The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-27
oLp-TIME INVENTORS.

Some day in the very near future an
American inventor will produce a perfect
flying machine and when that day comes
all danger of war will pass, because every
Improvement in the line of defence tends
to increase the power Of arbitration. and
no country would want to war against
the country that owned covey of armed
flying machines said an old employee Of
the patent office. Our government, ! am
sorry to say, has never done anything in
the way of encouraging the ambition Of
flying machine inventors. and the records
win bear me out in making this assertion.
Among my papers I have the record Of
the first appeal 10 congress by an Amer
lean. who in his petition to conghess.
claimed to have solved the problem Of
aerial navigation. But congress turned
a deaf ear TO the petitioner
This happened during the first session
of the seventeenth congress. On Monday.
March .. 1922. Representative Minor of
Pennsylvania presented to the house the
following petition, which was read for
information: James Bennett. a mathe-
matician of the city of Philadelphia, to
the honorable senate and house of repre-
sentatives Of the Uritcd states Of Amer
lea in congress assSS.ii.e4, most respect
fully showeth:
That your petitioner having invented
a machine by which a nan c.p ny through
the air-can soar to any ne'gns -stcsr in
any direction-can start fr>ru any place
and alight without risk Of in Try: and
whereas, like amchine has never been
invented in any country or age Of the
world, so as TO be applied TO purposes Of
practical utility. and as ii is more than
probable that artificial flying would not
for Thousand years to come. he brought
10 the same degree Of perfection had not
your petitioner under Providence accom-
plished H. and, as t must be evident to
all that letters patient would be Of little
use to the inventor in consequence Of
various notifications or improvements
which might be made. and which never
would have been thought Of had not the
way first been opened by Your petitioner;
He, therefore solicits a special act Of the
congress OF the United States 10 secure
TO him and his heirs for the term Of forty
years. or for such other term as in their
wisdom may he deemed just. the right Of
steering flying machines 1hrought that
portion of earth's atmosphere which
- va l44F AA4+NNNA STATES O. 81 Tar
their jurisdiction may extend.
BY granting your petitioners request
the honor Of the invention shall be con-
ferred on the United States
-. Bennett. 4 and n
q" Philadelphia, February IS. IS22
After the petition had been read. Mr.
Minor moved to refer il 10 the committee
on judiciary. but this motion Was opposed
by Mr.. Sargent on the gruord that his
committee did not undertake 70 scar into
regions so high; that the duties Of the
: judiciary committee were nearer the earth.
! Mr. Walworth thought the petition should
! be referred 70 the committee on roads and
: Canals. But the house refused to do
I this The petition was finally laid on the
table
About week iater-to be accurate. the
lst OF ApriI-R Representative Keyss pre-
scented petition from David g. Lee %
/ Philadelphia. IL which the petitioner
claimed 10 Be the original Inventor % the
| flying machine mentioned IN a petition
| from James Bennett Lee IN his petit
ton prayed that no right or privilege he
granted TO said Bennett on account %
said invention. but that congress grant
| him Q-eel exclusive right and privilege
Of navigating the atmosphere either with
= hyiag machines or with navigatable bal