the age of invention-第7节

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villains　to　combat　and　I　might　almost　as　well　go　to　HELL　in　search　of　HAPPINESS　as　apply　to　a　Georgia　Court　for　Justice。〃　And　again：　〃You　know　I　always　believed　in　the　'DEPRAVITY　OF　HUMAN　NATURE。'　I　thought　I　was　long　ago　sufficiently　'grounded　and　stablished'　in　this　Doctrine。　But　God　Almighty　is　continually　pouring　down　cataracts　of　testimony　upon　me　to　convince　me　of　this　fact。　'Lord　I　believe；　help　thou；'　not　'mine　unbelief；'　but　me　to　overcome　the　rascality　of　mankind。〃　His　partner　Miller；　on　the　other　hand；　is　inclined　to　be　more　philosophical　and　suggests　to　Whitney　that　〃we　take　the　affairs　of　this　world　patiently　and　that　the　little　dust　which　we　may　stir　up　about　cotton　may　after　all　not　make　much　difference　with　our　successors　one　hundred；　much　less　one　thousand　years　hence。〃　Miller；　however；　finally　concluded　that；　〃the　prospect　of　making　anything　by　ginning　in　this　State　＇Georgia＇　is　at　an　end。　Surreptitious　gins　are　being　erected　in　every　part　of　the　country；　and　the　jurymen　at　Augusta　have　come　to　an　understanding　among　themselves；　that　they　will　never　give　a　verdict　in　our　favor；　let　the　merits　of　the　case　be　as　they　may。〃*

*　Cited　in　Roe；　〃English　and　American　Tool　Builders〃；　p。　153。


Miller　and　Whitney　were　somewhat　more　fortunate　in　other　States　than　in　Georgia　though　they　nowhere　received　from　the　cotton　gin　enough　to　compensate　them　for　their　time　and　trouble　nor　more　than　a　pitiable　fraction　of　the　great　value　of　their　invention。　South　Carolina；　in　1801；　voted　them　fifty　thousand　dollars　for　their　patent　rights；　twenty　thousand　dollars　to　be　paid　down　and　the　remainder　in　three　annual　payments　of　ten　thousand　dollars　each。　〃We　get　but　a　song　for　it；〃　wrote　Whitney；　〃in　comparison　with　the　worth　of　the　thing；　but　it　is　securing　something。〃　Why　the　partners　were　willing　to　take　so　small　a　sum　was　later　explained　by　Miller。　They　valued　the　rights　for　South　Carolina　at　two　hundred　thousand　dollars；　but；　since　the　patent　law　was　being　infringed　with　impunity；　they　were　willing　to　take　half　that　amount；　〃and　had　flattered　themselves；〃　wrote　Miller；　〃that　a　sense　of　dignity　and　justice　on　the　part　of　that　honorable　body　＇the　Legislature＇　would　not　have　countenanced　an　offer　of　a　less　sum　than　one　hundred　thousand　dollars。　Finding　themselves；　however；　to　be　mistaken　in　this　opinion；　and　entertaining　a　belief　that　the　failure　of　such　negotiation；　after　it　commenced；　would　have　a　tendency　to　diminish　the　prospect；　already　doubtful；　of　enforcing　the　Patent　Law；　it　was　concluded　to　be　best　under　existing　circumstances　to　accept　the　very　inadequate　sum　of　fifty　thousand　dollars　offered　by　the　Legislature　and　thereby　relinquish　and　entirely　abandon　three…fourths　of　the　actual　value　of　the　property。〃

But　even　the　fifty　thousand　dollars　was　not　collected　without　difficulty。　South　Carolina　suspended　the　contract；　after　paying　twenty　thousand　dollars；　and　sued　Miller　and　Whitney　for　recovery　of　the　sum　paid；　on　the　ground　that　the　partners　had　not　complied　with　the　conditions。　Whitney　succeeded；　in　1805；　in　getting　the　Legislature　to　reinstate　the　contract　and　pay　him　the　remainder　of　the　money。　Miller；　discouraged　and　broken　by　the　long　struggle；　had　died　in　the　meantime。

The　following　passage　from　a　letter　written　by　Whitney　in　February；　1805；　to　Josiah　Stebbins；　gives　Whitney's　views　as　to　the　treatment　he　had　received　at　the　hands　of　the　authorities。　He　is　writing　from　the　residence　of　a　friend　near　Orangeburg；　South　Carolina。

〃The　principal　object　of　my　present　excursion　to　this　Country　was　to　get　this　business　set　right；　which　I　have　so　far　effected　as　to　induce　the　Legislature　of　this　State　to　recind　all　their　former　SUSPENDING　LAWS　and　RESOLUTIONS；　to　agree　once　more　to　pay　the　sum　of　30；000　Dollars　which　was　due　and　make　the　necessary　appropriations　for　that　purpose。　I　have　as　yet　however　obtained　but　a　small　part　of　this　payment。　The　residue　is　promised　me　in　July　next。　Thus　you　see　my　RECOMPENSE　OF　REWARD　is　as　the　land　of　Canaan　was　to　the　Jews；　resting　a　long　while　in　promise。　If　the　Nations　with　whom　I　have　to　contend　are　not　as　numerous　as　those　opposed　to　the　Israelites；　they　are　certainly　much　greater　HEATHENS；　having　their　hearts　hardened　and　their　understanding　blinded；　to　make；　propagate　and　believe　all　manner　of　lies。　Verily；　Stebbins；　I　have　had　much　vexation　of　spirit　in　this　business。　I　shall　spend　forty　thousand　dollars　to　obtain　thirty；　and　it　will　all　end　in　vanity　at　last。　A　contract　had　been　made　with　the　State　of　Tennessee　which　now　hangs　SUSPENDED。　Two　attempts　have　been　made　to　induce　the　State　of　No。　Carolina　to　RECIND　their　CONTRACT；　neither　of　which　have　succeeded。　Thus　you　see　Brother　Steb。　Sovreign　and　Independent　States　warped　by　INTEREST　will　be　ROGUES　and　misled　by　Demagogues　will　be　FOOLS。　They　have　spent　much　time；　MONEY　and　CREDIT；　to　avoid　giving　me　a　small　compensation；　for　that　which　to　them　is　worth　millions。〃


