Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-13
DAILY
POST . INTELLIGENCER
1yJURIOUs CONTRACTS.

0SJCRuOuS 9ONbWA&bss
Patent laws create monopolies. The
affect OF the issuance of a patent Is 10
vest in the successful applicant the eX-
elusive ownership for term OF years
of something which the officials OF the
Patent Office, after investi Sation and
examination of existing models. declare
to be al idea or mechanical coiitr'-
ance. or both Combined. hitherto uhdia-
covered and unappropriated. Inc POI
icy of issuing patents to inventors i
good, II stimulates ingenuity anu re-
wards successful efforts 10 cohter oehe
6,s and add to the progress OF the age
The fact that the privileges cofisfieu
ara liable to be. and frequently are.
grossly abused does not dlsproPe the
statement that the principle IS correct.
We are all aware that by second ana
third extensions of the terms OF many
useful patent rights the public has been
forced to contribute vast sums III eA-
cess of what would be Just recon-
peuse TO the inventor. Huge corpora
tions have been formed and by pur-
chase from inventors have obtained con
troll of certain essential patents upon
nrominent labor saving inventions, and
thus have been enabled to largely over
charge the public Notably has this
heen the case with moving reaplng
and sewing machines. On the last OF
these the royalty exacted WAS long con
tiuued and very heavy. The telephone
is late invention. 1t Is covered by let
t .rs patent. 1t is destined to he more
widely used and of greater practicai
bsnefit to the world than the telegraph.
Its inventor Mr.. Bell. has realized al
ready royal harvest. 1t Is Just tfat
man, who by his research and ngenui-
ty has conferred so great a boon upon
mankind, should be paid royalty but
there are. or at least should be, limits TO
the privilege of taxing the public. 1t
il claimed that telephone wires eau be
furnished at the rate Of - per mile. IL
in evident that the machines are mex
pensive, and that bat for the patent
Royalty, telephoning would soon tie so
cheap that every farmer could ENJOY ITS
labor and time saving benefits. This
however, cannot be done until the terms
covered by the patents expire.
Telephone stock to the amount of over
100000, 600 is now atloat III the conn-
try. The actual cost of the plant. that
il to say the wires, machines, etc, will
not probably aggregate one wen
tieth, certainly not one-tenth, that sum.
The rest is water. Upon the whole
amount the patrons of the several or
CARNATIONS pay first class DIVIDEND 5
This, while probably unjust, Is
legal 80 long as the patents
hold good. There are certain
contracts, however, in connection with
this business which, like recent con
tracts made between transportation
companies, are public injuries and
should be declared illegal. Such is the
ono between the Western Union Tele-
graph Company and the Eell Telephone
Company, wherein it is stipulated that
the former, which controls the Edison
patents. will abandon telephoAing on
consideration Of receiving 20 per cent.
of the profits OF the latter company
coupled with a guarantee that no tele
phone line of over fifteen miles should
DO erected. While there may be no
grounds for denying the moral and To-
gal right Of two rival companies to en-
tor into contract to divide their earn
inRs, or even TO refrain from competi-
ton ia given area of country, there is
certainly great reason to question the
right of any combination to restrict the
use of an invention or to abridge its
usefulness by limiting, as i'll this case
the distance over which it may be oper
OsOu' = nc RuhIhllcc VI cACiuSiNe oWH
ership to an inventor should not, and
we believe does not. extend 80 far AZ -
permit him to abridge or restrict the
use Of a discovery to its full capacity.
while at the same time granting him
permission to levy upon its use All un-
restrained tribute. Ii a telephone line
can be successfully operated fifty or a
hundred miles. it should be so utilized
and the fact that it may in such case
compete in more or less degree with tel
egraphio business shoaid not be good
consideration for II contract restrict
ing the length of its line. The
telephone occupies field distinct from
that Of the telegraph and probably al
ways will continue to do so. The pub
lie is entitled to the benefits of both to
the full extent of their capacity for fill
ing its needs, especially when il has
through the issuance of patents com
PEELED itself to pay royal tribute for the
privilege.