The national Republican., 1861-10-10

How far the principle Of requiring so benef'
,ent branch of the Government service as the
Patent Office to defray ell Its own expenses
,ccords with sound policy and the popular will, |
we shall not at present inquire, but shall as
sumo that neither principle nor policy can de-
mand of it more than this; and, further, that
in exactng this justice calls for the exercise OF
the utmost discretion and the most rigid
economy. The public welfare is its primary
object the protection Of inventors, however
equitable, Is but an incident, yet an incident
essential to the primary aim.
At present, this Office is laboring under
most extraordinary depression, resulting from
many causes The practical withdrawal Of a
number of States from the Union is popularity
supposed to be the sole cause, but 1t is not 30
The applications for letters patent from cit
zens of the States in rebellion were never MI
merous, and the prospective contraction of the
field for vending rights or patented manufac-
tures, 1t is believed, has not operated seriously
npon the minds Of inventors The transition
stage of business brought with It the usual con.
comitants Of a panic, and a temporary paraly-
sic, in which inventors have shared, to an equal
extent. with Others and from which they are
reviving with the rest of the community, but
only to this extent can the Patent Office be re
garded as suffering from the general evil Of the
day. It has sources of depression peculiar TO
itself, as we shall attempt to show.
In the first place, prior to the law Of March
2, 1861, the fee payable on making application
for a patent was thirty dollars; that law reduced
1t TO fifteen dollars
Secondly. Every person applying prior to
that date was permitted to withdraw twenty
dollars of the thirty paid in, upon being re-
jected. This right applied to large number
of cases then pending; and, special attention
being called to it because Of the chang, hur
dreds of former applicants who had not exacted
such return went up and presented their de-
mands, to the serious depletion of the Patent
Office fund.
Thirdly. Though the new law calls for an
additional fee of twenty dollars upon the grant
of a patent a very large number Of those who
have been notified of the favorable result Of the
examination choose TO regard such notice as
Sufficient evidence of patent, and 20 with
hold the fee from the Office until satisfactory
sale Of rights or some other circumstance shall
render the parchment desirable. Thus many
thousands OF dollars are kept out of the Treas
ury, aud the apparent or published list is much
less than the real number Of patents allowed.
Fourthly. The new law has created, in the
Patent Office, as a tribunal Of appeal, board
Of examiners in chief, which supersedes the
board of principal examiners, formerly sum,
moned at discretion, by the Commissioner, and
which former board would not have beeu
needed in the recent dearth of business. II is
true that important advantages, of a pecuniary
nature, are demonstrated to have accrued from
the creation of the new board that other and
higher benefits are unquestionably realized
and that it is constitute d Of gentlemen of grea
ability and integrity; yet. it is proper to emu
merate it as among the objects occasioning pcs
iiveincrease Of expenditure, aud, consequent,
contributing to the late apparent depression.
Filthy. The new law requires the printini
VI III SpcS'hooNiShs' piioi W INC Issuc vi pu'
ents, at ae expense Of the office revenues !; an,
we are informed that this will involve an eS
penditure Of many thousands of dollars for tn
present year.
Sixthly. The fees for patents to foreigner
are by the present law reduced to the sam,
rates as to American citizens, with the reason
able expectation that there would be yer,
large increase Of applications from abroad
but this has not been realized, doubtless be
cause information Of affairs in this country
80 limited in Europe, and the representation
Of danger to the existence of our Governmeu
are so magnifed, as to lead to the belief tht
an American patent is no longer desirable.
Never has an officer of our Government Ell
tered upon the discharge of duty amidst create
complications and embarrassments than NJ
Holloway has encountered and never, "
may add, has an officer met such dificultit
with greater patience, forbearance, and wei
directed assiduity.