New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-23
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
THE PAN.ELENRIC SUIT.
MIR. J. W. ROGERS EXPLAINS HIS ATTITUDE AND
THAT OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OAKLAND

MR. J. W. ROGERS EXPLAINS HIS ATTITUDE AND
THAT OF MISUNDERSTANDING OAKLAND
IN he Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: 1t has been said that the Rogerses and Casey
Young insisted that Attorney General Garland should
bring the suit TO annul the Bell patent This Is a
mistake as far as regards what the Rogerses insisted
on II was not that IL was tho duty OF Garland 10
bring the suit to annu the Bell patent, but that It
was the duty OF the Government to bring the suit !;
the bearings OF this distinction obvious Garland,
being an Interested party, might have stepped asldc
saving substantially: al am an Interested party,
and must sit out las tho judges express ~, but,
IL deemed proper, the Government cam OF course,
carry the suit"
first laid the matter before the Attorney-Gcneral
in a formal official letter and expected him TO step
aside but instead of that honorable course he ignored
nv application, hid out at H0miny Hill until the
thunder of the press woke him up and left the whole
business to the trickery Of Goode, Senator Harris
and Casey Young; whose cabas were revealed and
developed by the Congressional Committee. IL was
further proven that Harris and Young entered into
secret compact with one Benthuyscn, Dutchman In
the South, TO use their influence to bring the Govern
ment suit Cleveland became implicated In this out
rage by upholdlng tho conspirators and went down
dlsgraced-as he should have done, and did every
thing could in my humble sphere, by my pen and
tongue to defeat him. But II is not quite fair to
mix the Rogcrscs up In Government Job with which
they were never connected In any manner, shape or
FORM
As citizens OF the United States they had perfect
right to call upon the Government and 10 demand
the cancellation OF a patent which they believed to
have been obtained by fraud, as the Supreme Court
has Just decided pam Electric suit, in the following
words: " The contention that tho Government should
not take action because remedy existed with private
parties Justice Miller said, did not hold good. Ono
person might bring suit against the holder of patent
and obtain judgment in that peculiar case, and yet
other parties who subsequently, brought suit would be
unable to bring proof The Government alone had
the power to bring suit, which would finally settle
tho whole matter"
This the head and front of the Rogcrses'
offending and they demanded the right in straight
forward, bold and open manner and II their associates
resorted trckcry and signed secret compacts with
out their consent they should rot be mixed up with
the Government job The fact Is that IN the ROgerses'
Chanccry bill, now pending against Garland q Co.,
we charge this job on the perpetrators IN section
A., and will prove H. the Congressional Committee
could not because they were unable to compel
witnesses 10 answer: but a Chancery court can and
will do So put the recacitrants behind the bars
Grover Cleveland Will be the first witness. Respect
fully, j. W. ROGERS
Parthenon Heights, Washington, DC, Nov IA, 1885,