The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-05
AFFAIRS In THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Our Washington Correspondence

WAsHlN0TON, Jan. q, 1901.
The Schemes before Congress-VAat are Thsy?-
The Lobby full Of Business. &c.
As the several schemes for the extension and re-
vival Of patents are now ripening. and may at any
moment be sprung upon Congress, an exposition OF
the character Of some Of The most prominent will
not be out of place a. this time. Those which are
being most actively pressed and involve the largest
amounts, are the Hayward Sulphur India rubber
patent. McComick's reaper patent; woodworths
planning machine, and Colts pistol patent.
Hayward setks revival OF his expired Sulphur
patent, for renewal of which he made application
to the Commissioner of Patents, and was refused on
the ground that bis case did not possess any merits
The facts of the Hayward application are these:-
When the process of manufacturing India rubber
was carried on by djssolvng the raw material in
turpentne the difficulty was in drying the mixture
after 1t made and various sorts OF powders were
tried. Among others, Hayward was engaged in the
business, and finding that white lead, lamp black,
&C, would not dry the MIXTURE he dreamed one
night as he swore in the New Jersey case. that the
-four of sulphur would. The next day he tried
it, and found that it operated about as well as other
similar dry powder, or somewhat better. Practi-
cally, however, it WAS Of no value, and the whole
busiIess failed for the want OF means to make
the rubber dry and to keep it in the presence of
heat. Every one remembers the goods made by the
Roxbury India Rubber Company, in Massachusetts,,
in which Haywards sulphurous dream was used. The
goods all stuck together when exposed to the air, and
the company were compeledto dig hole and bury
t. EN- in the ground at loss OF some $50 ,OO0 After
this failure it was supposed the matter was finally
disposed of.
About this time Charles Goodyear appeared, and
after q struggle of years. under circumstances of
discouragement sufficient to deter hero succeeded
in producing the invention Aow known over the
whole world as vulcsnized India rubber. This ma
teral is a new substance, chemically. 1t resists
cold and heat and cannot be dissolved by oils or
acids. Its value is incaculablc, and has earned for
its inventor the Grand Gross of the Legion OF Honor
the oLly one ever given to an American citizen.
In this compound, sulphur, among other things, is
used SO that if any one could monOp0lze that ma
terial it would in fact control the great invention.
Goody ear being poor man was compelled to sell,
and license his improvements for nominal sums,
to various companies, now kno~n as the indiA
rubber monopoly. AS an laetance OF the sacrifices
he was compelled make he sod the car spcing
right now worth mAlions-for So 900, which he
considered large sale in comparison with all
others. But out OF this iDvention the monopoly have
grown great whilst Goodyear actually In the
debtors prison, in Paris, when he received the
Grand Cross OF the Legion OF Homer sst year. IL
y
this monopoly, and could grant licences to them
the extension would be for the benefit of he In
ventor, not of the assignees, who generally have
plundered him. But that would not suit these
gentlemen, who want to control Goodyear. IL
Goodyear de- Tres an extension OF his patent he will
NOT he compelled 10 seeS special Legislation and the
corruvlions Of Congress- HIS applieaton viii 80 t.
the Comm ssiontr u Patents, aud he de ded on its
merits slore. Therefore few OF the assignees have
ccnnved together with Hayward to apply to Con
gress 'or revival Of his patent, which Good
year rendered valuable by inyenting something with
which IL could be used toe intention OF these peo-
pie being 20 shut ont Goodyear, as he can only us
bis patent by combining 1t with sulphur, as tirs
step, of no value in itself, but without which tn
further chemical process by which yulcanzed rub
Der u produced cannot go on.
On iis face the application of Hayward ooks fair
enough apart roe: Its character OF special egisla-
ton. IL il only to give poor man (as he repre-
sents bmselD an extension. or rather revival OF q
patent tor little thing which will burt no one; bu
in fact, 1t is 10 give TO q set Of monopoliss power
To continue the Indian rubber monopoly for
their benefit, who, without possessing the me
nts Of Inventors, are to reap the rch reward.
Hayward has grown wealthy out OF the business, by
obtaining from Goodyear share OF his interest,
under IreteDce that otherwise he would swear Good
years title out Of court.
The effect Of such proceedings as detailed above
il, that the whole country becomes disgustrd with
applications tor patent extensions while at the same
time they would gladly aid men Of real merit who
had failed 10 receive remuneration for their nycn
tons
In the present case the India rubber monoposis
will IN elect have an extension OF their monopoly,
by the sd Of this sulphur bill, for seven years, and
equal. At low cash valuation TO putting into the
pockets Of these already plethorc companies twenty
tn thirty million dollars. 1t u very evident that with
such splendid results the Hayward scheme will be
pressed to a solution. One great chance in its favor
Is, that it slipped through the senate sst session
II passing without 6eba,e, for the simple reason that
was supposed TO he very sna bill for the relief OF
- poor This session II Is TO he as quietly slpOed
through the HouFc, unless the expose may have the
effect OF calling attention 10 its character Is said
the Patent Committee In all right, and the frc-
quept calls az the rooms Of its managers would go 70
show that it has attentive friends. Haywood says
he has made nothing out OF the patent and yet pre-
sents the singular spectacle OF laying out large sums
OF money In order 70 secure its revival.
The " bill for the relief Of Cyrus ". Mccormick
as IL IN termed, lost in the Senate last session,
after full debate. IL was shown that Mccormick
sought revival OF patent tor the first crude in
vention, not for the patent for his present machine
which has several years to run and that the object
OF this was ~ prevent any one from improving on
machine which never was Of any benefit to the Dub
lie or the owner but the monopoly Of which in Nc
Cormick's hands will prevent competition with his
present reaper This bill is pressed also by strong
lobby.
The Colt pistol bill is the same so fully discussed
by the HERALD three years ago. Colts patent cx-
pires In February next and the bill must therefore
be passed this winter, II at all. An exmembcr
Of Congress from Massachusetts is its engineer, and
the idea is to og roll with free WOOL railroad iron
&c. As Colonel Colt Ia rich and renewal Of his
patent by Congress will add greatly 70 his wealth,
bis chances Of success are fair fbe Is only willing
10 divide literally.
There are several other schemes before Congress.
Amongst these Ii the rise bill-a measure TO refund
the duties on goods destroyed by fire. Whilst the
principle under certain notifications may be correct,
the bill in question is drawn up 10 take thou
sands out Of the Treasury for the benefit of insurance
companies, who, having already received the pre-
miums on the fire risks. now seek TO trick the gov
eminent into paying them over again for tdeir
l,ses In other words, these insurance companies
having lost, wish the government to stand in their
shoes, and thus practically become the insurers OF
insurance companies. IL this "heads I win, tails
ytu loose" policy t. % he adopted insurance com.
panies stock will b, 20 invaluable.
There Is also q ,,t rretty plan, in which, by
the way, Thurlow Weeu has q leading interest, for
the purchase Of two hundred acres OF an island in
Georgia for q naval depot This is 10 come up
soon-the bill passed the Senate last session withou
debate.