The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-02-26
The Copyrlcht Treaty In the Senafe

Ihe Sopyrieht treaty In the senate.
Public sentiment has expressed itself pretty
fully on the copyright question. All classes of
the community have had an opportunity OF
developing their views through their several or
| gans, and we need hardly observe that the re-
suit has been general approval of the opinions
preached in the first instance by this journal
| The country is unanimous in favor of interna-
tional copyright Wings and democrats, pro-
tectionists and free traders. book-makers and
readers writers and printers and even ma
jority ofthe publishers, concur in conessing that
honesty is not only the most becoming but the
most advantageous policy to pursue. Neither
the arguments nor the numerical strength of
the dissentients entitle them to much con-
sideration when ninety-nine hundredths of the
people are clamorous for copyright. the Senate
may safely stamp its sanction on the treaty in
! spite of the whine Of one or two grasping pub
fishers, and the groans OF their newspaper Or
gans.
So much has been already said in favor OF
the measure, and so little against it, that we
should be merely repeating ourselves were we
to enter upon further discussion of the sub
ject Its necessity, both on grounds of princi-
pie and on grounds of expediency--the in
justice of the present system towards both
American and British authors-the hope
lessness, under the present state of things
Of American literature attaining the rank
to which it is legitimately entitled, and the
bright prospect which a copyright will I'M
fold-have been so deliberately established, that
no one can plead ignorance in excuse of erro-
neous Judgment on the matter. The case is now
fairly laid before the Senate. 1t will be for it's
members to choose between an upright course
on the one hand. and dishonest course on the
other-between the interests of our national
literature and those of a few wealthy publishing
houses-between the honorable esteem and the
scornful Indignation Of the world On the Sc
majors, who constitute the executive assembly
before which the treaty will be laid, now rests
the whole responsibility OF the future pillage Of
foreign authors. They have it in their power to
rivet still closer the milestone round The neck
of our literature. or to cut it loose, once and
forever. II they ialter or swerve from their
duty let the ignominy of literary piracies attach
to them-let them be branded as men who have
done their utmost to crush our native authors,
and retain this country in state of intellectual
vassalage to England.
But we are wasting time on a most impro-
bable hypothesis. We have not the least doubt
that the Senate will confirm the treaty. We are
convinced that every member sees through the
sophistry Of the anti-copyright reasoning
The attempt to set up vague public inter-
ests," which are quite distinct from the interests
Of readers writers, publishers, printers and in
deed. every class Of the community, and to show
that, while the latter would be manifestly be-
Melted by an international copyright, the
public interests" aforesaid would suffer
in consequence, cannot delude any one who is
possessed Of ordinary discernment. The pub
lie good is nothing more than the good of all
or a majority Of the classes which compose the
public. And when nearly the whole press of the
United States has on behalf of book readers
and authors. emphatcally pronounced itself in
favor of copyright-when Messrs. Wiley, Put
nam Appleton. Carter, Francis, Tappan. Tick
nor, Lippincott. and majority of the respecta-
bic publishers and printers of New York. Bos-
ton. and Philadelphia have memorialized Con
gress to " enact such a law as may secure 70
foreign authors the right to dispose of their
works to American publishers to be printed
in this country'-we may fairly assert that all
the classes who are interested in the matter con-
slider that the proposed treaty would operate
to their benefit and consequently, thai it would
be for the public good" to have it carried into
effect
In reality, all the arguments which have been
advanced against an international copyright
might have been, and probably were. adduced
against our present copyright law. They all
resolve themselves into the specious fallacy that
!, scheaper to steal than to buy. Htbis ha