Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-03-25


of still greater generality it is that the laborer is
worthy of his hire. The doctrine that all useful
labor should receive its adequate recompense is
that is recognised in all civilized communities and
it cannot be more safely violated than the kin
dred right of property. Among the Hebrews the
rights of the daylaborer were even more sacredly
guarded than the rights of property, and the legs-
lation of Moses on this point has been jealously
protected and duly observed in all subsequent time
with respect to all forms of industrial activity 8ace
literary labor The work of mans hands has
every where and always been deemed worthy of ade-
| quate remuneration the work of mans brain,
the literal sweat of his brow, has been too often
left not only unrewarded, but even unacknowledged
| Yet VIC here found the rights of authors on
basis which exposes to still greater crminaity those
who persstently deny to pay for their literary en-
joyments and intellectual improvements. The au-
thor is laborer-we grant that he is not by virtue
of authorship property hoder-and as laborer
he may as justly claim that the rights of labor be
respected the propertyholder that the rights Of
property be not violated. If, as Sacred Writ de-
declares, "the hire of laborers who have reaped
your fields when kept back by fraud creth," what
shall we say of the greater outrage and iniquity
which would keep back from the highest style Of
all labor the poor pttance which it claims by every
title of honor and honesty and gratitude?
| Let it not be thought that we degrade the author
by putting him at the head of the laboring classes
The proetaire ofauthorship is, in esteem, if abb
and honorable in the pursuit of his profession more
to be enyed, admired, and respected than the mers
millionaire with all his houses and lands. In the
publication Of book the author, as it seems to u
does not acquire perpetual right to much " lite
rary property" but in the publication of book
the author is to be considered as renderinga certn
service to society, and all who SO far recognise The
utility and value of this service as to avail them
selves of it are bound by. every consideration Of
honesty, morality and equity, to reward the renderer
of this service according to it's value and utility.
Can any proposition in morals be more automatic
than this? And yet what has heretofore been our
conduct in this respect! Have we not used the
valuable services of transatlantic authors without
not only returning any equivalent for them, but
without as yet even recognising their right to any
equivalent? ...... ~
| Such conduct cannot abide the test of honor or
honesty 1t is no justification to say that the foreign
author writes for the home market, and therefore
not look for remuneration beyond the circle to
which his service was specially rendered. 1t is
strange reasoning that because q man works for
wages at home that he must work for nothing abroad
It is not any mere boundaries of nationality that
crcumscribe an authors right to be remunerated
for his works this right extends its obligations over
all who avail themselves of his service. 1t is not
conventional right, but natural and unalterablc
one. Ut has no limitations with regard to place; of
its limitations with regard to time we shall present.
ly speak &. -s.,
The piracy Of foreign authors can no more stand
the test of gratitude than of honesty for Of what
profounder instinct is nature capable than that
which cnoins upon man the observance of gratitude
towards one who has rendered him services which
no amount of pecuniary or temporal returns can
A. AYJ ~,
provesand cultvates our understanding, who delights
our fancy, or who " ministers to mind diseased
friend who can found his claim for justice on the
supcradded obligations of this sacred feeling How
many among us have had their hours of Joy made
brighter and their hours Of WEAKNESS and pain as
suaged by the works of Sir Walter Scott And Jet
when bankruptcy and ruin upon the illustrious
author ''like an armed man." how many among us
discharged the debt Of gratitude which then added
fresh sacredness to those pccunary obligations which
had all along been binding on his American readers,
but which they had as continuously ignored? Must
we not confess that the "Abbotsford subscription "
pronounces verdict as injurious to our national
gratitude as the absence of an international copy
right is still dscreditabe to our national morality
But, it is inquired, will not the recognition of an
alien authors rights have the necessary consequence
Of raising the price of books? Will it not be lay
ing tax on knowledge Will not the pensioners
of cheap literature be deprived of their mental
sustenance? 1t is rather humiiating that the ad-
vocates Of an international copyright should be re-
quired to prove that the measure will also be expe
dent after having shown that it certainly honest
1t might be deemed a sufficient reply to all such
cavils to say that the honest policy will always be
the expedient policy. Providence has SO regulated
the nteraeed relations of with his fellows that
in wronging another we are certain Immediately or
ultimately to wrong ourselves. We are proud of all
that American authorship has accomplished, but
who shall say how much more it might have done
had it not so long been overshadowed by the itera-
ture of Great Britain The increased development
of American letters will, we confident make am
pie amends for whatever of English literature an
international copyright act may to deprive u.s.
If we admit all that the opponents of the measure
assert on this head, (Which we don it would still
remain for them to reconcile their imaginary expe-
diency with the unalterable principles of justice
Have we any more right to defraud an English
author of his aoorks than an English proprietor of
his landP Is it not as true that the laborer is
worthy of h hire that the property holder is to
be respected in his possessions? Why should we
ask English thinkers to think for us and English
writers to write for without recompense any more
than to claim that English hands should work for
us in unrequited toll? Why is the literary laborer
the highest of his kind the one whom of all Others
we should honor and reward, the only one whom we
make it principle to defraud?
As to the mode in which this great measure of
moral justice and international right should be en-
al AZ IL