New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-08-02
y BAD PRECEDENT.

" The French are lit le ahead Of the rest OF the
world II the enlarged and liberal ideas Of euna and
fIum which they entertain. They actually believe
that property right exist in less tangible goods
and chattels than those which have shape, dimen-
sions and other proportions which constitute physical
entity they believe that has property claim
in ideas which should be protected by law, and that
pratical cruisers in the Of literature should be
promptly brought to justice as those scarcely more
reprehensihle plunderers who sport the black flag on
the ocean. They not only believe this, but they back
their opinion BY very decided and authoritative action
offender being too high to be beyond the grasp Of
the Justice they metz out.
Their great sensation romancist has been made an
example Of u. Alexandra Dumas, the elder, who has
been tried at the Correctional Police in Paris, FOR
having 10 his work entitled " lie Caucase," pirated
largely from volume called Souvenirs dune Fran
caise captive Dc Schamyl." Not only was he tried,
but he was found guilty and, with his publisher, aen-
fenced to pay fine Of five hundred francs, the tri
bunal declaring that though be had in instances
given credit for his extracts, he had stolen much
more without any sort Of acknowledgment, which
would have been Indifferent equivalent at best. This
Ia the light in which the French regard literary
pecuatons, and we are quite willing that they should
remain the mon0posts of such opinions and such
species Of Jurisdiction for here enter solemn pro-
test in the Of the fraternity
of this country against the citation Of this case and
the action Of the French tribunal as precedent of
any pertinence weight and bearing this side Of the
water. We protest against the notion that this sort
Of stealing is in any way dshonorable to the thief
and against the least shadow Of an idea that such
statutes the French tribunal acted under ought to
be enacted 10 this country.
We beg the reformers who may entertain such
fancies, to consider what melancholy consequences
would be the result Of any such interference in the
present operation of literary afairs-how nearly all
the authors" they are humorously termed, would
succeed 70 the reputation Of petit or grand larceny
scoundresm, instead of the Furnishing and honorable
distinction with which they honored through lives
Of unpublished felony because at present
there is no paying nducement for their prosecution
how many would be continually and dsastrously
harrassed each arrayed against the other until coun
terprosecntons used up the whole fraternity of au
thoFs as the ohstreperous and blood thirsty race of
Kilkenny cats are said to have annhated each other
10 the disastrous internecine warfare which finally
extinguished them. Such law and justice as was
melted out to NJ Dumas, the dingy may do in France,
but We solemnly protest against being adopted into
this country Ideas are too scarce with authors''
over here and have to be worked over in all drec-
lions three or four times. until their availability il
exhausted Where one idea is originated, one thous
and are purloined, and consequently the stopping Of
the latter practice would reduce the regular literary
yield OF producers to one thousandth part OF the
present equivalent to the humiliation of that
mighty publishing interest, indefinitely designated
BY The magnificent term, American literature and
dealing largely in cheap wood cuts and coored paper
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