As the result of the payment of this ransom the town of Frederick, which under the recent census had a population of a trifle more than 10,000 persons, has been required to carry, and still carries, a large bonded indebtedness, a heavy burden upon the citizens of said town, necessitating the levy of an annual tax for the payment of the interest on said bonds.

The committee believes that the payment of this claim to the loyal town of Frederick will not establish a precedent for the payment of other claims for damage done by the enemy in times of war. This claim has been reported favorably by the Committee on War Claims for the fifth time, but has not heretofore received consideration by the House. When we recall that more than $200,000 worth of Government stores were saved to the Union by the payment of this ransom we do not fear that the passage of this claim will open new roads for the payment of any other claims resulting from the Civil War. We therefore urge the passage of this bill as being in accord with the modern practice of nations, as well as on account of the special circumstances which differentiate it from other claims.

The minority is unable to concur in the favorable report of this bill for the following reasons:

This claim has been before Congress for many years, but until its presentation to the Sixty-third Congress no claim was made, so far as we are able to learn, that any Government stores were in Frederick at the time the ransom of $200,000 was exacted by Gen. Early. The affidavits, executed years after the happening of the event, are exceedingly unsatisfactory, not only because of the delay in making them, but as well because there is no record in the War Department of the existence of such stores.

The belated claim regarding such stores is based upon affidavits of unconvincing character, and with no explanation as to the failure to file similar proof until the claim was presented to Congress for the fourth time.

The assertion that the delay at Frederick incident to the collection of the ransom resulted in saving Washington is unsupported by the history of the campaign and is doubtless offered as special inducement to the taking of the claim out of its proper class and making an exception favorable to Frederick.

We find no warrant for the statement that the Confederate Army was attracted to Frederick because of the Federal stores, but, on the contrary, the Confederate Army had no knowledge of such stores (affidavit of Jacob Tyson), but did have knowledge that the whole of that territory was devoid of supplies.

The legal precedents cited in the majority report are applicable to foreign invasion, but not to civil strife:

No Government compensates its subjects for losses or injuries suffered in the course of civil commotion. (Hall's International Law, pp. 222, 223.)

This Government has set no precedent allowing claims of this character arising out of the Civil War. To do so in this instance is to open new roads that will doubtless be industriously traveled by those who spend their time in searching for new avenues leading to the Treasury.

We believe that the passage of this bill will be exceedingly unfortunate, especially at this time, when the financial needs of the Nation are at once so urgent and so insistent.

C. F. REAVIS.

B. H. SNELL.

ISAAC SIEGEL.

ROBERT F. HOPWOOD.

TO EXTEND TEMPORARILY THE TIME FOR FILING APPLICATIONS AND FEES AND TAKING ACTION IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

APRIL 17, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. OGLESBY, from the Committee on Patents, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 13982.]

The Committee on Patents, to whom was referred H. R. 13982, respectfully report that they have had the same under consideration and recommend that the bill do pass.

The full text of the bill is as follows:

A BILL To extend temporarily the time for filing applications and fees and taking action in the United States Patent Office in favor of nations granting reciprocal rights to United States citizens.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any applicant for letters patent or for the registration of any trade-mark, print, or label, being within the provisions of this act, if unable on account of the existing and continuing state of war to file any application or pay any official fee or take any required action within the period now limited by law, shall be granted an extension of nine months beyond the expiration of said period.

SEC. 2. That the provisions of this act shall be limited to citizens or subjects of countries which extend substantially similar privileges to the citizens of the United States, and no extension shall be granted under this act to the citizens or subjects of any country while said country is at war with the United States.

SEC. 3. That this act shall be operative to relieve from default under existing law occurring since August first, nineteen hundred and fourteen, and before the first day of January, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and all applications and letters patent and registrations in the filing or prosecution whereof default has occurred for which this act grants relief shall have the same force and effect as if said default had not occurred.

The purpose of the first two sections of this bill is to extend the time for filing of applications and paying of fees on the part of citizens or subjects of foreign countries seeking to obtain patents or the registration of trade-marks or labels in the United States Patent Office, if the filing of such applications, or paying of such fees, or

taking of other required action is rendered impossible on account of a state of war. Section 2 of the bill limits such privileges to citizens or subjects of countries which extend substantially the same privileges to citizens of the United States. This bill is not only for the convenience of foreign applicants but also for the convenience of citizens of the United States who seek to file patent applications in foreign countries and are unable to comply with the rules of such foreign countries in relation thereto because of a state of war.

Many of the other countries extend privileges to citizens of countries which extend reciprocal privileges. The passage of this bill would enable United States citizens to avail themselves of those reciprocal privileges. Section 2 further limits the provisions of the bill to citizens and subjects of countries at peace with the United States.

Section 3 would operate to validate certain applications and letters patent issued to citizens or subjects of foreign countries in which the Commissioner of Patents has accepted applications executed by attorneys for the foreign applicants within the time limited by statute, and has given the applicants time to substitute therefor applications executed by the inventors themselves. Until the present time it has been held that this practice was not authorized by the statute, and the legality of it is open to question. The passage of this bill would save from default all of the applications, numbering several hundred, which have been so treated by the Commissioner of Patents.