Year: 1873

I
dren, have been signed, sealed and handed
over to these same corporations. by char
ers, granted away back in the early his
tory Of. these commonwealths when these
states were territories. Charters granted
by legislatures composed of q few broken.
down politicians of the East; land sharks
and town-site Spectators, or their friends.
Granted to themselves or their friends, for
the purpose of swelling the price Of corner
lots in some paper town, some Peritut or
Metropolisville through which the roads
should be surveyed. Granted in form to
be tempting bait to induce greedy specu-
| lators to take hold Of and commence the
enterprises in order to make new town sites
and more valuable corner lots; more than
for any good to the country at large. You
are preached to about vested rights. They
say the charters are solemn compacts be-
tween the people and the railroads, and in
violating them, you violate, the constitution
RIGHTS WHICH ARE ABOVE ALL CONSTITUTION
AND CHARTERS.


and endanger all government. As if away
back of oil constitutions and all charters
there were not principles of eternal justice
and equity of which the great God Of the
Universe, I speak with all reverence be-
| cause it would be in direct violation of his
very being, let alone few self-constituted
demagogues, could not deprive you. Those
inalienable rights Of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness which our fathers
proclaimed when they threw off the English
rule, to which rule their ancestors and they
themselves, however, on the implied con-
dition alway of protection in these rights.
had sworn allegiance.


As if any legislature could bind their
constituents, or the commonwealth for all
time, or any people could bind their pos
terity to compact which is unjust and
tends to the subversion of any Of these
fundamental rights.


AS though, forsooth, it had not been long
since settled in this free country, that
neither great wrong nor race of despots
| can be entailed on free state As though
the doctrine of kingly succession, of the
divine right of kings to rule, and of the
people to obey had not been ages since
exploded.


l tell you, experience has taught that
there are certain rights which brave, free
men will demand, and if they are not
obtained through the ballot, through legis-
lative or executive departments Of govern
ment, or through the interpretations of the
laws by the courts, they will be demanded
at the point of the sword. And those who
oppose the peaceable demand by the peo-
pie, Of their rights, had better learn wis
dom from the past, and consider whether
reform through the ballot is not preferable
| to reform through mob violence.


PATENT LAWS


| You have seen laws shat were intended
to encourage scientific investigations, i'm
| provements and inventions for the benefit





commerce so perverted as to become a
check rather than an encouragement.
Men who have hit upon some happy thought
or stolen thought from some one else have
started off on Dexter time to the patent
office and got out patent, until every
thing we use, from fine tooth comb to the
steam engine is patented. 1t had come to
this, that it stood the young man in the
parlor in hand to be careful how he FASH
ioned the quill into tooth pick, and the
girl in the kitchen to be careful who
mixed and compounded the cakes,
for fear of infringing some
patent. Just the other day was
reading Of man who had applied for a
patent on certain combination for sau-
sage. Il is not published just what the
proportion Of clay, red flannel and condi-
ments enter into the compound, but it be-
| comes sausage makers hereafter to search
the Patent Office reports, before they pro-
ceed if they wish to avoid infringing some-
body's patents, and consequent lawsuit.
1t is said that on simple water wheel
there are five hundred patents, that sim
pie crooked piece of iron placed in GER
tain position is patented. The great in
jury is not 50 much in the number of the
patents Is in the shutting out of improve
ments. A hundred men at about the same
time invent a machine 50 nearly like in
principle that only one can be patented.
One of the hundred, or some person that
steals his patent, by mere luck get his pat
ont in frat and all Tho vaat of TN ,~o,1d :.