The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-06-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.

| There is great indignation among in
ventors and those interested in patents
throughout the country at the condition
of business in the United States Patent
Office, and the information given by the
Commissioner OF Patents that he will take
two months vacation and will not per-
nit the Assistant Commissioner of Patents
to hear or decide cases on appeal during
his absence, has not allayed the outraged
patience of this class. The work in the
Patent Office is very much behind hand,
in some divisions from six to eight
months, which means that an inventor
after preparing and sending his invention
to the Patent Office and paying his filing
fee of SIS to the Government must wait
eight months iu some instances, before
his case is even taken up for examination
by the Commissioner and his corps of
able assistants, and that unless his case is
allowed on the first action, an extremely
rare occurrence, it may be from one to
three years before he gets his patent.
The condition of business in the Patent
Office is perhaps worse than it ever was
before. Absenteeism on the part of the
head of the Office and his inability to get
work out of the principal and assistant
examiners of whom there are more than
one hundred, is the cause. There is
no Office under the Government that
more requires the personal attention of
the strenuous parsonage in the White
House than the United States Patent
Office. 1t is, if am not mistaken, the
only Office under the Government that
not only pays its way but brings sur
plus to the Public Treasury. Every in.
ventor is required to pay into the Treas
ury fifteen dollars when he presents his
application and twenty dollars in add.
ton when his patent is granted. The
tens of thousands of inventors in the
United States in presenting applications
for more than million of patents have
built mp surplus fund, after paying all
expenses of the Office, that now amounts
to more than 81, 900, 900 and it is simply
outrageous that these inventors, through
the absenteeism of the Commissioner of
Patents and through the negligence and
dilatoriness of his powerful corps of
assistants must wait with sickness of
heart months and years for the allowance
of their patents. Other commissioners
have kept the work up to date and there
are others both in and out of the Patent
Office who are capable of doing it again.
80
Congress does not often have an oppor-
tunity to do better work than it did Thus
day last when the Senate passed the
denatured alcohol bill which had gone
through the House SO successfully few
weeks ago. The impression was general
that the bill would be held up in the
committee by Senator Aldrich, who is
the friend of the trusts in general and the
Standard Oil trust in particular. The
denatured alcohol bill which removes the
tax from alcohol used in the arts will, it
is expected, revolutionize heating and
lighting and reduce the cost of these
necessities, at the expense, to great
extent, of the Standard Oil company
Senator Aldrich also predicts that it will
practically ruin the wood alcohol industry
which has a capital of about thirty mil
lions invested, but on the other hand the
advantage to the country and especially
to the west, where unmarketable crops
can be converted into alcohol. is inesti-
mable. The bill does not go into effect
until January I, 1907, but there is great
rejoicing over the fact that it was not
held up for the session, as it was believed
Senator Aldrich would be successful in
doing. Its passage is one more evidence
of the many that have accumulated of
late that when the people OF this country
make up their minds to have thing, and
go about getting it with all their strength,
even the strongest trusts will have to
stand aside. 1t should furnish encour-
agement to those who believe that Con-
gress should take steps to regulate the
meat and drug and adulterated food trusts.
So
Several weeks ago John Sharp Williams
the minority leader of the House made
speech in which he made the statement
that American products were sold cheaper
abroad than at home and that the leaders
of the Republican party would soon be
compelled to admit and defend that prac-
tice or revise the tariff. His statement
was denied FIRST by Representative Hep.
burn, partially admitted by Representa-
tive Boutell, fully admitted and defended
by Representative Lands and followed
by the most conservative protectionist in
Congress-, Representative Dalzell. who
not only defended the business system of
! his rtx, hut s.le-;Gal y e