Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-03-11
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.
FOR THE NATIONAL rsrrII1onscrn.

FOR THE NATIONAL INTELLIaRNcER.
In the neligencer Of the 18th Of this month is
municatien the above subject, which, you viii
allow them room in your columns, will take the liberty
| of making some remarks Being mere practical man
shall follow the suggestion Of your correspondent
the condensation of them. And, first deny the propo
sition frequently asserted that every is sole
of the productions Of his brain hold that the talents
of man we're given and distributed by the Great Creator
tbs general good each recipient agent acting in his
sphere-I as farmer to cultivate the earth; you, as
publisher to issue to the world the intelligence of your
self and others and the writer to put in FORM agreeable
to the understanding ideas formed derived This in
telect If aproperty is eternaly and every discovery
or Improvement except where granted for consdera-
on descerds to the heirs forever Doubtless we should
be much surprised if called by the heirs of others
you by descendant of Faust for using types for the
use Of spades and other farming implements whose in
yentor had derived no advantage from the discovery OF
them and SO the thousand handcrafts Of the earth Yet
induce these agents to their talents the Govern
ments under whom they live offer them advantages, by
patent other Eise
That the President and Senate without the assent Of
the the power by treaty to establish
the principles involved in this international copyright
cannot doubt because T. asserts it, and You endorse him
as an able yet there others stubborn
who may subject the question to much costly litigation
But would ask if this were for International patent
right would the power of the President and Senate be the
same II So the American inventor might be deprived
of his right of invention by active foreigner who
should steal his invention, and taking out patent In
England would supersede him; for it stated that
there the first applicant takes the patent whereas mere
| it Is only given to the inventor.
Proceeding to consider the proprety policy of the
proposed arrangement, will observe that we know that
cheap literature is extensively read than the more
costly Weekly papers, containing third to half the
reading Of volume Of novels and issued to subscribers
at three cents per number, will command subscription
Of seventy hundred thousand while those charging
cent more will not attain more than twenty to twenty
FIVE thousand So also with magazines which ISSUED
professedy at So per annu but truly at So and less
their subscriptions list increasing with the reduction
price than pay for the extra time and material
expended that those Of higher order of talent ant
more refined literature which started as So magazine
have been obliged to reduce their prices the level witt
others because they cannot get support at higher rates
Now these fancy works those which the read
and if the best increased in price inferior clas
will take their place. till the lowest order of authorship
reached and it is not necessary for to say tina
such productions will always be at hand at cheap rate
20 operate the tastes and morals Of the community
T. says the price of good productions need not be mucl
increased for with fifty thousand issue the price wou
be cent per copy each Eve hundred dollars
the purchase money. This might be true; but we al
know that for rstrate books 1.-THE productions Of Dickens
for nstance) more than i've hundred dollars wou
be paid and the purchaser, Of his monopoly, vii
take good care to charge price fully remunerating hin
for his outlay, and for any imaginary hazard or loss
may encounter by the investment Besides is only ex
tensiye houses which can pay large bonus and ssu
editions Of fifty thousand; consequently weaker house
push inferior works into existence. But L. say
such arrangement will assist authors Perhap
so but own who really capable find full employ
ment for their pens and full remuneration, as is eyi
denced by the extensive sales Of productions Of bes
authors and for inferior writer's their time may in thi
country find plenty Of employment in business more bene
+ fetal to the country and themselves
will conclude by saying that the best reading matte
the cheapest is most desirable in community
where reading is may say UNIVERSAL and where the tast
and morals OF the people in important extent a
ected by the books they read and therefore that an
thing which tends to increase the price Of the better orde
Of publications. to limit rivalry in their issue, is der
mental to the welfare Of the people and the nation l.
FEBRUARY rs, 1854