National Republican., 1888-06-11
PATENT ATTORNEYS.

tory but few people stop to analyze the pro
cesses by which the United states has taken
its place as the greatest and most progressive
no,lntr ~ url..a tho s',- r'ro"''' ,,ly II hsna.
fitted to a greater or IL pue shou.
sands of labor.sayir" is that native
genius has brought me number is
few OF those WhS .sIDe the value of these
brain products ~ who care TO spend an odd
hour or two n/studyinG the fertility of the
human mlnd fld the value of the patent laws
in protectinI(ho skillful inventor from con.
scienccless Competition. 10 the majority of
people the l2tent Office is mystery as great
almost as Ie pyramids of Egypt, and infor
nation gHcerning the modus o,erandi of
patent J1lring is rs far from them and their
thouGiH$hs is the idea of inventng some me
chan%I means of establishing regular pas
senge ind freight connections between the
earth md the sun.
Tn first inventor who secured patent from
the United States was one samuel Hopkins
an} 1.-THE yellow parchment bears date July
81 li9O. The document gave TO Samuel the
lJJflusve right, for term of years, TO make
W II and pearl ashes in the manner set forth by
'rfm in his specification. In all that year but
Two other patents We're granted, but in 1891
fbusiness increased wonderfully, for thirty
three patents were issued, six of them being
TO James Rumsay, and one to John Fitch for
inventions relating to steam engines and
steam vessels. How ingenuity has exercised
itself since those days, and what marvellous
things have been accomplished since Pre-
vious to that time the only inventor
of any note was Benjamin Franklin,
whose studies of electricity eliminated, in
l752, In the invention of the lightning rod,
but the potash and pearlaSh patents
of Samuel Hopkins were the predecessors of
some of the most wonderful the world has yet
applauded or taken advantage Of, In the
long roll of honor that commenced in the
eighteenth century may be found the name OF
Eli Whitney, the inventor Of that great civ
ili2er, the cotton gin; of Robert Fulton, from
whose active brain omanated the ideas which
gave the world its first steamboat; Of Jethro
Wood, who invented the cast.iron plow, and
of whom Il was said by Secretary Seward
that mo man has benefited the country pc
cuniarly more than JethrO Wood, and no
man has been as adequately rcwarded;' of
Thomas Blanchard, who invented the tack
machine and the lathe for turning irregular
forms, such as spokes, gunstocks, aX handles,
&C.; Of Ross Winans, who patented the piv-
oted, doubetIuck, long passenger cars now
in use; of Cyrus II, Mccormick, whose genius
makes possible the speedy harvesting OF
the grain crop of the world of
charles Goodyear, who tOlled In his
laboratory until a providontial accident gave
him the secret he so long had sought for; of
Samuel +, u, Morse and stephen Vail and the
electric telegraph; Of Elias Howe, whose in
vention of the sewing machine should have
been sufficient warrant for his canonization:
&C i,.I,1
builder; of Elisha Gray, Alexander Graham
telephones and monographs have revulu.
tioni2ed electricity and its powers.
The history Of patents has shown clearly
that It Is but rarely that the brightest among
men are inventors; the individuals who have
made for themselves fame as originators or
workcrs'out of some great idea have been
ploddcrs, men who kept on thinking and to
thought added practical experiments, In
many instances they We're lamCntably def
Cient in literary education, but they examined
the things about them and studied how To-
simplify and improve them; they sought in
formation ON specific lines and thus educated
themselves rs cnelactors, not only 10 them.
selves, but also To mankind for all ages 10
come. In the report Of IN he comm is,uner of
patents for 1857 Will be found the following
interesting statement
II submit that careful investigation will
show that the patent system Is the foundation
upon which the industrial interests Of this
country are based. We are, in fact, indebted
for our uucquaIcd growth and prosperity as
manufacturing people 10 its influence, Nor Is
it, hcalthiul influence confined 10 the shops
and factories, but extends 10 the fields, mines,
and forests, The mere desire which all our
people naturally feel TO secure increased com
lorts and improved methods would never
have resulted In even distant approach to
our present condition as a productive nation
but for the great incentive found in securing
to the inventor for term Of years the abso-
lute ownership Of the improved machine