The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-01-23
WASHINGTON.
A Plea for the Publication Of the
Naval Records
or the War OF the Rebellion Made by Sec
retary Whitney--An Important De-
clslon II ndercd by tho su-
preme Court.
CAPITAL porNas.

WAsnIyeToN, Jan. 22.-Secretary Whit
ney yesterday sent letter to Senator Cam
eron, chairman Of the Committee on Naval
Affairs In which he says; 81 have to ac-
knowledge the receipt Of your letter Of the
18th instant enclosing resolutions OF tho
headquarters commandery OF the Military
Order Of the Loyal Legion Of the United
States, Of Des Moines, Ia, in favor Of the
publication Of the naval records Of the war
Of the Rebellion, and desiring TO be In
formed Of my opinion on the subject The
Importance and value Of this work are, In
my opinion, Lot open TO question. The de-
tailed history of the war is matter of pro-
fessional necessity TO the navy. 1t is the
only war In modern times In which naval
operations, on great scale, have been car
ried on. 1t is the only war In which rams,
torpedoes, ironclads and steam blockades
have been employed.
"All that is known Of naval war to-day
dates from the war OF 1861. We need the
information for building our ships, for
training our officers and for administer
ing the navy department-in short, we
need 1t for every branch OF naval ad-
ministration II we want TO have an eff
clent navy. The work should be done at
once, and prosecuted To speedy completion.
The papers to be published are many OF
them in private hands, and every day OF
delay adds TO the probability Of their loss or
destruction. 1t is for this reason that l
strongly urge immediate action. The pub
lication Of the naval recorIs can not be
completed in any reasonable time with the
present force Of seven clerks and copyists,
and an appropriation OF 5000. The amount
asked for by the Navy Department falls far
short OF that which has been devoted TO the
army records, but the department believes
that 1t will be sufficient to prosecute the
work.
'The whole country has demanded the
preservation or Farragut's old vessel, at an
expense Of 500, 900; yet the record of Farra-
quits achievements, without which the
Hartford is only meaningless relic, Is suf-
fered TO remain in obscurity for the want OF
sufficient appropriation 10 provide for It's
publication. The compilation Of the record
is desired equally by the participants on
both sides in the war, Union and Confeder-
ate, and by people In all sections Of the
country, while its importance TO the navy
and the Executive can not be questioned; |;
and for these reasons earnestly commend
the subject 10 the favorable attention OF
Congress"
The Supreme Court OF the United States
yesterday rendered an opinion In the i'm
portant patent case Of the Bate Refrigera-
ting Company, appellant, VS.. George Ham
mond & Co., appeal from the Circuit Court
Of the United States for the district OF
Massachusetts. By statute OF tho United
States II is provided that when q patent is
taken out In foreign country and one sub
sequently Is also secured in this country,
the patent shall expire In the United States
with the expiration Of the patent In the
foreign country In which II first runs out.
Under the Canadian law patents are granted
for Ave years with, the privilege Of renewal
for two periods OF five years each.
The question In this case was whether the
lifetime OF the American patent expired FIVE
years from its issuance in Canada or at the
end Of fifteen years. which Is the limit TO
which the life Of patent may bo extended
In Canada. The Supreme Court through
Justice Blatchford holds that the patent In
the United States does not expire for fifteen
years from thegranting OF the patent; that
is TO say, the lifetime OF an American patent
first taken out In a foreign country does
not expire until the extreme limit Of time
for which an extension OF patent may be So
cured In the foreign country. The court,
therefore. reverses the decision OF the Cir.
cult Court OF Massachusetts and remands
the case TO the lower court, with instruc-
tions TO enter decree in accordance with
the judgment OF this court. The case is re-
garded by persons interested In patents as
one of great Importance. Many electrical
patents are affected by the decision.