Meanwhile　North　Carolina　had　agreed　to　buy　the　rights　for　the　State　on　terms　that　yielded　Whitney　about　thirty　thousand　dollars；　and　it　is　estimated　that　he　received　about　ten　thousand　dollars　from　Tennessee；　making　his　receipts　in　all　about　ninety　thousand　dollars；　before　deducting　costs　of　litigation　and　other　losses。　The　cotton　gin　was　not　profitable　to　its　inventor。　And　yet　no　invention　in　history　ever　so　suddenly　transformed　an　industry　and　created　enormous　wealth。　Eight　years　before　Whitney's　invention；　eight　bales　of　cotton；　landed　at　Liverpool；　were　seized　on　the　ground　that　so　large　a　quantity　of　cotton　could　not　have　been　produced　in　the　United　States。　The　year　before　that　invention　the　United　States　exported　less　than　one　hundred　and　forty　thousand　pounds　of　cotton；　the　year　after　it；　nearly　half　a　million　pounds；　the　next　year　over　a　million　and　a　half；　a　year　later　still；　over　six　million；　by　1800；　nearly　eighteen　million　pounds　a　year。　And　by　1845　the　United　States　was　producing　producing　seven…eighths　of　the　world's　cotton。　Today　the　United　States　produces　six　to　eight　billion　pounds　of　cotton　annually；　and　ninety…nine　per　cent　of　this　is　the　upland　or　green…seed　cotton；　which　is　cleaned　on　the　Whitney　type　of　gin　and　was　first　made　commercially　available　by　Whitney's　invention。*

*　Roe；　〃English　and　American　Tool　Builders〃；　pp。　150…51。


More　than　half　of　this　enormous　crop　is　still　exported　in　spite　of　the　great　demand　at　home。　Cotton　became　and　has　continued　to　be　the　greatest　single　export　of　the　United　States。　In　ordinary　years　its　value　is　greater　than　the　combined　value　of　the　three　next　largest　exports。　It　is　on　cotton　that　the　United　States　has　depended　for　the　payment　of　its　trade　balance　to　Europe。

Other　momentous　results　followed　on　the　invention　of　the　cotton　gin。　In　1793　slavery　seemed　a　dying　institution；　North　and　South。　Conditions　of　soil　and　climate　made　slavery　unprofitable　in　the　North。　On　many　of　the　indigo；　rice；　and　tobacco　plantations　in　the　South　there　were　more　slaves　than　could　be　profitably　employed；　and　many　planters　were　thinking　of　emancipating　their　slaves；　when　along　came　this　simple　but　wonderful　machine　and　with　it　the　vision　of　great　riches　in　cotton；　for　while　slaves　could　not　earn　their　keep　separating　the　cotton　from　its　seeds　by　hand；　they　could　earn　enormous　profits　in　the　fields；　once　the　difficulty　of　extracting　the　seeds　was　solved。　Slaves　were　no　longer　a　liability　but　an　asset。　The　price　of　〃field　hands〃　rose；　and　continued　to　rise。　If　the　worn…out　lands　of　the　seaboard　no　longer　afforded　opportunity　for　profitable　employment；　the　rich　new　lands　of　the　Southwest　called　for　laborers；　and　yet　more　laborers。　Taking　slaves　with　them；　younger　sons　pushed　out　into　the　wilderness；　became　possessed　of　great　tracts　of　fertile　land；　and　built　up　larger　plantations　than　those　upon　which　they　had　been　born。　Cotton　became　King　of　the　South。

The　supposed　economic　necessity　of　slave　labor　led　great　men　to　defend　slavery；　and　politics　in　the　South　became　largely　the　defense　of　slavery　against　the　aggression；　real　or　fancied；　of　the　free　North。　The　rift　between　the　sections　became　a　chasm。　Then　came　the　War　of　Secession。

Though　Miller　was　dead；　Whitney　carried　on　the　fight　for　his　rights　in　Georgia。　His　difficulties　were　increased　by　a　patent　which　the　Government　at　Philadelphia　issued　in　May；　1796；　to　Hogden　Holmes；　a　mechanic　of　Augusta；　for　an　improvement　in　the　cotton　gin。　The　Holmes　machines　were　soon　in　common　use；　and　it　was　against　the　users　of　these　that　many　of　the　suits　for　infringement　were　brought。　Suit　after　suit　ran　its　course　in　the　Georgia　courts；　without　a　single　decision　in　the　inventor's　favor。　At　length；　however；　in　December；　1806；　the　validity　of　Whitney's　patent　was　finally　determined　by　decision　of　the　United　States　Circuit　Court　in　Georgia。　Whitney　asked　for　a　perpetual　injunction　against　the　Holmes　machine；　and　the　court；　finding　that　his　invention　was　basic；　granted　him　all　that　he　asked。

By　this　time；　however；　the　life　of　the　patent　had　nearly　run　its　course。　Whitney　applied　to　Congress　for　a　renewal；　but；　in　spite　of　all　his　arguments　and　a　favorable　committee　report；　the　opposition　from　the　cotton　States　proved　too　strong；　and　his　application　was　denied。　Whitney　now　had　ot