Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-08-06
Patent Rights and Patent Right Agents.

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Invention and the desire Of this age |
to profit by invention are properties
peculiar to these times. One part of
men use up their time 1T improve
ment making, Cor which patents are
expected; another set of men pur-
chase, use and talk about such inn
provements or new machines, and |
still another set-the patent right
agents, hotel keepers, machinis.s,
runners, stage proprietors, railroads,
printers, NC, derive immense profits
out ofthe patent right business, one
way and another.
1t is impossible to make any approx
innate estimates Of the patent right
agents at work in any county or state.
or the immense revenue derived by
them. We sat down to prepare this
article, thinking to make estimates
whilst writing, but we have no data
nor can think of any starting point.
y hat does all this cost, and will the
surplus of the country bear the OUT
lay for these new machines, are lead
ing questions. "No country can af-
ford to live beyond its revenues, is
one of the maxims Of Adam Smith.
In Grant County we make these
safe estimates: The people, the last
six months, have paid out sum to-
tai fully equal to their surplus earn
ings for patent right machinery-say
at least quarter of million dollars
1t is very true, much of this sum was
left in the country by agents and will
make its way back to the people thro
| the landlords, stage proprietors, car
riers, &c, and which in sense will
not be lost as fnality.
Now the question is, will there be a
corresponding gain to the outlay for
such machinery? That is, will the
people-the public, gain in time and
economy, in life and health, and in
tellectual health, enough to square
themselves, and be even with the pats
ent right fraternity? That is the true
question. We have some doubts about
it. May be if they would stop right
here and buy no more patent ma
chimes they could square themselves
on the past.
But, says one, (and this is lit
eral conversation) Nover, you are
having much to answer for in bring
ing about this Internal gang ofpatent
right leaches-half of them no better
than thieves, some of them the worse
villains, liars, &c. You advertise their
wares and puff them, and your paper
reaches all the people, and they
many of them, believe what you
print.
"Now sir, ''are you right and just?
We shall see." We affirm it without
fear of contradiction from any, rogue
or honest man, that nearly every ar
ticle we have advertised and puffed
has proved just what we represented
it to be. We have been deceived.
and expect to be deceived again. We
are paid for advertisements, but for
puffs or notices we are seldom paid
our rule being to not take pay for the
like. We sometimes accept a machine
as a consideration for time spent in
examining and writing out descrip>
ton Of its properties-but always
with the understanding that our
Judgment upon the merits Of the same
shall be free and be given or with
held. Fact is, sir the agents of the
poorest machines prefer not to have
their wares in the newspapers and
Of the best machines we only consent
to notice but part, or such as we
deem useful. The agents very well
know that we refuse to puff many of
their machines at any price. And if,
upon any show Of justice to men of
any calling, we could criticise their
things, it would be our highest pleas
ure to do so. But we have no right
to NEEDLE, and if we did so, it would
only help them, since society claims
its rights of traffic in all things, how
ever worthless. AS an editor, sir, we
understand our business, which,
among other things, is to conduct the
Herald with reasonable fidelity to the
public, especially toward our patrons;
to avoid meddlesomeness; to educate
the people for their protection, pros
perity and good; to leave them just
as much exposed to the Devil and bad |
men as God left them, and to hold |
them accountable for wrongs com.
mitted against God, country and fam
lily. If any man be so big a fool as
to be taken in and done for by patent |
right men, we feel sure that if we |
could save him at all it would be but
temporarily; the very next patent
right man would swallow him Who'll
ly, and nothing for our pains. These
times men have no right to be igno-
rant and be cheated"
"But, said our friend, would it |
not be better for editors to advise |
against the purchase of new machines
for their safety and the general good"
We answered, "No, ormany of the |
machines are useful-vastly useful, |
and to get along without them would |
be worse folly than to suffer scores of
frauds. The grain reapers, threshers,
grain drills, cultivators, family sew,
ing machines, cloths wringers, wash~
ing machines, power looms, &c, all for
the domestic use and all patented.
what would the country be without
And the new machines aud improves
ments, such as the Gang Plow lately
noticed, and to be noticed, you, sir,
could not get the people to do with>
out them. The truth is, those down
on all improvements and patents are
usually men of narrow heads, with>
out souls, fearless, doubling and
boastfully unbelieving, yet so near
simpletons as to be the ottenest cheats
ed of any, and them the men to raise
biggest bowls We prefer the brave
man who goes it with rush, meets
on equal terms the patent right man.
says to him "no," with a scowl, or
'yes,' with hand over, and winning
or losing, never whining"