no reply to
your insults till moro than fourteen months after
you sent said letter 10 me- and till after had re-
ceiyed your attack OF June 2, lSi7. do not ac-
you of intending TO write improperly in every
instance in which you do write So One reason of
| your not being able to write very clearly on me
chanics is that you have not very clear conceptions
of mechanical principles. II is not to be believed
that person has very clear conceptions OF mechan
ical principles who calls them ''matters of sub
stance"
| AS you urge me to indicate that ] respect you,
or 20 the Office" will give you additional proof
of the improperly of my complying with your
| wish II Commissioner OF Patents were worthy
! of respect, and had done nothing which deserves
disrespect, he undoubtedly should not be treated
unexpectedly but it is not necessary in such
case to indicate respect in writing to him. There
is no statute which requires people to indicate, IN
their letters to Commissioners OF Patents, that they
| respect the Commissioner. And some OF the forms
ofletters to Commissioners of Patents which have
been published for the OF those having business
at the Patent Office, have some expressions OF re-
spcct, and others have no expression indication
of respect for the Commissioners. The term honor
| able is in few instances prehxed to the name OF
the Commissioner, where IN Tact the commissioner
mentioned was an honorable man. have prehxed
/ this term 10 your name in all the letters which
have addressed to you. But believe that
:" Hon." as prefxed to your name ID now
/ generally regarded a mere form, without
| implying any respect; and 80 use it, But su3-
pect such apparent incongruity is regarded as
| improper by come people, as have observed that
some eminent individuals, who have had full means
| of knowing how you have conducted while you
| have been Commissioner of Patents, now write OF
| you in your official capacity without using this
| prefix. Though it is common, especially in legal
instruments, TO continue to write old forms, which,
il understood according TO their literal or original
meaning, would appear absurd; as, IN this IN,
stance, you may not comprehend 1t iuly,l VIII
therefore illustrate 1t by another instance AC-
cording to ancient custom, the crown in com
missoning the Lord Lieutenant Of Ireland. called
1 him "my dearly beloved cousin" though they
might not be related to each other. certain man
was mischievous, and gave the crown SO
much trouble, that the crown called him the
devil; and he believed that, if this individual were
made lord lieutenant, he would be less trouble
some; and the crown was informed that a COM
| mission was prepared, excepting blank was LETT
for the insertion of the name of the person to be
appointed and he Immediately ordered the blank
| to be filled by inserting ''the devil" You may
perceive that in the phrase, "My dearly beloved
cousin, the DEVIL the adjunct to the name Ia not
to be understood literally; and you will probably
be able to extend this method Of constituting TO an
| adjunct prefixed to another name.
Ii you consult some person versed In law, you
will be informed that you neither have or ought to
have any authority to establish the absurd rule
which you attempt to impose on me-
| YOUR letter of AUGUST 10. lS47, YOU mean, by
"the Office" yourself, or the author ofthe letters
which have received front You, you prescribe two
conditions in said letter which Inconsistent
viz, that my letter to you, the author OF those let
ters subscribed by you, should be both respectful
and proper. It is improper to treat person re-
spectfully while it is known that he is unworthy of
respect; therefore, it is improper TO comply with
your prescriptions The claim of unworthy office
holders to have people, they say, respect the Of
| fees they hold while it is known that the incum
bents are unworthy of respect, Ia absurd Do you
mean, when you urge people TO respect "the Office,
| to have them respect you merely because you hold
the Office while it is known that you are unworthy
of respect? This is a free country But if its In
habitants were bound to respect, or to pretend TO
| respect what they know ID unworthy of respect,
and what it is impossible for them to respect, it
could not be called free country with any pro-
| priety. The slavery of the mind is infinitely more
abject than the slavery of the body; and slavery
of the mind is more serve than this slavery which
euch oficeholders desire.
Though some inventors and patcntagenis flatter
you grossly to accomplish their objects, shall not
descend to the immortality and meanness oil hattery
to avoid litigation, or for any other purpose.
| If you make it necessary for me to prove you I'M
worthy of respect, it is proper for me TO do 80. If
| you do not want such proof you should not make
| it necessary for me to give il.
| No one while holding the Office of Commissioner
OF Patents, however ignorant he may be OF the du-
ties of the office, should neglect its duties and de-
vote his time to political party purposes. 1t has
been mentioned, in discussion in Congress, that you
devote part of your time TO party politics; 1t has
| haa, all, IoI a. 10,
| mon talk; while it is we'll known that those hav
ing business at the Patent Office often wait months
| before it is even impcrfecty transacted. AS be-
! eve the common report is true, it must be cause
OF my disrespeCting you. ii, as is generally be-
| ieved, your devotion to party purposes was the
cause of your being appointed to the office, this Is
no justifiabe cause for your holding the office and
continuing to devote your timo to such purposes,
while the business in the office ia improperly de-
| layed and impcrfectly DONE
You say that the salaries allowed by law to
| the examining clerks in the Patent Office are not
sufficient TO retain the services OF capable men
| The salary provided by law for the Commissioner
of Patents was suppos to be sufficient to procure
| a person who is intelligent, and who would devote
his time to the duties of the Office Such person
has, and can again, do the business Of the Office
better than il is done, without paying any
higher salaries TO the clerks than are provided by
| law. The manner in which the business is now
done the Patent Office is quito as much proof of
your ncompetcncy negligence a5 il is of defects
Ill the law III, in consequcnccof your negligence,
the former letters which you sent to np were pre-
| pared by your incompetent clerks, and subscribed
| by you without your knowing their contents, you
deserve censure for your negligence. And If it
might at one time have been suspected that for
such reason, you not fully accountable for
the letters which you sent TO me, it cannot now be
maintained that you are not fully accountable; be-
cause you say in your letter OF August 10, lS41,
that my letters of the 18th and 30th OF July were
received during your absence from the city, and
as il appears that the reply was delayed for your
| return, and that the matter received your atten-
ton at the time your reply was prepared; and, as
| ! am also informed by others, that you gave your
attention to the subject; and you in reply ex-
press disapprobaton of your former letters, but
! prescribe mine, it cannot now be maintained that
you not fully accountable for all which is in
| your said ettcrs; and in replying, you have fully
committed yourself, and given additional proof OF
your being more worthy of respect than they
indicate their author TO be.
wish you to deliver to Mr.. j. James Greenough,
patent agent of Washington, certified copy OF
each of the following patents including drawings,
specifications, and claims, or, OF all of them which
are recorded in the Patent Office George w Hen
/ l. IL