88 A RKVIIiW. 



" Now, however, McCormick having become satisfied, after several 

 years' labor before Congress, that he cannot obtain an extension of his 

 own patent, and finding Hussey's machine one of the principal obsta- 

 cles in his way, and that Hussey's patent will be more a\ailable for the 

 purposes of " black mail " than his own, has made a secret alliance with 

 Husse}' to share the spoils, and has prompted, in the most quiet man- 

 ner, an extension of this patent. I say in the most quiet manner, 

 because I am not aware that any person outside of the committee room, 

 except McCormick, Hussey, and his counsel, knew that a petition to 

 extend the patent was before the committee, until the bill to extend it 

 was reported — and even then it was not published, so far as I have 

 been able to ascertain, and those most interested were not aware of it 

 until it was dix'ulged by accident. The committee, of course, v^'hen 

 relieved from their labors, desire to "sink the shop" and obtain recre- 

 ation — and would not speak of the business with which they have been 

 burdened in their hours of labor, except by the merest chance. Not 

 a word of testimony, on the part of the public or of individuals, was 

 before the committee to the best of my knowledge, but very distin- 

 guished counsel from the House of Representatives appeared before 

 the committee in Hussey's favor. Under such circumstances it was of 

 course clearly shown that Hussey had not been remunerated. Rut it 

 might have been very difficult to establish that fact before the Patent 

 Office, where opposing parties have a right not only to call witnesses, 

 but to cross-examine. It may have been made to appear also that 

 the rights of other parties would not be injuriously affected by the 

 extension. It is difficult to guess what may be clearly proved where 

 one party has everx'thing his own way. No one but McCormick had 

 the slightest opportunit}' to oppose before the committee. The case 

 has been very carefully hidden from public view — and although I have 

 not the means at this moment of rebutting any thing in reference to 

 compensation, &c., I presume the meritorious points of the case did not 

 cause the concealment. I do not know but that a proper case for exten- 

 sion might have been made out in 1847 — 'b'-'t the fact that it was not 

 attonptdd in any proper way makes me disbelieve it. And now other 

 rights, in good faith, ha\e attached; and even if the extension would 

 have been proper in 1847, it is not so in 1854. But the circumstances 

 indicate that it was never a proper case for extension. No opportunity 

 is afforded for taking or presenting testimony, and I am therefore 

 obliged to rely upon what is clearly within the reach of members 

 of Congress. 



" I have stated that this extension is favored by Mr. McCormick, 

 and that if granted it will realh' be for his benefit — to give him the 

 control of the market, and enable him to crush all others as he has 

 been for years striving to do, with a quarter of a million of dollars 

 which he has made out of his compilation of other men's inventions. 

 His own application for extension smells so rankly, that his name 

 or interest would do any thing rather than help the case; and, there- 

 fore, if he is really opposed to tiie extension, I shall be entitled 

 to his cfratitude for brinfrinff his name into the case to defeat it. 



