VOL. XIX. 



CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 21, 1883. 



No. 12. 



Published every Wednesday, by 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Editor and Propkietor, 



" Friendly " Law Suit. 



The Bee Jouknal has always de- 

 fended hmiest property in inventions 

 as well as in anything else. For the 

 first seven years of its existence, under 

 the able management of our prede- 

 cessor, the late Mr. Samuel Wagner, 

 it deprecated the war made on our 

 venerable friend, the Rev. L,. L. 

 Langstroth, and his patent, and the 

 consequent annoyance and continual 

 appeal to the courts to defend that 

 patent. His present dependent and 

 helpless condition, is mainly attrib- 

 utable to the war that was made on 

 him, and it is surpassingly strange 

 that some who know all this, now talk 

 of waging a similar war on another 

 inventor. 



On page 127, Dr. Southwick gave his 

 views of the subject, and now Prof. 

 Cook sends us the following : 



KIND RE.JOINDEK TO DR. SOUTHWICK. 



I am quite sure that my good friend, 

 Dr. E. 13. Southwick, and I, do not 

 understand matters alike, lie says 

 he is not a Christian. Now, did he 

 understand Christianity as I do, lam 

 sure he would say, tliiit whatever I 

 am, I desire to be a true, genuine 

 Christian. Which means : I desire 

 to follow Christ's example. He " went 

 about doing good." In his life was 

 no guile. His were the noble words : 

 '• Let him that is vvithout sin, cast the 

 first stone ;" and thatgrandestprayer : 

 " Father forgive them, they know 

 not what they do." Now, my dear 

 doctor, do not you and I desire to 

 copy all this V One thing more : 

 Christ only had words of sharp con- 

 demnation for impostors. Now, I 

 have feared— I almost believe that in 

 this one-piece section business, the im- 

 postor shows his face. If I felt that 

 Mr. Forncrook had studied, labored 

 and spent money to develop the one- 



piece section, and so had honest prop- 

 erty in it, I would rival my good friend, 

 Dr. S., in my veliement demands, tliat 

 he have his rights. But if, as I surely 

 believe, we would have had tlie sec- 

 tion just as soon if Mr. F. had never 

 been born, and that his claim to 

 invention is not a just one, then, 

 surely, the case is very different. I 

 believe Mr. Muth, because he invented 

 the wire comb basket with inclined 

 sides, has just as good a right to for- 

 bid all parties to make and sell ex- 

 tractors, as has Mr. F. to forbid the 

 manufacture of one-piece sections, as 

 he does. 



Nay, my friend, there is a principle 

 at stake right here. Let us uphold 

 every true inventor's right to his own 

 invention. Let us denounce as stoutly 

 the collecting of royalty by threats 

 of prosecution, where no right exists. 

 \ ou speak of 25 cents royalty. Why, 

 Doctor ! it is two dollars. 



It may not be wise to have the 

 friendly suit. I am, however, quite 

 sure that all the apiarists, who use 

 sections of this kind— and tliey are 

 very numemtis — could well afford to 

 pay the $1.00, if the alternative was to 

 buy at the higher price. 



Of course, this whole question 

 hinges on Mr. F.'s right. If, as I be- 

 lieve, his right is a fictitious one, then 

 " right," which you. Doctor, are 

 proud to worship, demands that his 

 claims be opposed. Such action does 

 not apply to this case only, but to all 

 such cases which are sure to arise in 

 the future. I am now done. 



A. J. Cook. 



Lansing, Mich., March 9, 1883. 



Of course, we are sorry that Pro- 

 fessor Cook (who is, naturally, a very 

 fair-minded and honorable man) has 

 seen fit to use such strong language as 

 impostor. It is not like him; and, we 

 fear, he labored under some impulse 

 or unnatursil influence. 



Here comes another — from Mr. J. 

 Lee Anderson, who desires to be 

 heard : 



It seems to me that Dr. Southwick 

 on page 127, has taken the most honest 

 position of any one, as yet. in the pat- 

 ent one-piece section. Prof. Cook 

 suggests that each bee-keeper put in 

 one dollar and have a " friendly " law 

 suit with Mr. Forncrook. 



I would suggest that bee-keepers 

 put in another dollar, each, to give 

 Mr. Forncrook, with which to defend 



the " friendly " suit. ^ think all that 

 are honest in their friendship will do 

 so ; for, if Mr. F. owns the patent it 

 certainly would be very wrong for 

 bee-keepers to combine togetlier to 

 beat him out of his rights, tliereby 

 putting him to great expense and a 

 large " section " of trouble. 



J. Lee Anderson. 

 Lawrence, 111., March 9, 1883. 



Mr. Anderson is right. If the pat- 

 entee did invent the section, and 

 spend much time and money to develop 

 and make it a success, may we not as 

 honestly appropriate his pocket-book 

 to our use, without his permission, as 

 to combine to beat him out of his in- 

 terest in it ! If it is to be tried legally, 

 and bee-keepers desire to have a thor- 

 ough investigation of the legality of 

 the patent, they should aid one side as 

 much as the other— that is, if they 

 desire to be equally honest and just to 

 the inventor and to the fraternity. 



We have declined to publish replies 

 sent by Mr. Baldridge, because they 

 contained such ungentlemaidy and 

 untruthful words and expressions as 

 the following : 



The article is a gross libel, full of lies, and you 

 ought to know it.... You misrepresent for selflsh 



ends Brace up, and publish my article Just as 



it is written, and not append remarks thereto 



Coward — Why, the devil, don't he try to stop 

 somebody from making them?.... You are adrtsiiij 

 bee-keepers to raise a fund to test the validity of 

 the patent, and fee the lawyersdiars) with. ...Cool 



off.... Publish this.... 's article Is "chock full 



of lies.". ...Some have written me that you are 

 now interested in the F. patent, and you aided, 

 him with solid cash, in getting the patent . . If you 

 have '■ stock "in the F. patent, take n,y .-idvice and 

 unload, before the bee-keepers " smell a rat." 



Had the replies been courteous they 

 would have been published, but no 

 good can come of such bitterness and 

 strife. We feel sure that our readers 

 generally will approve of the contro- 

 versy being terminated right here. 



We have no interest in any patent, 

 or in the manufacture or sale of any 

 apiarian supplies ; nor have we ever 

 assisted any one with money to get a 

 patent. The spiteful intimation to 

 the contrary is without the slightest 

 foundation, and was begotten out of 

 malice and ill-will. 



