New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-06-17

The simplicity of the question Is It's COM
pletest argument. There Is an aboriginal
view sometimes adduced, which implies that
oenius should scorn material compensation.
II is an extremely vague statement' yet
based clearly upon an instinct OF pleasant
and very desirable state OF things when
every body should do and have everything
for nothing. But unhaPPily in this question
common sense cannot be omitted. The
Author. as a member of human society, Is
subject to the unpleasant but inexOrable ne
cessities of bread and butter. His lnstru-
ment is his pen-the character of his career
2 foreoone conclusion. This the law has re-
cognised in his own country, and guaran-
tees him his rights for certain period.
But whoever enjoys without Limitation the
advantages of an invention-fOr inthe argu-
meHt book takes at least tina. rank
should pay for it that is, so long IS others,
who reap no more benefit from its Enjoyment,
continue to pay for it. An author wlo writes
the English language is not, in any just
sense, exclusively an English or al Amer
lean author. He is identified with he Ian
guage, and the area of that should be the
area of his reward, as it will be of the in
structiOn and enjoyment he lmparts. 1t is
just as sensible to say that the author shall
possess a copyright in London only, and not
in the rest of England, as to declare that it
shall not extend to the United States. This
is equally true of all inventions. The dis
coyerer of an Improvement in the steam
engine is honorably entitled to his reward
from all countries in which the steam en-
CINE is used. This is common sense, fra
ternity and mere justice. If an English
manufacturer, by the aid Of Amo-ican-im-
proved machinery, is enabled tc offer his
goods in the American market at = cheaper
rate than the domestic can be offered, and
thereby coins money, is nothing due to the
improver of the machinery It's rather
idle to say that he is paid for it on this side,
because it is worth quite as much on the
other And equally idle to say that he
fares as well as others, because, in that
case, others fare very i'll.
The question of International Copyright
with countries of different language we
do not veX. 1t appears that the labor of
translation and the necessary escape of the
peculiar aroma of the work introduce other
conditions which would induce us to waive,
or at most compromise, the claim. Copper
field, for instance, has been translated into
German. But Peggotty is made to talk Pail
Mall English, and Peggotty Germanized be-
comes very different article. So the Scotch
flavor exhales from Burns and Scott in
translation. But New-Yorkers appreciate
Burns as adequately and profoundly as Lon
doners, and so they do Dickens and Thack-
cray and Macauley. The history of Eng
land is our history. Shakspere and Chau-
Ger and Milton are as much American as
English Doubtless the American of to-
dav does not more differ from a LondOner
of the same date than contemporary of
Chaucer would have differed
We look in vain for the opposing argu-
ment. An author, in this matter, Is like
man fighting a Malaria. 1t consumes him,
but he cannot find his foe. Nothing re-
spends. The suflocating silence of the
fixed fact closes round him. We turned with
interest TO the record of the meeting OF pre-
datory Publishers in London for the plan Of
the enemy's campaign. Not lance, not
banner, appears. iNothing but flourish of
patriotic trumpetsblows the alarum that Lord
Campbell has decided that England shall do
that which no other country is likely 10 re-
ciprocate. Why should we suckle them
while they Starve us? say they. 1t was a
fine flourish, but we looked equally in vain
for the crest of any AuthOr in the field.
Those busy brains spinning immortal works
in the wild whirl of London, like silk-wOrms
upon storm-shaken trees, do not smile upon
these efforts to diminish the pay of thai labor
which is VIGOROUSLY poor enough already.
We do not deny that the bold Buccaneer,
Bohn, and his followers have a shrewd sus-
picion of truth IN their assertion. West
ern America wishes TO read Dickens at
a very moderate rate, and is now 50 used
to it that it could hardly consent to pay
more even for that pleasure. We must
have cheap reading; consider how essential
1t IS TO our national education" But
worthy Mr.. Brick must also consider that
he has no right TO select one class OF work
ers in the world and say to them, You will