Horatio Gates Spafford to James Madison, Jan. 23

Had I not a great personal interest in seeing the Laws of the United States, relating to the granting of Patents, & the protection of the rights of Inventors, so modified as to embrace a better security of these rights, I should not have devoted so much time & attention to this Subject: nor should I now presume to solicit thy attention to it.

The Essay of ’Franklin,’ published in Nos. 8 & 9 of the Magazine I sent thee, a few days since, is the Paper Mentioned in a former Letter, & embraces the ideas that I had the honor to suggest in my conversations with thee when at Washington. I wish, now, to solicit thy attention to the views of this subject, exhibited in that Paper; or rather, I wish that may engage thy attention so far, as to evince the anxiety that I feel, & the pains that I have taken to call the attention of the proper persons to the Subjects embraced in it. I have not the vanity to suppose that any veiws of mine, could suggest any thing new to thy Mind, concerning this matter.

I am confident that if a Patent System were formed according to the principles I have proposed, it would soon be in my power to put an invention of my own into operation that would save many millions of dollars in America, & soon enrich me to the extent of my desires. Such are the reasons, added to those stated in my Essay; for the great anxiety that I feel, & such is the apology that I have to urge for this freedom. With great regard, & very sincere respect, thy friend,