New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-28

abode among us."
Put who has affirmed or assumed any +" such de-
cided preference for this country over their own"
We. surely. have not. It was tie preference of
their rrorIs BIZ our people that made the ground
of our argument that they should in part be paid
by us for writing them. We cannot see how their
moral right to such payment is affected by their
living in one country or another.
And now let Us see The Times, after stoutly
DENYING that the interests Of the great American
republishers would be damaged by international
Copyright swing round and come up square on
the other tack:
But the fact t. that If an International Copyright
established, English Books for me american mar
ket KoHld be mainly printed in England The English
Publishers and Authors having the power to monopo-
lie their books in both markets. would scarcely reiln-
ouish to American rivals the profits to be de-
rived from their sale here Ii IAN American Copyright
would be worth TO them than the British, they
would not be likely to give up. They would first print
In England expensive editions for the reading puohc
there, and would then print copies TOR the American
market upon inferior paper and in poorer STYLE but sun
az rate sufficient to saddle American purchasers win
good share Of the taxes upon paper advertisements
means of living, &C., &c, levied by their Governmeh,
| at home The Tribune processes very warm regard
for the welfare of American aborers Perhaps 1t has
not fully calculated how many typesetters, prooresd
ers kbnders, paper makers, folders trinmcrs &c,
Sc how large portion OF the tens Of thousands who
now find oc cupatien and obtain living in connection
with books would be rovn out Of employment by such
summary transfer of their work TO English hands, as
an international Copyright would at once effect Inere
coud be no reciprocity in this matter for while we adj
NIT English books at the merely nominal duty OF ten
per cent cd ralOrc the English Government protects
its printers well as Its authors and publishers oy
duty on American books high as to be in effect prohi
btory And perhaps active friend OF the Typo
graphical Association, the Editor OF The Tribune may
also think it worth while to estimate the reduction Of
sof into blDdp T.
| result from such step.
"While we readily concede the rights of British
taors to compensation for their labor cannot sacrifice
to them the Just claims of Amican mechanics as well as
the interests of the great body OF the American people
| The answer to this is very simple-The true
remedy for the evils The Times foreshadows is
| found, not in robbing British Authors, but in pro-
| tecting American Mechanics. That the duty on
imported books is but ten per cent. is wrong for
| which we are in no way responsible, and which not
| only may be but rouid be corrected if any such
| results as The Times anticipates were to flow
from it. Let us have International Copyright, and
| along with it such duty on Imported Books as
| will insure the printing here of all but those of
which few copies only are required, and those at
high prices. There would then be no reduction of
wages, no sacrifice Of American mechanics, no
throwing of thousands out of employment, but
equal and exact Justice to all. And if the price of
new British books should be somewhat enhanced,
we believe our country would be greatly the gamer
thereby in the increased diffusion of American
books, and of the works of standard authors whose
ideas have become public property. Too much Of
our National culture is fashioned by British novel
ists-to0 much of our National thought is colonial
and secondhand. We take no oiense at The
Times's remark in this connection that the Editor
of The Tribune is " a writer OF books" which
might have wider circulation if the copyright of
their British rivals were paid for in this country.
We have not vet urged the fact that American
Authors are dealt with even more harshly than
British by our denial of International Copyright,
but we thank The Times for reminding us oft.
Whoever now writes an American book must find
publisher for it among those whose shelves are
loaded with rival British works on which no Copy
right is paid here and which have already been
tensively advertised and commended through the
circulation of British Reviews and Magazines. Is
this fair Is it just Ought our Authors 10 be
subjected to such unequal depressing competition
Make all due allowance for the fact that he who
urges this point is himself "a writer of books, and
then say whether necessity exists for thus SUBJ
Getting the authorship of this Country to so de-
pressing a competition. The Times says, Let
British Authors come here if they wish to enjoy the
protection of our laws Now as it is not probable
that all of them will migrate in body, and it is
certain that those who do must encounter the
competition Of the unpaid-for labor of those who
remain in Europe, really cannot deem the offer
tempting one. If European Artisans coming
here to be confrontedb by an illnitable supply
of unpaid-for fabrics from the Old World, could
not conscientiously invite them.
And now to personal matters:
The course of The Times on this subject is a
strange one-in opposition, we are confident to
the convictions of nine -tenths of the writer's and
eminent thinkers of this country. 1t is in oppos-
ton to what we surely understood the convictions
of thel Editor of The Times to be, not many
years ago, when he was an active member and
officer of the Copyright Club organized, as
we undoubtingly understood to indicate the
rights of both American and British authors by
procuring the passage by Congress of act of
international Copyright. 1t is in opposition to
what we most earnestly believe to be the dictates
of honesty and justice, Of National interest and Ma
tional honor. But it is in accordance with the OBJ
vious pecuniary interests of the great republshing
house which, in the absence of International
Copyright, issues very large proportion of
the popular British literature of the day. With
that house, the Editor of The Times has for
years been intimately, and, we presume, advanta-
tageously connected. We mean no disparage-
ment to that house when we say that the Copy
right Question wears different aspect in its
eyes from that it presents to those of ga writer of
books '" We think we give no just cause of offense
in expressing our conviction that the connection
here Indicated has warped the judgment of the