Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-02-14

honorable gentlsman's work may be invalu.
able. The same may DO said of mechanical
inventions; for many Of them are also inyslu
able. The honorable gentleman could not
have put his work in manuscript, even, with.
out most important invention (the pen) of
that description. An inv ention is produced by
intellectual labor; and it is perfected and in
troduced by means Of manual, as we'll as in.
teleetual efforts, and by the expenditure of
capital" When useful, it is as obviously
property as any other production; and tho in
ventor, equitably, has the Same right to the
protection Of Government, in this kind of
which they may have produced. If this
equitable right conflicts with the interests of
the State, let it be ourtailed to the extent that
1t clearly 90 conflicts. Neither justice or good
policy will allow more.
The protection now afforded to difficult and
important inventions, does not correspond With
their value; neither Is it sufficient to enable
the inventors to realize the reward that the
people at large would be willing they should
realize, when no imposition OF sxtortion are
attempted.
Congress, it seems to me, ought not to be 50
grudging Of time to afford inventors an op-
portunity to realize something for thet, tnven.
ttoms-something over and above the ordinary
profits of business, and what they would be
able to realize by the exercise of pre- eminent
skill and faithfulness; for these they could re.
alize without any patent laws whatsoever.
The patent on bona fde useful inventor
Is no hardship upon tho community, for al.
though it nomally protects the inventor in the
exclusive use Of his own production, the com
munity, during the existence of tho patent,
even realize by far the greatest amount of
advantage from the use of the invention
Of what consequence, compared with the
ends attained, is the patentees' thousand mil
liOnth part of mill included in tho three cents
paid for the newspaper which is burdened with
world of intellectual and statistical m after.
and descriptions of men, things, and events,
from every quarter of the globe; all brought
to US with velocities which, q very few years
since would have been considered impossible:
but to attain which the civilized nations would
have been willing to yield to almost any CON.
ceiveable demand?
There is not particle of evidence to show
that the principle of protecting mechanical
inventions has been carried to the utmost that
would be beneficial to the country On the
contrary, every people have increased their
prosperity in proportion as they have extended
protection to this indispensable kind of pro.
perty. Ia.
Discipline in the Navy.-Though the bill
of Mr.. Bocock to this end, which passed the
House yesterday, may do some good, We seri
ously question whether it can be expected to
cure the terrible and growing evil Of insubor.
dination on ship. board, with which tho naval
service of this government has been afflicted
ever since the adjustment of corpereal pun.
ishment therein. We were an original adyo.
cate of that change. but confess our mistake
Subsequent experience has demonstrated tn at
the idea of governing the class of sailors who
require punishment by "moral suasion," is
one Of the baldest humbugs of the age. Such
sailors are not reasonable creatures, it not be-
ing possible to reach their minds so as to con-
troll their conduct by means which are usually
effective with all others. Sailors-men before
the mast-have convinced US that the old
fashion Of managing the unruly seaman is
best, and that unless he stands in fear of the
cat he is the most dangerous and really I'M
manageable man alive. We have yet to find
the first habitually temperate and we'll behav-
cd sailor who does not regard tho Punishment
Of the cat from on ship. board as a grand and
most unfortunate mistake in the legislation Of
Congress
We know that these remarks of ours will
net be popular. But as we aim to publish
the truth, without caring the snap of our fn.
ger whether it is palatable or unpalatable to
he kinks of the $50 called philanthrophy of
.he hour, we here speak our mind freely and
upon this subject. We long to see
he American navy again as efficient as it
vas during the last war with Britain. Yet We
never expect to find it so, until its seamen are
al first class Yankee. born sailors, or until the
ear of instant corporal punishment other
han confinement is again constantly before
ne eyes OF the sailor in whose breast there
) no pride of personal character.
Important and Interesting from Cuba.-We
have letters from Havana to the 3Ist ultimo,
wherein we are informed by our attentive cor.
that the colonial government,
alarmed at the universally of tho discomfort
IN the island, and in order to gain back the
of the Spanish residents, who are
planters and otherwise Shareholders there, has
abandoned all measures looking to the eman-
'ipation of the slaves. That i, to say, the
urther prosecution of all such plans. On the
'lst ult., an English and French feet were
expected to reach Havana from
europe. The first expected to arrive were
wo English "A gun ships.
a Misapprehension.-The Journal of CON-
'ssTes of yesterday, commenting on the rumor
hat General Shields will be rendered BY
he President brigadier generalship in tho
j. S. army in case the proposition to increase
he regular force becomes law ere the ses.
ion ends, starts a constitutional objection to
uch an appointment, viz: that no member of
Congress can be appointed to any Office created
~ law during tho term of his service in the
National Legislature. This is an error tho
disability to which the Journal
efers, applies to civil officers. (See Art. l.,
section or clause 8, of the Constitution of the