416 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[iNo. 7 



battles and achieving those victories, the only pre- 

 requisites in choosino; our legislators. It" we de- 

 mand not good moral character, good talents well 

 cultivated, and statesman-like (jualities, as indis- 

 pensable qualifications in our legislators, is it not 

 something I'ar worse tlian preposterous folly, to 

 expect salutary laws tirom any body ot'men what- 

 ever, chosen, if not without anyreference to such 

 endowments, at least with a public and general 

 understanding that zeal and skill in parly-wartiire 

 will bedecmed immeasurably more valuable, than 

 all other qualifications put together. The natural, 

 nay, the inevitable consequnce must be, if the 

 people themselves ivill act upon such anti-patriotic 

 principles, that their representatives will deem it 

 both their interest and their duty to pursue a simi- 

 lar course. Away then — Ibrever away with as^ri- 

 cultural and all other interests, but those of politi- 

 cal party, which, from their very nature, must be 

 partial, monopolizing, and exclusi\e. We have 

 no middle course between a faithful and undevia- 

 ting adherence to our own interests, as insepara- 

 bly connected with those of the American people, 

 and the demoralizing, distracting, and baneful in- 

 terests of political party, which, (call it by what 

 name you please,) will always make the national 

 interest subservient to its own, although the pro- 

 motion of the former is ever made the pretext for 

 the most unhallowed and iniquitous of its own 

 proceedings. That we never have had any active, 

 etlicient friends to ao-riculture in our legislature, is, 

 unquestionably our own fault; and so long as it 

 remains so, we should blame none but ourselves 

 for that deplorable neglect and consequent depres- 

 sion ot all agricultural interests in Virginia, which 

 is so rapidly desolating every part of her territory, 

 that those called neighbors, will soon live too far 

 apart even to hear each others' dogs bark. But 

 the remedy ibr this shameful, most ruinous legis- 

 lative neglect, is not any longer to degrade our- 

 selves by annually begging lor what we have a 

 right to demand. No, let us never again expose 

 ourselves "to such humiliation, but endeavor, with 

 our utmost zeal and perseverance, to devise some 

 ways and means among ourselves, to resuscitate 

 our fast sinking agricultural interests, and secure 

 for them that permanent prosperity, which is in- 

 dispensably connected with the national wellare 

 as its most essential procuring cause. The next 

 Agricultural Convention will furnish a good oppor- 

 tunity for the incipient steps towards the accom- 

 plishment of this most desirable object, provided 

 it be as ililly attended as it ought to be : much 

 more fully, it is to be hoped, than the first, lor that 

 proved any thing but encouraging to the true 

 friends of the cause. By the way, would it not be 

 better to meet on the 2d Monday in December, 

 than the 2d Monday in February ? The weather 

 then, will probably be better; and if any mem- 

 bers of the Legislature should also be members of 

 the convention, they will be on the spot to attend, 

 whereas, before the 2d Monday in February, the 

 Legislature ought certainly to adjourn — even if in- 

 stead of taking the ten-hour prescription forofficial 

 labors, they will work only five per day, in mat- 

 ters exclusively of legislative duty. This would 

 be a truly gralilVing spectacle to every real liiend 

 of the Ancient Dominion; but thatvou, or I, or any 

 of our descendants to the third and fourth genera- 

 tion will ever see a Virginia Legislature thus pat- 

 riotically employed— should public sentiment re- 



main what it is in regard to the true and essential 



duties of legislators — is deemed an impossibility — 

 at least by your old friend 



COMMENTATOR. 



[Our correspondent is mistaken as to the time for 

 the second meeting of the Agricultural Convention. 

 It was appointed to be held on the second Monday in 

 January ; and we take this occasion to call attention to 

 the matter, and request all belonging to the agricultural 

 interest to bear it in mind, and have delegates sent 

 from the existing agricultural societies, and from pub- 

 lic meetings where no such societies have been form- 

 ed.— Ed.] 



ON PATENTS FOIl INVENTIONS, 



To Uie Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



# * # * # 



You complain of John Bull rurming away with 

 American inventions. The okl fellow, as long as 

 I can remember, has been said to improve, and 

 to leave to others the trouble of inventing. But, 

 is it not to be expected that this will always be the 

 case, when in a communit}' so small as is this, 

 there should be such a want of community of feel- 

 ing — a liberality so limited, or rather an ifliberality 

 so illimitable I And, as I am now on the subject of 

 improvements, I will just suggest a practical illus- 

 tration ot what, in my opinion, would be an im- 

 provement as to new inventions of the lesser, 

 though not less beneficial, order. The Society of 

 Arts in London, on condition that the owner ot the 

 improvement of this class, will forego the patent, 

 will give him a certificate of its value, and this 

 giving It a character, is, I think, generally found 

 to be an equivalent. If the Franklin Institute 

 were to act thus, the patentees would be exchang- 

 ed for owners of legitimate and real improvements; 

 and in such populations, as those in which they 

 will become popular, will receive a full equivalent, 

 and the public would be preserved from much 

 ti'aud — especially in washing machines. The de- 

 ception in this hoax is enormous ; and, when it is 

 considered that J. C. Curwen, of Cumberland, as 

 early as 1802, had all the clothes of his farm steam- 

 ed without rubbiuff, the trick is still more remark- 

 able. ( Vide his Agricultural Hints.) 



But, by the recent patent law, I see in the tariff 

 of rates, John Bull is to pay ^500; any other 

 foreigner ^300; and the citizen but JjJSO. As to 

 Ibreigneis, they will cheerfully submit; as, if a pa- 

 tent is not vvorih S500, it is not worth a sou : but 

 I cannot otherwise than believe that, as the caveat 

 principle is, I apprehend, for the first time put into 

 practice, it would be better to charge 8300, §400, 

 or even ^50Q to every one — especially, if for lesser 

 objects, the Franklin Institute could be induced to 

 act, and the owners to acquiesce. The fund cre- 

 ated by the increased charge, might accrue for the 

 benefit of distressed, although successful, invent- 

 ors, (a class too often to be found,) or be di.^posed 

 ot in any useful manner — to the descendants of 

 such men as Fulton or Whitney, for instance. 



But, as to chargintf forigners more than natives, 

 it is to me iuexplioablc, except such is the 

 case in other countries with American citizens. 

 If it is so, I am ignorant of the fact. How- 

 ever, I should very humbly think, that where, 

 as in the case of the Tnitcd States and Great 



