capital from other people. My best answer to that old objection is
that I am not seeking capital, as such. The situation with me is
simply this. Twice I have applied to the patent office for a patent
on my invention. They not only refuse to grant it, but they refuse to
consider the application or even to give me a chance to demonstrate my
process to them. On the other hand, suppose I try this thing secretly.
How can I prevent any one from learning my trade secret, leaving me,
and making gold on his own account? Men will desert as fast as I
educate them. Think of the economic result of that; it would turn the
world topsy-turvy. I am looking for some one who can be trusted to the
last limit to join with me, furnish the influence and standing while
I furnish the brains and the invention. Either we must get the
government interested and sell the invention to it or we must get
government protection and special legislation. I am not seeking
capital; I am seeking protection. First let me show you something."

He turned a switch, and a part of the collection of apparatus began to
vibrate.

"You are undoubtedly acquainted with the modern theories of matter,"
he began, plunging into the explanation of his process. "Starting
with the atom, we believe no longer that it is indivisible. Atoms
are composed of thousands of ions, as they are called--really little
electric charges. Again, you know that we have found that all the
elements fall into groups. Each group has certain related atomic
weights and properties which can be and have been predicted in advance
of the discovery of missing elements in the group. I started with the
reasonable assumption that the atom of one element in a group could
be modified so as to become the atom of another element in the group,
that one group could perhaps be transformed into another, and so on,