Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-08-11
An Enormous Tax on Floar.

of Wisconsin,, IN conversation with
representative OF the New York Tribune
recently gave history of a patent for
milling wheat which threatens 10 i'm
pose tax of millions of dollars OH the
-four consumers ofthe country. lie said:
81 am particularly interested just now
/, in Il citing the infamous pateat-right
swindle which is going TO levy tribute
on every loaf of bread made in this
Country. You haven't heard about iis
Why, its making 4 great sensation in
the West. Is along story, but ! can
give you the gist of it in few moments.
am, by the way, the largest miller in
the United States; my mills being at
Minneapolis, MINI. All millers arc now
using what is called the high process of
! grinding, which was generally intro
duced in this country about 1871, but
had been in use in Europe for fifty
years. | will explain the terms of high
aud low grinding. Low grinding means
the bringing the upper or running mill
stone low down aud in close proximity
10 the neither stone, by reason OF which
the largest amount of -four is derived
from the first grinding, but, as neces-
sarily must be the case, great deal Of
the outer coating of the wheat, toge,h'
er with the embryo, would be reduced
to such fneness as to go into the flour,
and separation was impossible. The
high grinding is the direct opposite Of
the low, aud the object is at the first
grinding TO get rid of bran at once and
make as little flour as possible. This is
done by blowing the bran of the conrso
ground grain or middlings, aud after
wards grinding fine the small white
granules. ] bought my machines in
France. This improved process is now
absolutely Indispensable to successful
milling. Deprive any miller of it and
he is ruined.
"A ring of spectators in Washing
ton have lately got hold Of an old pa
tent never used, and have got il reissu-
eel so as TO cover all the machines for
eifecting the process have described.
1t is called the Cochran patent Alter
quietly taking out the reissue, they
went on without making any noise aud
took suit up to the Supreme Court,
with a man Of straw tor defendant, and
as no real defense was made they easily
obtained decision based OH an opinion
given by Justice Miller. Now this gang
OF patent swindlers are attacking tho
harvest millcrs with suits, expecting to
terrify all the others. They have sin
gled out the Jewels of Brooklyn, tho
Hexalls of Richmond, and my mills at
Minneapolis. They have put me under
bonds in the enormous sun OF $780,
900 pending the conclusion OF injunc-
tion proceedings.
Il learn that the patentees propose to
be magnanimous, and to grant licenses
to such millers as will recognize tho
validity OF their patent for the modcr.
ate sum of $4,000 for each run ofstones,
which for this city alone amounts 20 tho
vast sum $l,200,0o0. While primarily
this great sum would come from tho
millers, really it all comes out of the
farmer and consumeI'at lest, and they
are the real people most interested ia
the defeat Of this enormity. As there
are over 5000 runs o. stones in the
United States this license will amount
to $50, 100000. We are going to bring
this great outrage before Congress next
winter and try TO have the patent can.
celed.
Mr.. BEEcnER CONDEMNS CoMMUNrsM.
In lis sermon AT Plymouth Church
on Sunday evening the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher vigorously condemned
communism. The life of the nation, hv
said, depended upon its individuals as
units, aud once massed in communistic
methods all individuality was gone. The
liberty of the individual was The one
vital thing, and there was no possible
way of maintaining free government
without it. II citizens were angels this
communistic view would be folly, but
as men were, 10 attempt TO transact the
vast affairs Of government in this way,
was 50 wild al idea that only lbeorist
insane by nature and then thrown by
delirium tremcns into q theory could
ever entertain It. Any man who classi-
fed labor or sought 10 antagonize diff
ferent classes was an enemy to his conn
try aud his kind. Every man bad "a
right to all that he could produce, no
matter what il was. The trades unions,
while there was much 10 them TO COM
mend, were upon the whole curse 10
the workingman, because they deprived
him of his liberty. II was Just as odi-
Gus for brotherhood to say TO a mai
81 A. Il. 4 a
hours day as II it was said by a king
with an iron crown. IL was worse
even, for it was better 10 be swallowed
by an anaconda than bitten by five hun
dred little yipers. The test OF all com
biuations, whether by government or
individuals, was, how much or liberty
do they secure 10 the Individually That
was the true test Any combination
that made more Of the individual man,
all over and all through, was useful; and
any combination that tended to restrict
the individuality Of men was pernicioas
and poisonous In the realm OF politi-
cal economy men would be ranked by
their productive powers The place in
the scale where a man stands might be
changed by his own yolition, bat the
scale remained the same. In that scale
the men who represent merely tho bod
lily condition would stand lowest, while
those that represent mind forces would
stand the highest. One man aaid that