New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-23


use. not at his valuation but at its own.
But we do not see that singing out aparticu-
Ter class of producers and stripping them
ito the extent of its ability of everything
without profering any recompense what
ever, comes fairly within this category. 1t
is partial, one-sided, reckless spolatlon.
And then consider the logic of the opera
ton" My dear fellow! your works are
so valuable. precious, inestlmable' indis-
.nensable, that we cannot afford to pay
YOU their market value, as settled by the
laws which govern the transfer OF all
other products of talent and industry
from their owners to their enloyers-
therefore we won't pay you the first red
cent Rejoice that you are deemed OF
such invaluable use to US that we shall do
!. our utmost to starve you to death ~
The very least that the State could IN
common fairness say to the author under such
circumstances would be, "Sir, we ant
pay you your price for your product
which we nevertheless appropriate, nor
any price at ALL but, in putting in force
against YOU the law of Communism, we
decree that it shall work both ways. TO
into any tailor's shop among US whenever
syour coat grows rusty and help yourself
to new one call at any hotel or board
ing-house when you feel hungry and help
yourself to whatever you find on the ia
BILE, asking no questions for conscience's
sake and disbursing no coin; order the
Croton into your garrett, and, should the
collector of water-rents trouble himself
to call, laugh in his face" There would
be at least a show of fair exchange In
this mode of treating the author; but to
steal his book with legal impunity and
punish him for helping himself to ham or
a rib of beef when his appetite Graves it is
shameless injustice and robbery.
And now as to expediency:
The Times makes Copyright the cause
of the relatively high price and limited
sale of books in England. We insist that
the sad deficiency Of Popular Education
and the inability of the great majority to
buy books at any price are the true reasons
therefor. Even now, the class of cheap
books (many of them copyrighted) is rap
idly increasing-witness Bohn's extensive
issues. Give the British Isles good Com
mon School System and increase the earn
ings of Labor to our standards, and books
would very soon be as cheap there as here,
copyright or no copyright. Now and then
a popular book might be held above the
usual rates in the hope of securing extra
profits from its sale; but experience would
very soon satisfy authors and publishers
that large sales at low prices are most ad-
vantageous to all parties. The classes OF
books which address very limited public
would still be held high, as they must be to
reimburse their publishers; but books for
the Million must always be cheap. New
British books are generally dear, because
extensively got up to suit the tastes of the
small class which now thinks of buying
them; but let plowman, coal-whipper and
stable-boy become habitual readers, and
the great majority of new works will be
issued in style and at prices compatible
with the means of the poor, as a very con-
siderable class of them now are.
The Times asserts that International
Copyright
would than double the average price of every
| book and every pamphlet, and every magazine which
goes into the hands OF the great of the American
people"
Whether The Times means to have this
assertion cover the issues of the Bible and
Tract Societies, we are not sure; but its
termsplainly do cover them, and The Times
is evidently indisposed to stick at triaes in
promoting its cause. But not only is it
notorious that the better and perhaps the
larger portion of our popular reading is un-
covered by copyright, but it is perfectly
certain, that, if International Copyright
should enhance the price of new books, it
would thereby increase the sales and tend
to diminish the price of standard old ones.
The Bible, Shakspere, Milton, Burns, By
ron, Scott, etc., would still be offered at
barely more than the cost of printing and
binding and the fact that they cerc so Of
fered would constrain moderation in the
prices Of new copyrighted books. A small
class would buy these at high prices; but
they could only be commended to the great
body of readers by low prices. Newspa-