New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-20
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",NrERNAL MACHINES" NOT PArENrABLy

INTERNAL MACHINES NOT PArENrABLy
WasHrSoros, "Wednesday, Nov. 10, 1881.
The Commissioner Of Patents hss njscted the app6.
cation of John McLary for letters patent iof n N.
proved "policemans club" The model ottas cisbs
about twelve inches long, 10 round, and about "A inch
and a quart ~ in diameter. it has smooth and pe.
shed surface. and resembles the baton generally bsns
by police and other officers. Its exterior gives 10.
dcation of its real character cape bities. ls bafe
is followed, ard within is an ingenious nscasssa
connected with four longtuc NAL "spurs or socs''
which lie concealed In the tube. On touching
tpripg these lsncets leap cN their bidingpscs ssi
through them, by single wrench of the sespos,
most fearful mutation Is itficted on the hand Of ~
adversary who may have grasped It. In the tsosHa
Of street rencontres, it may then be dubbed, and
apcets made to bury themselves at will IN tbs bad
and body of the victim.
The Commissioner says that justice to tbs iavssta
demands the admission that the mechsnsm Of THE
"mniature In fsrpal machine" displays suf6cisn!
city to support patent The law, howsvsf. %
iss wisdom has declared that something bsyood
mere novelty must be established before Pc OFT
cen issue. The invention must not oay be nsv bat it
must be important and useful. Coacsdipg We ssanp
ton that this club would be emineatiy nsesl po'ws
men, is et obviOns that this is too limited me sssrs
of utility to satisfy the Requirements Of the law An
invention to DO patented must not only be useful 70
the few, with 9 chance of being psrn'cioss 70 the
maly but it must clearly appear thss In visw of :"
interests Of tho whole community the good rsialtrs
from it would decidedly prepOndsrate over tn, evil
II the officers of public justic and those lswabdins
citizens who love peace and pursue l., could bsh
duced to defle themselves with this instrument and
could its use be restricted to such, i. might bs CON
psratively harmless; but when IL passes from Ne
workshop of the mechanic who has fashioned it, b
msnifestly beyond the control Of the govsrnnss,
and will find its way into the sarvics
tho brawlirg prAigate as certainly Tie
stiletto seeks the belt Of tbs bravo. Its ma
ufactuIe and distribution through society, uudx
the expectation that good would result thsrsfron'
would be an &C: of folly equaed only by this! Of sss
ing our pathway with horns in the delusive trus that
they would bud and blossom into flowers 81 owa-
proach. It Is barbarous in its every ohsrsctsnapc,
and is as repugpaat to the genius Of our nstitxoaa
and to the morality OF that faith 10 whose shining &
paths legislation strives to follow as Is the scalp
ing knife of the border savage. After other argums'
against granting patent for this Club, the Conmi'
siorer concludes by saying: Whistler viewed as
weapon Of osnse or Defense it 10 adapted 10 the hsod'
of the moet dssolu.e ard the most esstsrdy and en-
IDENTIFY belongs TO the same class as the slung shot
the burglar and the brazen knuckle Of the political
ruan. The national honor would be moro tsrrshs1
by granting patent for the than for the other.