, 1889-12-12
VULTURES TRAPPED
How a Great Plot Was Ex-
posed.
MILLIONS IN THE SCHEME,
Tho Great Sewing-Mechine Com
bination Neatly Caught and
Its Claws Trimmed.

Washington Letter in the Pittsburg Dis
patch.
1t is common saying among all sorts
of people that every man has his price
and it is probably to this proverb, as
well AS to many episodes in the history
of legislatures, that the impression MAY
be charged that in all lawmaking bodies
there is u vast deal of corruption. To
Pennsylvanians, whenever the subject is
mentioned, the ghost of that episode OF
tho Pennsylvania legislature must arise
in which W. H. Kemble was the chief
actor, and in the congress of the United
States nothing will ever etiace the recol.
lection of the Pacific Mail bribery and
the scandal of the Credit Mobilier
though to this day none of the actors in
that drama will admit they were guilty
OF corruption.
Speaking the other day on this subject
with gentleman who passed long years
III the house and senate, he was led to
say that he did not think bribery was
nearly SO common In legislative bodies
as 1t is thought to be in the popular
mind Occasionally there were occur
rcnces like that in which Kemble and
others were involved, once In hundred
years there is Pacific Mail or Credit
Mobilier scandal once in awhile it is
charged with some show of reason that
a congressman has purchased his way
through district conference, or that u
senator has bought the balance OF power
in legislative caucus, and these give
color TO the sweeping charge that lcgisla-
lures are generally corrupt.
SIN twenty years OF experience in the
congress OF the United States" said
the gentleman, II have never known
more than half dozen instances in
which was satisfied bribery had been
used. That was during the long and
memorable contest for the reissue of
many important patents, which occurred
many years ago. The owners OF all the
sewing machine patents were ON hand
to secure "A renewal, ss the seventeen
years for which the patents were to run
had expired. My relations were
narrowly every movement Of
the attorneys of the wealthy corpora.
tions which owned the patents, as we'll
AS of the committee on patents, which
had charge OF the bills for the renewal.
Representative, af,erwIrd senator, Con
ger of Michigan was made chairman o
Il he committee on patents in the house.
He did not want the place, and asked
Speaker Blaine why it had been given
him. Blaine answered that it was be-
cause hc knew how to say no.
mo matter what may be chargeable
to Blaine in other matters, it must be
said to his credit that he placed every
obstacle In the way of any unjustifiabie
renewal of patents, and one of the great
est obstacles was the appointment of
Conger to that chairnanship, for Con-
ger was known to be shrewd, conscien-
tious, thoroughly honest, and Blaine
knew that if ever bribery might be ex-
pected 1t was in this case.
"Thcrc wero several great patents at
stake, Chief among which were those on
sewing: machines. ON mower. and reap
crs, and OH the Tanner car-brake. The
last named had fallen entirely into the
hands OF railroad corporations, who paid
the inventor petty royalty. The
grand lobby, however, was In the in.
tcrests OF the sewing-machine men.
Not only did they have the best
counsel they could procure. but they
had emissaries of oil kinds OH the ground
W uhu UUiS uh0 Wlllt ullu III
fucnce In every possible way congress
men whose attention they could secure.
Of course, the great hight was before the
committee. No matter how thorough
the work the lobbyists might do with
the general body, IL the committee
should make All untavorablo report the
chances Tor success would be immeasur.
ably lcssencd.
1.-The arguments In committee we're
almost interminable. The committee
was patient, the chairman always suave
and polite, but he cross-qucstioned in
his hoInely way 80 keenly as to put the
attorneys constantly at n disadvantage.
1t was plain that Conger was bent on
doing, as far M he could under the law,
what he thought was for the greatest
good of the greatest number Nearly
every claim for reissue was refused, cx-
ccpt In the case of poor inventors who
had been forced TO place their patents at
the mercy Of capitalists. and who had