Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-01

dency to corrupt and degrade the persons
and agencies employed, positively startling.
10 understand and appreciate all the agen-
cies and means employed, and the purpose
and manner Of their use, each considered
harmful only in degree, hut, taken to-
sether, outrageous and corrupting. it Is
necessary to become familiar with the en-
tire scheme and the appliances utilized to
obtain the desired results"
No case of procedure for the disbar-
ment of a patent attorney in the history of
the United States patent office has attract
ed more widespread attention or been ac-
companied by more careful inquiry into
the facts connected with it than that OF
John Wedderburn & Co. Commissioner
Butterworth's report summing up the case
covers about seventy-five pages of type
written matter. and Assistant Commits
sioner Greeley's report of the findings, to-
gether with synopsis Of the evidence SUBJ
mtted in support thereof, is quite as long.
The preparation of documentary evidence
in the case and the hearing of oral testi-
mony consumed many months. the pro-
eeedings in the case having been fully re-
ported from time to time in The Star.
The commissioner refers to the thorough
work performed in this case by Chas. C..
S,auffer, law clerk. and F. w. Winter,
chief examiner. who had charge of the
prosecution, which was carried on before
the commissioner and Assistant Commits
sionary Greeley. He replies to the conten-
ton of counsel for the respondents regard
ing the nature and extent of his jurisdic-
ton in dealing with the alleged delinquents
in the proceedings to disbar holding that
1t is not true, in law or in fact, that Mr.,
Wedderburn or his company sustains the
relation to the commissioner of patents
that a member of the bar sustains to the
court. OF the failure of Mr.. Wedderburn
and the heads of the departments of his
business to appear as witnesses during the
| investigation, the commissioner says:
Wedderburn Should Have Explained.
II hold that whenever it was within the
power of the respondents to make clear the
reason for not performing a plain duty
toward a client, or for having misstated a
fact to a client to his injury, or for treat
ing him uncanddly or dishonesty, he
should have availed himself of his oppor-
tunity; and when the integrity of the
| methods employed of giving expert estf-
mates of the value of inventions and the
conduct Of the sales department were called
IN question, and II was not wholly
charged. but In the nature Of things
| judged by results-and in the absence OF
explanation, the conclusion was irresisti-
BILE that they were a farce and worse; and
" hen 1t appeared that the knowledge of the
alleged expert in values was a pretense
and sham, and that he was constantly
fixing fictitious values on inventions, 1t
was not Only competent for Mr. Weddcr.
burn, but it was his duty to himself. ii
he could, to the patent office and to the
public. to explain, If he could. how MS
was defensible, and to show. IL he could
in the light of what had been proved, that
i his methods and practices were not in
| struments Of fraud, but legitimate and
proper. This the respondents wholly ne
elected and refused to do, and hence with
cut explanation / am forced to conclude
| and the proof is overwhelming. that. theiI
| roll of honor and tEeir 25-cent medal.
| and their expert in values Of patents were
| largely shams and mere pretentious
| demonstrations utilized by them to induce
would-be inventors to employ them"
CcmmissfOner's JurisdictiOn.
\ The commissioner holds that counsel fol-
| the respondents were wrong In their con
| tention concerning the Jurisdiction of thu
| commissioner. and also as to the rule O
| evidence by which he should be guided. H,
| kolds that John Wedderburn & Co." wer,
| equally as culpable as John Wedderburn.'
and subject to disbarment, even II the
former was the name through which bust
ness was secured, while the latter only
practiced before the office. But as q cues
ton OF fact, he says they both practices
before the office. OF the claim of counse
| for the respondents that the office had n.
Jurisdiction over the advertising business
| OF the company the commissioner SAYS:
| II the position taken by counsel Is cor
rect, and II was so proclaimed to the world
| 1t would result that within six month.
every city In the United States would hays
| an organized combine of confidence men
guided by INSCRIPTIONS attorneys, plum
dering the unsuspecting members of TIN
| community By representing that they coult
at small cost Obtain from the government
something Of great value; and Is . result