the age of invention-第7章

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　have　got　a　Patent　in　America　I　shall　go　with　the　machine　which　I　am　now　making；　to　Georgia；　where　I　shall　stay　a　few　weeks　to　see　it　at　work。　From　thence　I　expect　to　go　to　England；　where　I　shall　probably　continue　two　or　three　years。　How　advantageous　this　business　will　eventually　prove　to　me；　I　cannot　say。　It　is　generally　said　by　those　who　know　anything　about　it；　that　I　shall　make　a　Fortune　by　it。　I　have　no　expectation　that　I　shall　make　an　independent　fortune　by　it；　but　think　I　had　better　pursue　it　than　any　other　business　into　which　I　can　enter。　Something　which　cannot　be　foreseen　may　frustrate　my　expectations　and　defeat　my　Plan；　but　I　am　now　so　sure　of　success　that　ten　thousand　dollars；　if　I　saw　the　money　counted　out　to　me；　would　not　tempt　me　to　give　up　my　right　and　relinquish　the　object。　I　wish　you；　sir；　not　to　show　this　letter　nor　communicate　anything　of　its　contents　to　any　body　except　My　Brothers　and　Sister；　ENJOINING　it　on　them　to　keep　the　whole　A　PROFOUND　SECRET。〃

*　Then　the　national　capital。

**　Hammond；　〃Correspondence　of　Eli　Whitney；〃　American　Historical　Review；　vol。　III；　p。　99。　The　other　citations　in　this　chapter　are　from　the　same　source；　unless　otherwise　stated。


The　invention；　however；　could　not　be　kept　〃a　profound　secret；〃　for　knowledge　of　it　was　already　out　in　the　cotton　country。　Whitney's　hostess；　Mrs。　Greene；　had　shown　the　wonderful　machine　to　some　friends；　who　soon　spread　the　glad　tidings；　and　planters；　near　and　far；　had　come　to　Mulberry　Grove　to　see　it。　The　machine　was　of　very　simple　construction；　any　blacksmith　or　wheelwright；　knowing　the　principle　of　the　design；　could　make　one。　Even　before　Whitney　could　obtain　his　patent；　cotton　gins　based　on　his　were　being　manufactured　and　used。

Whitney　received　his　patent　in　March；　1794；　and　entered　on　his　new　work　with　enthusiasm。　His　partner；　Phineas　Miller；　was　a　cultivated　New　England　gentleman；　a　graduate　of　Yale　College；　who；　like　Whitney；　had　sought　his　fortune　as　a　teacher　in　the　South。　He　had　been　a　tutor　in　the　Greene　household　and　on　General　Greene's　death　had　taken　over　the　management　of　his　estates。　He　afterwards　married　Mrs。　Greene。　The　partners　decided　to　manufacture　the　machines　in　New　Haven；　Whitney　to　give　his　time　to　the　production；　Miller　to　furnish　the　capital　and　attend　to　the　firm's　interests　in　the　South。

At　the　outset　the　partners　blundered　seriously　in　their　plan　for　commercializing　the　invention。　They　planned　to　buy　seed　cotton　and　clean　it　themselves；　also　to　clean　cotton　for　the　planters　on　the　familiar　toll　system；　as　in　grinding　grain；　taking　a　toll　of　one　pound　of　cotton　out　of　every　three。　〃Whitney's　plan　in　Georgia；〃　says　a　recent　writer；　〃as　shown　by　his　letters　and　other　evidence；　was　to　own　all　the　gins　and　gin　all　the　cotton　made　in　the　country。　It　is　but　human　nature　that　this　sort　of　monopoly　should　be　odious　to　any　community。〃*　Miller　appears　to　have　calculated　that　the　planters　could　afford　to　pay　for　the　use　of　the　new　invention　about　one…half　of　all　the　profits　they　derived　from　its　use。　An　equal　division；　between　the　owners　of　the　invention　on　the　one　hand　and　the　cotton　growers　on　the　other；　of　all　the　super…added　wealth　arising　from　the　invention；　seemed　to　him　fair。　Apparently　the　full　meaning　of　such　an　arrangement　did　not　enter　his　mind。　Perhaps　Miller　and　Whitney　did　not　see　at　first　that　the　new　invention　would　cause　a　veritable　industrial　revolution；　or　that　the　system　they　planned；　if　it　could　be　made　effective；　would　make　them　absolute　masters　of　the　cotton　country；　with　the　most　stupendous　monopoly　in　the　world。　Nor　do　they　appear　to　have　realized　that；　considering　the　simple　construction　of　their　machine　and　the　loose　operation　of　the　patent　law　at　that　time；　the　planters　of　the　South　would　never　submit　to　so　great　a　tribute　as　they　proposed　to　exact。　Their　attempt　in　the　first　instance　to　set　up　an　unfair　monopoly　brought　them　presently　into　a　sea　of　troubles；　which　they　never　passed　out　of；　even　when　they　afterwards　changed　their　tack　and　offered　to　sell　the　machines　with　a　license；　or　a　license　alone；　at　a　reasonable　price。

*　Tompkins；　〃Cotton　and　Cotton　Oil〃；　p。　86。


Misfortune　pursued　the　partners　from　the　beginning。　Whitney　writes　to　his　father　from　New　Haven　in　May；　1794；　that　his　machines　in　Georgia　are　working　well；　but　that　he　apprehends　great　difficulty　in　manufacturing　them　as　fast　as　they　are　needed。　In　March　of　the　following　year　he　writes　again；　saying　that　his　factory　in　New　Haven　has　been　destroyed　by　fire：　〃When　I　returned　home　from　N。　York　I　found　my　property　all　in　ashes！　My　shop；　all　my　tools；　material　and　work　equal　to　twenty　finished　cotton　machines　all　gone。　The　manner　in　which　it　took　fire　is　altogether　unaccountable。〃　Besides；　the　partners　found　themselves　in　distress　for　lack　of　capital。　Then　word　came　from　England　that　the　Manchester　spinners　had　found　the　ginned　cotton　to　contain　knots；　and　this　was　sufficient　to　start　the　rumor　throughout　the　South　that　Whitney's　gin　injured　the　cotton　fiber　and　that　cotton　cleaned　by　them　was　worthless。　It　was　two　years　before　this　ghost　was　laid。　Meanwhile　Whitney's　patent　was　being　infringed　on　every　hand。　〃They　continue　to　clean　great　quantities　of　cotton　with　Lyon's　Gin　and　sell　it　advantageously　while　the　Patent　ginned　cotton　is　run　down　as　good　for　nothing；〃　writes　Miller　to　Whitney　in　September；　1797。　Miller　and　Whitney　brought　suits　against　the　infringers　but　they　could　obtain　no　redress　in　the　courts。

Whitney's　attitude　of　mind　during　these　troubles　is　shown　in　his　letters。　He　says　the　statement　that　his　machines　injure　the　cotton　is　false；　that　the　source　of　the　trouble　is　bad　cotton；　which　he　ventures　to　think　is　improved　fifty　per　cent　by　the　use　of　his　gin；　and　that　it　is　absurd　to　say　that　the　cotton　could　be　injured　in　any　way　in　the　process　of　cleaning。　〃I　think；〃　he　says；　writing　to　Miller；　〃you　will　be　able　to　convince　the　CANDID　that　this　is　quite　a　mistaken　notion　and　them　that　WILL　NOT　BELIEVE　may　be　damn'd。〃　Again；　writing　later　to　his　friend　Josiah　Stebbins　in　New　England：　〃I　have　a　set　of　the　most　Depraved　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