Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-06-15


they could do it without detection.
But it is difficult to believe that a
whole Congress SO faithless as that
was ever convened. 1t is impossible
to believe that a Congress could be
at once treacherous enough to so be-
tray its constituency, and stupid
enough to record the proofs of its
treachery in the statute books. And
when the American people shall be-
come incapable of selecting represen.
tatives who are proof against such
reckless yillainy, they will do well TO
surrender the privilege of selecting at
all Manifestly the express compan
les are not benefited by the law your
resolution condemns, unless the rates
established by it are higher than the
rates charged by such companies.
The Government rate is sixteen
cents per pound. The maximum
package weighs but four pounds.
The utmest the Government can re-
ceive for the transportation of a
package of third class matter is sixty.
four cents. The average packages
of such matter is found to weigh less
than one fifth Of one pound. The
average sum paid for such transporta-
tons by mail is therefore about three
cents per package At the price the
Government carries parcels across
the continent at that price the Ex-
press Companies will not carry par
GELS from one town to another. am
confident you will find the law of last
winter was not intended to be and
was not, in fact. boon to the ex-
press companies. The whole design,
and the whole effect of it, was to re-
leve the people from paying a part,
at least, of those millions which they
now pay for carrying to market the
various truck, known as third class
mail matter, and to charge that part
upon the individuals especially bene-
flied by the traffic.
Your last resolution demands that
the patent laws be so modified as tC
equally protect the interests of the
inventor of patented articles If
could conceive of modification oil
the patent laws which would equally
protect both inventor and user.
might favor it; but such mod6ca-
ton seems to be impossible. Every
protection given to the inventor is sc
much withheld from the user and
was intended SO to be. All govern
ment, not savage, have thought il
expedient to encourage invention, by
securing to the inventor special rights
to the thing invented. The usua
method is to grant to him and his as
signs the exclusive use of his dis
covery for given period of time
To me that does not seem unreasona
BILE. All law, moral and municipal
secures to the man who makes loco
motive the exclusive right to make i
forever. Why not secure to him
who first discovers the way to make
a locomotive the exclusive right tc
to use his discovery for limited
period. The power to secure sucf
exclusive use is expressly conferred
upon Congress by the Constitution Of
the United States. 1t seems to me
it was wisely placed there, ant
should not be abrogated The pub
lie is not impoverished by the discov.
cry, no matter what the patentee may
charge for his invention. If he ex
cludes the public from the use of i
altogether, during the life of the pat
ent, the public is none the worse fo
the discovers. All that can be sale
is, that during that time the public
is none the richer for it but afte
the patent has expired the public has
the full benefit of it.
| am not unconscious that these
views, on many points, differ from
your own. But they are frankly sub
mitted for your consideration.
am very respectfully, yonr obedi
ent servant, Il. O. HOWE.