Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 30, 1924
PATENT OFFICE IS CENTER OF
NEWEST NATIONAL SCANDAL
AMERICAN INVENTORS
CALL COMMISSIONER
‘ARBITRARY CZAR’
Inefficiency and Delay Charged
to Patent Office By Wedder
burn, Head of League
MANY CASES ARE CITED
Real ‘Blow-Off’ Brought About
By Disbarment of Lawyer
Who Criticized Commissioner
By LARRY BOARDMAN
WASHINGTON, July 29.,-The
U. S. Patent Office—seriocomic
vaudeville act, always good for a
smile or a sob, headline government
attraction since 1836 —-is in the
limelight again.
Charges or lavorrasm, discrimin
ation, inefficiency and domination
by a ring of outside patent attor
neys. have been made on the floor
of the Senate by its Committee on
Patents.
The commissioner of patents,
Thomas E. Robertson, is described
in the charges as “an arbitrary
czar, not interested in justice, but
only in dealing out his favors to
special attorneys.”
These charges are hotly denied
by Robertson, and his supporters.
But his enemies claim they don't
tell ‘the half of it!”
Since its establishment the Pat
ent Office has issued 1,500,000
patents. It has turned down others
and tied up still more. All these
present some strange contrast*!.
Auto Patent Delayed 16 Year*
On Dec. 11, 1895, for instance,
A. M. Herring applied for a patent
on the first airplane. It was reject
ed on the ground that “No airplane
could possibly fly.”
Two years later Herring built a
plane according to the specifications
contained in his patent application,
and made the first successful air
plane flight on record. But his
patent was never granted.
Yet one was issued to C. R. E.
Wulff, a Frenchman for a device
designed to propel and guide bal
loons with harnessed eagles.
George B. Selden applied for a
patent on the first automobile on
May 8, 1879. He referred to it ns
a ‘road engine”—a motor-driven
wagon. The patent was held up for
16 years, not being granted until
Nov. 5, 1895.
“A number of reputable patent
You would listen
If a man buttonholed your coat and
told you to listen, you would listen—
though he talked only of trivial things.
Advertisements use more courteous
means to engage you. They know you
are busy and await their turn though
what they have to say is important.
The full - age advertisment, the tiniest
advertisement —each has its definite
message. News of varieties, prices,
economics; of ware you can select
wisely and purchase with utmost con
fidence. News packed into as few
words as possible so as not to rob you
of your time.
They offer only the best. Inferior
goods couldn’t stand up under such
public inspection. They urge you to
buy the best —to realize the savings
made, the steps saved, the satisfaction
gained through reading advertisements
and buying advertised goods.
NOTE—Your local merchants arc getting ready for
FalJ and Winter stocks. That means that many of
them will offer for a Dolldr merchandise that will
cost you $1.50 or $2.00 some other time. Spending
now for what YOU NEED is THRIFT.
The advertisements in the Times-Recorder will save
you hundreds of dollars a year—if you read and
heed them.
Give them audience —the large and the small. What
they say profits you. I hat s why they say it.
Advertising is your wis
est counselor in the
spending of money
More than 2500 Families Read and Shop Through
the Advertising Columns of the Daily Times-
Recorder
K W ißm
Mw 'i fl
■/ »
ABOVE THE PATENT OFFICE IN WASHINGTON. LOWER
LEFT, COMMISSIONER ROBERTSON. LOWER' RIGHT, ALEXAN
DER WEDDERBURN.
attorneys have complained to me, of
the capricious, arbitrary and despo
tic conduct of the commissioner of
patents.
“There is an organization of pa
tent attorneys, within which are
found the favored ones, and out
side of which are the ones against
whom the commissioner discrim
inates.
“He assumes to say who is a
good lawyer and who is not.
“I am also informed that there is
much inefficiency in the Patent Of
fice and also delay.”
King is backed up in his
charges by Senator Shipstead of
Minnesota, who introduced the
Patent Office investigation resolu
tion.
“The commissioner cf patents
has disbarred attorneys from pa
tent practice simply because of
criticism,” says Shipstead.
‘lf this isn’t intimidation and
propaganda, I’d like to know wha-.
is.
