The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-15
From the n. Y. Erenins Post
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT,

| INTERNA TlONAL CUP 4 RlG II L : .v'..
| The paper-nakers who belong TO the H"m. League
in this city are hostile internationalcopy night a"
| from the apprehension that it will make some diiler-
in the quantity Of paper which they manufacture
| The Home League, at It's meeting last evening, ac
cording to the report OF ITS proceedings IN morning
paper entered into the Of the paper makers and
directed memorial to be drawn up, addressed TO Con
| gtess requesting our Government net To adopt the
| measure which secures to Americans their literary
property in other countries, and to foelgh authors
'her literary property In this country
Ii there is any Justice at all IN the copyright law,
as ii seems there is-f the composition which
author produces by the exercise OF Is talents ana
industry, be much his own as his purse, II
49, or else our right law gross absurdlty-he
ught to be equally in its posses sion-secure
every where; the people OF foreign countries ought
not be allowed to plumber the American, nor tho
people of this country to plunder the foreigner II
our own laws such, that the moment stranger
pr resented himself shores his baggage and the
very change in his pocket ceased TO be his own II
our courts were not much open to him as to our
own czens in claim OF property, or demand ot
reparation for injustice, for piliaee OF swimming we
should be condemned by the general voice OF the cl>i
lized world not merely cnurlsh and inhoswlabie
nation, bu, nation of robbers. When we deny
stranger the right to the profits OF his own wrt'
ings give to our citizens, We commit ts very
Injustice the only difference Is, that we ht 'he too-
berry one kind OF property
We will not at present engage in the controversy
respecting the propriety OF having any coy-right law
whatever 1t Is enough for our purpoe that the
Constitution of the United States recognizes the right
of literary property and gives Congress the power OF
ecuing to authors the exclusive right To Their own
productons It's enough that the subject has from
time to time been brought before the ma ion, and that
our legislators, in obedience to the genera voice,
have from time to time, strengthened and enlarged
the provisions which protect authors IN the disposal
of their own writings Thus the right OF literary pro-
pcrty has been acknowledged and established in tho
most solemn manner, by the constitution, by Con
NJ, hIs hptpn dana wi u
should we protect set of PERSONS in that right and
abandon another set TO general pilage / he reason
given for making this unjust distinction is, that II is
for the benefit of the paper makers
IL might be for the benefit of the wreckers on the
Long Island coast and that of New Jersey if they
were allowed 10 possess themselves OF the effects of
all whom the storms cast upon their shores 1t would
be very convenient for certain class, who hang
about our wharves if they were allowed to pick the
pockets of those who arrive from abroad, run 81
wi h their baggage, without fear of punishment but
this benefit and this convenience, we think, would
hardly be sufficient ground for depnvlng strangers
Of the protection " hch the law grants to our own
citizens
After all, however, the paper.makers, il seems TO
us NAV dismiss their fears, and the Home League
may suppress its contemplated remonstrance without
any apprehension that our paper-mllls wan pc oDHgeu
to stop if an international copyright law should De
nassed by Congress. The late increase OF cheap
reading the multiplication Of literary and other pa
pers and periodicals. does not arise from the absence
of an international copyright law II that were the
case we ought to have had this nundation of cheap
reading years ago, nasmuch since there little
obstruction from any copyright law there now is.
On the contrary, it arises from the Improvements
which have been made in printing, and the manufae-
turc of paper-the invention of presses which throw
off impressions almost with the rapidity Of light and
the discovery Of methods which turn out vast sheets
Of paper by an almost instantaneous process. This
is the secret of the cheap books and cheap perlodl
Gals with which the market is filled, and these causes
will continue to operate in spite OF an international
copyright Books are cheap in consequence OF per-
fecting the mechanical processes by which they are
produced, and will continue to be so, whatever
course Congress may adopt in relation 70 this matter
the paper-makers need not fear that the world VIII
cease 10 read that they will be thrown out OF ou
siness