About Americus times-recorder. (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1924)
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.)