Present procedure for securing a
patent is to employ an attorney to
file proper application.
Under normal conditions the ap
plication comes up for investigation
by a Patent Office examiner in
about 11 months.
It may then be rejected because
the examiner decides it coincides
too closely with a patent already
granted or that it will not be prac
ticable. ,
It is then up to the attorney to
file an amendment to the applica
tion in an endeavor to prove the ex
aminer wrong. If the attorney is
successful, the application is again
placed on file and another 11
months roll by.
The examiner may then rejjeet
the application a second time be
cause of some other point not men
tioned in his first report.
One complaint against alleged
Patent Office inefficiency and de
lay, made by the League of Ameri
can Inventors, through President
Alexander J. Wedderburn, is that
this performance may be—-and of
ten is—continued indefinitely.
‘All No n «en«e,’ Says Robertson
Commissioner Robertson, how
ever, doesn’t appear the least bit
worried about all the fuss.
“Why” he says ‘I requestd the sec
retary of the interior quite a while
ago to appoint a committee to in
vestigate conditions in the Patent
Office and recommend any changes
THE AMERICUS TIMES-RECORDER
it saw fit.
“We always have been glad to
receive suggestions. And we 'al
ways give them careful considera
tion.
“This talk about favoritism and
intimidation is all nonsense. There
is none of it around the Patent
Office that I know’ of,”
Although hanging fire for some
time, the Patent Office investiga
tion bomb was really touched off
by the Stover-Nelson ‘Eskimo Pie’
patent case.
Patent for the chocolate-covered
ice cream delicacy was applied for,
but at first rejected. Many years
ugo a patent had been issued for
the “Cannon Ball,” a chocolate
covered cake. The two articles
were adjudged to be too similar.
Atorneys were changed, ( and the
point raised that Eskimo Pie was
designed to be eaten while held
in the hand. There was nothing
on record concerning holding ‘Can
non Balls” in the hand—and the
Eskimo Pie Patent was granted
within a few days after the filing
of this amendment.
Some comment was occasioned
when the Patent Office chief exam
iner who protested against rushing
through the patent in question, was
reduced in grade. But the real
blow-off came when Attorney E. L.
Rice criticised the patent comnus
sioner’s action—and was disbarred.
RED MEN PLAN TO
DOUBLE MEMBERSHIP
COLUMBUS', July 30.—Plans for
greater activities in the Order of
Red Men will be discussed at a con
ference to be held in Atlanta in the
near future, according to a decision
reached by Great Sachem R. C. Mc-
Kee, of this city, and Jesse B. Lee,
great senior sagamore, Robert H.
McCall, great junior sagamore, and
L. H. Pardue, great chief of records.
DALTON PREPARES FOR
JUNIOR ORDER MEETING
DALTON, July 30. —Four hun
dred delegates and state officers
will attend the annual convention
of the Junior Order of United Am
erican Mechanics and the Daugh
ters of America to be held here
August 12-13, and big preparations
are being made by Dalton council
No. 15. Daughters of America, for
entertaining the visitors. In addi
tion to the officers and represen
tatives, many other visitors are ex
pected.
Judge Walter W. Sheppard of
Claxton, Ga., will deliver the liber
ty address and the band will play
“The Star Spangled Banner” on th»
opening of the ceremonies and
“Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean,”
at the conclusion.
The Civitan band, under the lead
ership of C. L. Carter, will furnish
music for the conventioin.
VEGETABLES
VEGETABLES
TENDER SNAP BEANS
BUTTER BEANS
GREEN PEAS, OKRA
TOMATOES, GREEN
CABBAGE, EGG PLANTS
BELL PEPPERS CELERY
FRUITS
ICE COLD MELONS,
GRAPES AND PEACHES
Fat Fryers, Fresh Eggs;
Choice Beef and Pork; Star
Hams and Bacon; Country
Cured Hams.
Bragg’s Market
and Grocery
■rraw
iww
TO-NIGHT
Tomorrow Alright
KEEPING WELL An N? Tablet
(a vegetable aperient) taken at
night will help keep you well, by
toning and strengthening your di
gestion and elimination.
