The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-05
THE lNTELLIGENCER.
WHEELING. DEcENrnER 5, lsOo.
wbat American Genius Has Done.

One Of the most interesting depart-
ments of the government is the patent
office. the not unimportRnt feature of
us administration beng that 1t Is more
than self-sustaining. The commission
er OF patents in his annual report TO the
secretary Of the interior, makes the
timely comment on the affairs of his
department that las American lnven-
tive genius has cheapened the cost Of
production, to the advantage Of Ameri-
can wages, 1t would seem as though the
legislative branch Of the government
should do much to encourage the USE
full arts and the inventors of the coun-
try. At the present time our manufac-
turers are reaching out for foreign mar
kets, and no greater aid can be given
them than by fostering and stimulating
invention, to become dominant in the
markets OF the world through labor
avinginventionsw hlchwillenable them
to compete with the lower wages paid
to the so-called working classes in
other countries. The greatest develop
ment in American exports must be In
the direction of increase in the export
Of manufactures
The assertion Is made that we mainly
owe TO our patent system such foothold
as has been gained In foreign lands for
our manufactured products, and that
we can, by fair and liberal treatment
OF our inventors. control for our manu-
facturers not only our home markets.
but the markets Of the world. In
speaking Of the labor saving machinery
perfected within the last seventy-five
years. the invention of our own people
the commissioner says:
The reapInE machine. which from
1851 to 1865 did the work Of more than
q million men working with hand I'm
PIGMENTS. is of American origin, The
same is true Of the modern plow, and
It's added improvements. Of the corn
planter. and the thrashing and. separa-
tor machines In the textile Industry
the American record surpasses that OF
all other countries Wool-Cardlng ma
chinery owes It's chief Improvement to
the invention OF John GOuldinE, whose
patent was Issued In 1926, which dis
pensed with the splicing billy, and pro-
duced the endless roll or silver. The
Crompton loom for weaving fancy wool
ems, and the Bigelow loom, for weaving
carpets, are of American invention
II Is not alone by fundamental inven-
lions that our inventors have revolu-
tIonized in so many respects the textile
industry. Not the less have their In
ventIons In automatic devices, In expe-
dItlng processes and in many steps dis
pensing with hand labor assisted In
placing this country In the front ranks
in the textile art. Another marked IL
lustratiOn is found In the steel Industry,
where the reduction In manual labor has
enabled our manufacturers TO success
fully compete with foreign nations.
American electrical appliances COM
nand the worlds markets. Let 1t not
be forgotten that II Is the American
inventors who. by their Inventions and
discoveries. have made the last afty
years OF the nineteenth century the most
remarkable Of recorded time" and at
the same time have laid the civilized
world under tribute to American manu-
features.
A summary OF the business operations
Of the department shows that for the
fiscal year ending June 90 1899. there
were 1890 applications for patents. Of
which 1850 were granted, and that
there were only 1889 patents awaiting
action at the end Of the year. 5000 less
than the previous fiscal year and a
smaller number than at the close OF
any year for decade. The total re-
celpts Of the office were Sl.2O9,5A IS, and
the expenditures sI,l4SSGs 4S, leaving a
surplus Of receipts over expenditures
of 5000 40. which amount was turned
into the treasury.