Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-11

portions and make in the beginning of the next
century that temple in which love of country
with Senius. shall preside upon the solemn
iSs&% sa''s: and the guarantees of ''"''
SECRETARY POSTER.
Secretary Foster, in responding to "Ameri-
can patents from financial standpoint" said:
think we all agree and do not wish to touch
upon the domain Of politics. think we all
agree that the protective principle was never
| yet applied to an American manufacture with
| out a reducti IN in price. We republicans all
claim that an6 L do not think il is disputed by
any one. How luch the inventive genius of this
people have toto with il no one can determine
/ apprebend that these great reductions in
prices when American genius takes hold OF a
thing is due to to the patent system, to the in
vention OF our people, and if you were to
undertake to measure in dollars and cents the
benefits to the people and to mankind that
have resulted in inventions am afraid TINT
could not furnish the figures to sustain it. But
was asked tonight. suppose, 10 make a speech
| upon single point and that is from treasury
! standpoint to state the receipts and disburse-
ments of the government from this source.
Your chairman very kindly furnished me a
memorandum this morning, but being n little
bit suspicious of boards of trade thought
would verify it myself from treasury figures. 1t
Is but Just to say to the chairman of the board
OF trade that his figures were substantially cor
rect. and find the facts to be about follows:
The trst patent law was passed IN 1880. 1t
seemed to have been unsatisfactory and the re-
ceipts were very slight, the total for forty-six
years up TO 1896 being only about zoo. OCO. We
have no means now OF ascertaining the eN-
penses during that period. The first favorable
patent law was passed in 1886; receipts in 1885,
$1,000; expenses, $4,000. from 1885 each
year shows large increase Of receipts and eX-
penditures. until 1890, when the receipts were
u, 34l 900 and the expenses about Sl.oOO.0 900,
the annual profit about $3.50, 0CO The total
net profits up to date about S4,0OO.00O. Now,
gentlemen, the Secretary of the Interior has
eioquently portrayed the necessity of build
ing this city that shall be fit i'll all respects
to accommodate the inventors of the country.
l answer for the treasury and say if you can
get our intelligent Congress llaughter] to make
the appropriation, will see that the treasury
foots the bill. lLaughter.]
ATTORNEY GENERAL MILLER.
Attorney General Miller, who was to respond
to ''The relations of patents to the law" was
unable to be present but responded in letter,
which was read by Mr.. Anderson. secretary OF
the board of trade, in which he humorously
stated the cause of his absence. Il regret"
wrote the Attorney General, that the enforced
entertainment of one of Jobs comforters makes
it impossible for me to be with you tonight at
the centennial patent banquet 1 cannot, how
ever, omit to remind this large body of distin-
guished inventors of the crying need for dis
covering good place to have q boil. As one Of
profession always benevolently inclined, l
must reject at once the suggestion of having it
on some other fellow This is at variance with
the golden rule, and. therefore, would never be
couhtenanced by lawyers. As starter for the
genius who is to bless mankind by making this
discovery want to say, from actual expert
ence, that the armpit won't do at ALL"
Mr.. T. W. NoYEs.
Mr.. T. W. Noyes of the EVENING STAR, in re-
spending to the toast, ''The centenary of
Washington city," said: As this double COM
memoration suggests, the American patent sys-
tenn and the District of Columbia mar
rowly escaped being twins. For several
days, eliminating tonight, we have eulogized
the first of these approximate twins. We have
ascribed the vast national advance Of the GEN.
fury in large part to this birth OF century
ago. We have ranked among the typical he
roes of the age the wonder workers whom this
infant, now grown to manhood, has fostered.
We consider that no home at the capital in
marble or granite can be too spacious or too
handsome to be suitable for its accommoda-
ton. In short, we of Washington say to the in
ventors: We have praised your hundred-year-
old infant and honored its birthday. There is
reciprocity in these things. 1t is time that
Columbias baby was handled and petted; and
as one of the nurses of this infant tonight
propose that VIC give our baby show.
THE DISTRICT CENTURY AGO.
When the District corner stone was laid
thriving Georgetown was its nucleus of settle
ment on one side of the river and Alexandria
or Belle Haven on the other. The site of WASH
ington itself, plain fringed by gradually
sloping heights, was series Of pastures,
marshes, patches of cultivated ground and hills
green with many trees. 1t was pleasing to the
eye and well adapted to its destined purpose,
but those sections now most desirable both for
business and residence purposes were then the
least attractive. The river front was the
choicest portion of the city, if the opinions of
the earliest purchasers are considered. Capitol
Hill was a dense forest, scarcely touched by the
woodman's ak. PENNSYLVANIA avenue was a
deep morass covered with alder bushes. Massa-
chusetts avenue in the now fashionable north
west was a bog, UNFRAMED in part, as late as
1852, in which year Anthony Trollope, the
English novelist, waded along it knee deep
through snipe grounds. Upon this founda-
ton the capital of today has been built-the
modern Washington. the focus Of national poll
tics, the great gathering place of the people in
conventions assembled, with its quarter Of a
million Of population, rapidly increasing and
spreading the capital over the whole Of the
present District; a city sustained, improved
and adorned by the annual expenditure of
more than s., 600. 900; with a clean and eco
nomlcal non-partisan municipal government
lapplausel, a marvel in this respect among
great American cities; with surface remodeled,
with more smooth streets than any othe-
city in the world; with enterprising
business houses, relieving Washington
from dependence upon its great commercial
neighbours with manufactures, not imposing,
butrespectable, that caused Washington, accord
ing to the census of 1880, to rank among the
twenty leading American cities; with manufac-
turing establishments that have more than
doubled in number since $780, Notwithstanding
the design has been to retain Washington's pre-
eminence a residence city by encouraging
only light and clean manufacturing; with broad
streets shaded for several hundred miles, with
nearly 10000 trees. destined to make Washing
ton the forest city; with attractive suburban
drives, including those which traverse the re-
cent grand acquisition Of Rock Creek Park,
with its winding stream and its wild and diver
sified scenery; with parks and reservations,
given a picturesque beauty by shrubbery and
abundance Of foliage. statuary, fountains and
flowers, and with costly dwellings, showing the
most varied and pleasing architecture spring
ing up in rapid succession, where Trollope sunk
knee-deep in mud.
IN TWENTY YEARS.
The greater part of this Transformation has
been accomplished within the last twenty years
The wretched condition of the capital for
three-fourths of century is attested by all
descriptions. In connection with the gift to il
Of nearly three-four tbs Of the soil Of Washing
ton, in order to sell lots carved from this gift
the nation promised that Washington should
be the permanent seat of government and pre-
tended that this permanent capital would be
loA.