Used for over
Get •
25 r 80x
Chips off ihe Old Block
H? JUNIORS-Littl* N?»
One-third the regular doee,.:Mate
of the same ingredients, theft t:an<te
coated. For children and adults.-,
Im SOLO SY YOUR DRUQGISTaM
LIBRARY SCHOOL
GRADS IN MIND
Good Salaries Offered Train
ed Workers Receiving Certifi
cates at W. R. University
CLEVELAND, 0., July 30.
Several times as many positions as
there were yoting women to fill
them wer e offered the 48 girl grad
uates of the School of Library
Science of Western Reserve Uni
versity this summer. The offers all
came within two weeks cf gradua
tion. The university announced that
each girl considered several posi
tions and that 47 accepted places,
all at good salaries and promising
futures.
Although the School of Library
Science has the second smallest en
rollment of the nine colleges of
Western Reserve University, it
draws its students from the mo>t.
scattered territory and its graduates
go to widely scattered cities.
A Cleveland girl graduate is go
ing farthest away from home—Hon
olulu, while a girl from Honolulu
has accepted a position in the New
York Public Library.
We don’t care so much who wins
the pennant just so peanuts last
until the end of the season.
Attention Men !
CLOTHING SALE
1-3 OFF
FELLOWS, effective Thursday, every garment in our
stock goes on sale at One-Third off the regular
price. These suits were originally priced very con
servatively, so the cut is more than is generally the case.
This sale takes in every Summer Suit —Wash Suits, three
piece Woolens, and Men’s and Boys’ Odd Pants.
• J
lhe brands guarantee the quality and
fit—Stein-Blocks, Style-Plus
and Society Brand
In the Wash Suits 3-Piece Woolens
... r .. . i Fine for late summer
\ou 11 find Linens Lor- wear; in yari-
raine Cloth and Seer- QUS styles and a run of
suckers. Many styles that j ikely wiR
and sizes. meet every call.
After Deducting One-Third After Deducting One-Third
the prices range from— the prices range from—
-6.65 16.65
TO TO
15.00 40.00
Men's and Boy's Pants Off
Cash-Alterations Extra
RYLANDER SHOE CO.
Lamar Street Americus, Ga.
A Witness
—L- I
V If
J
Edith Cattier, maid in the
Leopold home, who is to testify
regarding the portable typewrit
er used by Richard Loeb and Na
than Leopold in writing the ran
some letter to the father of Rob
ert Franks after they had killed
the boy and stuffed his body in
a culvert. She will take the
stand in Chief Justice John R.
Caverly’s courtroom, where evi
dence is being offered to fix the
moral responsibility of the kill
ers and determine their hopes
for mitigation of the death sen
tence.
PAGE SEVEN
‘HARD DRINK’ BAR IS
PUT IN PEACE PALACE
THE HAGUE, Holland, July 30-~
—Andrew Carnegie’s Peace Palace.’
is to be equipped with a refreshment' 5 >p
bar where “hard” drinks may be.
obtained. This was not accomplish
ed, however, without a struggle in
,he municipal council of The Hague,
where prohibition is strongly rep?;
resented. ■
The object of the bar was said to
be to provide refreshments for stu
dents of the Academy of Interna
tional law connected with the Palace,
but the temperance advocates argu
ed that judges of the Court of Ar
bitration also would have access to
the bar, and that potent liquor is
notoriously bad for sound judgment.
The objectors were defeated by a
rjajority of two.
I __
JHYSICIAN ADVISES PEOPLE
“My wife suffered for years with
stomach trouble which did not yield
to any treatment. She took a dose
of Mayr’s Wonderful Remedy last
Saturday with wonderful results. I
have practiced medicine for 20
years and never seen anything like
it before. I have recommended
Mayr’s Wonderful Remedy to sev j ‘
eral that I know need this treat
ment." It removes the catarrhal
mucous from the intetsinal tract .
and allays the inflammation which
causes practically all stomach, liver
and intestinal ailments, including
appendicits. One dose will con
vince or money refunded. For sale
by Howell’s Pharmacy and drug- .
gists everywhere.— (adv.)