The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-20

at "natuial cnmity with human rights, it
shall not be made permanent rule.
Here ! might properly ask, how much,
in case of any patented machine, does any
one man really invent? Less, think, than
is generally thought. He may apply some
old material or force in some new way, and
that is about all. While the most import
ant inventions of human genius-at least in
the germs 4.have never been patented at
all. Tubal Cain never got a patent for
working iron, which is the greatest civiiz-
ing art known to man. ! am not aware
that the inventor Of printing in the use of
movable typcs-an cart preventative of all
arts"-cycr got patent on his invention.
The IIindoos, it is said invented gun-pow-
der, and the Chinese the mariners compass,
and yet they hold no patents on either.
Now, an inventor of to-day, uses the labors
of former times and other men, and owes
to them debt he never thinks of paying
and without those labors he would never
have thought of doing his. The same re-
marks apply to book makers, who make
books out of other authors books. A copy
right may be granted for limited time, to
authors-but the monopoly principle being
in its nature antagonistic to human rights,
must not be made perpetual. | checrfully
| grant, Messrs. Editors, that in relation to
inventors and authors, the principle of
monopoly in temporary application, is,
perhaps, the best use that can be made of
| it-untl wiser legislation shall find out
some better way to reward inventive genius
and mental toll. But were not the princi-
pie in and of itself at cnmity with human
rights, no law-givers-wit a thimbleful
of brains in their craniums- would ever
think of limiting its application to a short
number of years. No great essential hu
man rights can be thus made by Legislation
or alienated by it. Human rights, if thu
Declaration of Independence is authority
and not stringof ''glittering generalities" al
Rufus Choate called it-'IIunan Rights,
sirs, arc God given. and are ''inalienablc
and last more than seventeen years.
Monopoles are not natural rights but cxpo
dents, at best, and ms creatures of law, ma,
last one hour or seventeen years as human
legislation may ordain.
A word AS to authors of books. Orig
nal books are like CANCELS visits" few an
far between. Most books. like the compc
sitions Of school children, have been mad
to do service over and over again. So wit
what we call our learning. II is borrowed
mainly from the prolific past, whose trea:
ures of literature and science we inherit
not by merit, so much as by accidents G
BIRTH Strike from the thesaurus of modcr
: knowledge all that we have borrowed froi
} those who have gone before us. and the Ii
tie we have actually contributed will pr,
sent but "a beggarly account of cmpt
boxes" Why so much readiness to cop,
l right stolen goods -?
Finally. While have to regret that
, have not satisfied you that some of m
, positions are defensible, have to congra
I ulate myself and the public that at lea
= you seem to agree with me as to the legit
macy of my purpose in writing on monop
lies, and that, at the present time, the pul
g lie good is menaccd with their gigant
proportions, increasing greed, and corrup
5 ing influence, so much so, that those whiC
already exist should be kept if possib
I within reasonable bounds, and they shoul,
o hereafter, he sparingly authorized. by lay
+, and only then, with ample reservation
5 to the creating power to guard the RICH
+ OF the people from harm at their hands
c COMMERCE.