INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



the others so far as might be necessary in the con- 

 struction of their sewing-machines, and to protect 

 the interests of all from infringements by outside 

 parties. These patents and privileges were not con- 

 fined to the three original parties in the combination, 

 but were available to all manufacturers upon the pay- 

 ment of a fee, which was very small compared with 

 the exorbitant bounty collected by Howe. No re- 

 strictions were placed upon manufacturers in regard 

 to the price at which their products were to be sold, 

 and the markets were open to fair competition by all 

 on the merits of the several machines. The combina- 

 tion continued in existence, with Mr. Howe as a mem- 

 ber, until the expiration of the extended term of his 

 patent, in 1867, and was then continued by the other 

 members until the expiration of the Bachelder patent 

 in 1877. 



"The sewing-machines manufactured prior to the 

 Singer, and many of them long after, used the vibrat- 

 ing arm for imparting motion to the needle. This 

 result was accomplished either by means of the vibra- 

 tory arm actuating a needle-bar carrying a straight 

 needle, or by means of the vibratory arm and curved 

 needle. It is obvious that sewing-machines constructed 

 on either of these principles could not be enlarged, 

 or decreased, in size without destroying their effective- 

 ness; on the one hand the lengthening of the arm 

 would naturally increase both the power required to 

 operate it, and its liability to spring, and thus affect 

 the proper action of the needle; on the other hand, 

 decreasing the size of the arm would necessarily in- 



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