The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-05-27


| ing. One Of their schemes, we rejoice to see,
has been defeated 1--WE mean that for enabling
cspitalists and landholders to obtain the mas
terry Of Labor, through the contract system.
This, together with the fact that the Fugitive
Slave bill came near being defeated in the
Senate, encourages US to hope that the People
of Californis may be aroused in time to defeat
the vile conspiracy Of the pro-slayery plotters,
UNCLE TOMS CABIN Its HISTORY.
We. are gratifed to see in the National In
tellgenesr the following liberal notice of Uncle
Toms Cabin:
The surprising success of this work, and
wishing to know the sort of influence it was
spreading over the land with great reluctance,
| and almost aversion, we opened this book to
read it. The talent of Mrs H. Beecher Stowe
as q writer has been made manifest in agreea-
bic stories, full of humor and human nature
| some which we have copied in days past into
this paper. 1t il said that forty thousand cop
les Of this book have been sold, and that the
demand is such that it is likely to reach one
hundred thousand copies--twenty thousand
copies were sold in the first four weeks after
its publication We were disappointed in our
expectations There are the dark aspects of
slavery depicted in the book but these are re-
lieved by delineations of character and scenes
of life and frolc which are likely to make I'm
Gle TOMS Cabin book current everywhere,
South and North for we are informed this
book is not confined to the limits of our land
To men whose study is the progress Of opinion
and the safe guidance of our great national
interests this book, as new and extensive means
of influence, is not to be disregarded. The
celebrated saying of Sir Richard Fletcher; ut.
tered two hundred years since, Let me make
the ballads for the people and | care not who
makes the laws may be thus paraphrased in
view of this new agency Of influence on the
vexed question of the day, Let me ,orlte The
det,o.s Of he people, and 4 care NOT acho makes
| the speeches
A week since the New York Epening Post
on the authority of the publishers of the work,
stated that they were then printing the iftieth
thousand copies making 100, 600 volumes issu-
ed in eight weeks---a fact without precedent in
the history of book publishing in this country.
The demand continues without abatement
We would here correct an erroneous impress
sion that has gone abroad, probably growing out
of the following statement by the Evening
| Post
DR.. Bailey the faithful editor Of that paper
enclosed one hundred dollars in q note to Mrs
Stowe one day, with a request that she should
send him as good story for the Era as she
could afford to write for that amount of money,
"After the lapse of some weeks, few sheets
of Uncle Toms Cabin were forwarded 10 the
Doctor, and in due season appeared in the Era.
The following week, more sheets arrived and
were published. The story grew on her hands
and expanded as she progressed, and instead
of being a tale of ordinary magazine dimen-
sions as was anticipated, it swelled to the pro-
portions of two volume novel, and instead of
being closed in month, it has been most
attractive feature for more than year. Of
course, Mrs. Stoves liberality, as well as her
talent were appreciated by the Doctor, who
sent her seasona6iy tw0 hundred dollars more,
besides assuring to her an interest in the sale of
the booko
subsequently to this, we made another re-
mittance to Mrs Stowe the amount being de-
termined by her, to whose judgment we submit
ted the matter. The statement that in addi-
ton we assured "to her an interest in the sale
Of the book" seems to imply that we bought
the copyright, and had the book published
This is mistake. Authors are not the best
paid class in the world, and cur rule is to let
those whom we employ, retain the right to
their own productions Mrs. Stowe secured
the copyright to herself and made her own
arrangements with Jewett & Co. for the publi-
cation Of the work. so that whatever profits
inure from il, are shared by herself and pub
fishers. We have no part in them, and no inter-
est save the deep pleasure we take in seeing
one of our contributors reaping so bountiful
harvest from her srduous, well-directed labors
Since the Era was commenced, q little more
than five years ago, six popular literary works
have been made up from contributions in its
Literary Department, copyrighted by their au-
thors and issued in book form We have |
paid literally for them, but derived no pecun-
airy benefit except so far as they may have
aided in the extension Of our subscription list
This, with the additional interest and efficiency
they have given to the Era, we consider salts
factory return for the outlay.