The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-14
Pc tent extensions at washington.

put II Ext "a Billy" is in the field, the candle
is ont aire' Ady.
70 tent Extensions at Washington.
we Fear little OF nothing this session of APP
plica'1ons from patentees to renew patents on
app cal from the decision of the Commissioner.
TIE President had enough last session of at
tempts Of this kind; and as he seems to have
given it up i'm despair, it is to be presumed the
Kitchen Cabinet are rather afraid to move.
There are however over half a dozen appli-
cations still pending before Congress; among
which are that of Mr.. Colt for his pistol, reap
ing machine and others. 1t has been repeated
over and over again in these columns that Con-
gress has no business whatever to reverse the
judgment of the Commissioner of Patents
That officer is the best judge-under the laws
whether patent ought or ought not to be al
lowed to expire; and for q body of two hundred
men to attempt to sit on appeals from his de-
cision is perfectly preposterous. If the Com
missioner be incompetent to discharge his
duties let another be appointed. Dissatisfied
applicants will find plenty of people to take up
their case and present charges against him.
But SO long as his character is unimpeached it
savors both of absurdity and of corruption to
appeal from his sentence to Congress, where by
tar the greater part of the members must be
totally ignorant of the point in dispute, and
even the best informed cannot form SO accurate
an opinion as . functionary whose sole business
it is to attend to such matters.
Applications for renewals of patents would
be less frequent were it not for class of in
dividuals who, as patent lawyers, exercise
some influence both in the House aud
in the lobby. Many of these are mem
bers of the House, and though they do not, it
is it to be presumed, receive pay for their SER
vices as legislators, make quite handsome
thing out of their arguments before the Commits
sioper and committees. 1t would perhaps, be
unfair to charge the bar generally with foment-
them credit for doing so. But that section of
the bar which affects q speciality for patent
cases, is entitled to no such consideration. The
Developments made in the examination be-
fore the committee appointed to inquire into
the charges which arose out of Colts aPplca-
ton last year, show pretty clearly that the rules
followed by patent lawyers are not those of the
Supreme Court or indeed of any judicial body
in the country. The first object sought by
these gentlemen seems to be to bride the press;
the most candid avowals on this head were made
by several witnesses. Five hundred dollars in
hand, and two thousand more in case the pa.
tentee succeeded, were, we are told, the usual
douceur to the correspondent Of an influential
Journal. That this or similar sums have been
paid for the advocacy Of particular claims
through the medium of letters from Washing
ton there seems every reason to believe; with
what success we may Judge from the host of ap.
plicants who thronged the capitol last session
How far the system was general, we can only
conjecture; but the revelations made by the
witnesses show that it was usual, and su.h being
the case, a careful agent would not be likely to
omit any precautioo, however immoral, which
might affect the issue of his clients applica-
ton.
This single practice throws food of light
on the system Of applications to Congress for
an extension Of patent rights. Rights which
cannot be asserted under our free government
without the use of corruption on his wholesale
plan cannot be founded on any solid or sub
stantial basis. Where q man attempts to carry
his point by bribery it is fair to infer that he is
in the wrong Congress will do well to remem-
Der it.
Meanwhile newspaper proprietors will learn
Lesson from the report OF the committee, which
may be Of service to them individually and to
the press at large. The evidence taken before
the committee places it hey ond doubt that
brides have been taken, and to. a very large ex-
tent, by individuals figuring at Washington as
letter writers for the press; and it is not I'M
likely that in many instances communications,
resulting from these corrupt transactions have
found their way into respectable journals.
Negligence on the part Of newspaper editors,
and reliance on the integrity Of correspondents,
fully account for such things. For the future
it is to be expected that proprietors of infuen-
tial journals will exercise more vigilance on
the subject SO that if man pays money to
correspondents for corrupt purposes, he may
lose 1t and his object at the same time.
THAT SERVICE OF PLArE.-The press is
much agitated on the subject of service Of
plate which, as was stated in the HERALD
few days ago, was dropped like founding at
our door on New Years eve When babies
are disposed Of in the like manner, some mark
on their clothing or some PECULIARLY in their
nose, eyes or chin serves afterwards to identify
their unnatural parents; but our founding
bore no such distingus hiug mark and its pa
terDity is shrouded in mystery. This mystery
has given rise to much conjecture; hypothesis
have been put forward without number; and
quite q number Of respectable journals seem
bent on discovering who it was that presented
us with the New Years gift. Some mention
the name OF several distinguished merchants