The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1906-06-02
WASHINGTON LETTER

inventors and those interested IN
patents throughout the county at the |
condition Of business IN the United |
States patent office, and the informa- |
| ton given this week by the commits |,
sioner of patents that he will take a |
| two months vacation and will not |
permit 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 eEght months, |
which means that an inventor, after |
preparing and sending his invention |
| to the patent office, and paying his |
| filing fee of fifteen dollars to the |
| Government, must wait eight months |
| in 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 per
| haps worse than it ever was before.
/ Absenteeism on the part of the head
of the flee and his inability to get
work out of the principal and assist
4
more than one hundred, is the cause
! There is no flee under the Govern
ment that more requires the personal
attention of the strenuous parsonage
| in the White House than the United
States patent office. 1t Is, if I am
not mistaken, the only office under
the Government that not pays its
way, but brings a surplus to the pub
lie treasury Every inventor is re-
CURED to pay into the treasury hf-
teen dollars when he presents his
EDITION when his patent is granted
The tens of thousands if inventors
in the United States, IN presenting
applications for more than a million
of patents, have built up a surplus
fund, after paying all expenses of the
office, that now amounts to more
than 81 900 900, and it is simply out
irageous that these inventors, through
the absenteeism of the commissioner
of patents, and through the negli
igehce and dilatoriness of his pow
erful corps of assistants, must wait
with sickness of heart months and
years for the allowance of their pat
ents. Other commissioners have kept
the work up to date, and there are
others, both in and out of the pat
ent office, who are capable of doing
it again
|
opportunity to do better work than
! it did Thursday, when the Senate
passed the denatured alcohol bill
which had gone through the House
SO successfully a few weeks ago
: The impression was general that the
bill would be up in the committee
|, by Senator Aldrich, who is the friend
of the trusts in general, and the STAN
dard Oil 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 a great extent, of the Standard
Oil Company. Senator Aldrich also
t predicts that it will practically ruin
the wood alcohol industry, which has
), a capital OF about thirty millions in
vested; but on the other hand, the
e advantage to the country, and es-
, pecially to the West, where unmar-
ketable crops can be converted into
D alcohol IS inestimabe. The bill does
j not go into effect until January first,
| 1907, but there IS great rejoicing over
: the fact that it was not held up for
the session. as it was believed that
: Senator Aidrich would be successful
| in doing. Its passage Is one more
), evidence of the many that have accu-
INFLATED of late that when the peo-
: pie OF the country make up their
minds to have a thing, and go about
4 getting it with all their strength. even
Y the strongest trust will have to stand
: aside 1t should furnish encourage
!. ment to those who bellve that Con
e-ess should take steps to regulate
I 4 .i,.l4a tad
. food trusts.
Several weeks ago John Sharp Viii
d House. made a speech in which he
> made the statement that American
; products were sold cheaper abroad
E than at home, and that the leaders
/ of the Republican party would soon
: be compelled to admit and defend
y that practice, or revise the tariff
: His statement was denied first By
It Representative Hepburn partially adj
II nltted BY Representative Routell
Q fully admitted and defneded by Rep
:: resentatiNe Lands. and followed By
n the most conservative projections
q III Congress Representative Dalzell
: who not only defended the business
K system OF his party. but gloried IN i
y as a proof Of the prosperity and
.e greatness Of the country. and OF th'
= beneficence OF the protective policy
L In the discussion early in the Weel
II these tariff speeches. which are mad
i at this time as much for campaign
$ purposes as anything else, also pro
voi<ed considerable feeling among til
members of the lower House. Rep
resentative Williams and Speake
at Cannon had sharp tilt over d poin
$ or order, and the speake furiousl.
" left the chair and called Representa-
b tive Curtis TO preside. Mr.. William
re was out OF order for an hour or sc
lie according to Mr.. Curtis. but he ha
es an opportunity TO inject good mar
e illuminating remarks into the debat
to that will not appear in the Record
1e During the speech Of Congress SINAI
SIS Towne. the House was startled b
lie statements made by him concerning
s. President Roosevelt The Democra;
IS, ic side of the House applauded whe'
&c Mr. Towne said: There are man
lie things that unfit him {the President
W for a j.ldicious, careful and delIbers