New-York tribune., 1875-07-24

pettfoggers, canting pensioners, and all the o1her
eeotists, ounces, and knaves who. possessing the
lower intellect, hate the highest intellect. ana
grudge il long lease of its own poor, little insult
fcient freehold, held by ten thousand times the
purcst title Law can find on or land-.Creation
The egisiatorial alwrong. nation cried shame at
the judicial robbery of authors and their assigns
The House of Commons, which is the representative
Of the country in Parliament, wasted no time, Dut
proceeded to cure the wrong by fresh legislation
They brought in a bill restoring che common law
righ. apart from the statutory penalties. 1t was
carried by large majority. But in the upper house
il encountered Lord Camden. To be sure, matters
were changed now; justice and humanity no
longer asked him TO resign his new but
grammatical Interpretation of old statnte.
They accepted his new interpretation, and merely
asked him to legis3te accordingly; to rectuy the
unhappy misunderstanding by fairer and more
humane enactment No; the cruel legislator re-
tained the porverse malignity OF tho passionate
Judge He met all the petitions of the sufferers, and
all the assignments forever Of literary property that
had been made in good faith. with a fasehood-that
copvricht is monopoly-and with the same rant
and cant he had dcflod the judgment-seat with III
Donaldson agt. Beckett. He wrought upon the pas
slons aad The illterate preiudccs OF a House. winch
VIA not the enlightened assembly it is now justice,
sat lnumchence. apathetc, cowardly, dumb, de
spsing secretly the romantic injustice, the
pseuao-metaphyscal idiocy. the rant and can't and
misplaced maleyolcnce, he saould have got up and
throttlcd like man. Unfortunate authors tine
fblcs of your friends the vices of y0nr enemies, all
tended ny some gravtat;0n of injustice 10 weigh
down the habtua victims; and so Il small majority
of the Peers was got to oycrpawer large majority oI
| the Commons and the sense and humanity oi The
nation.
COPYRIGHT DECLARED TO DE PROFErTY.
Vpcn {his authors ard honest publishers fell into
deem detection and resigned ali hope Of justice dur
ing their cnemy's lifetime. After his death the
| House of Peers became more human; thcy seemed
TO admit. with tardy regret, that Lord Camden b'd
mislcd them hHIe; that an author, after all was
moi an old wild beast, but an old man; aild 50 th"y
gave bi bacl. his stolen property for his whole life
an for 2s years al least.
That remorSe did not decline, bat grew as cyliza-
ton advanced. IL 1S1c Parliament, advised by law
ycrs worthy OF the namo, passed nobcr bill. They
gave the Tie direct to Mr. Justice latos aud Lord
Camden by formally declarrg copyright - be prop
! erin Act and t Victoria Cap. f5 Sec. 2ol, ana
they postponed the statutory dissolution 81 1hla
sacred ard declared property for forty-two ycafS az
! least and seven years after the authors death.
! But for Macaulays rhetoric, and his popular cry
Monopoly" Parliament would have refunded rs
orr property for GO yeas and that nay come as civ
iii2a.ion and sound views of law advance. For, IN
this senlghtened century, the progress Of intellectual
property keeps stcp exactly with advancing clyllIza-
tion snd sound views Of trade. Accordingly in 1s3s
there was FAINT attempt q! international justice TO
| authcrs and in 1851 other nations began really 70
comprehend VI hat rance inc leading ud1oh III ms
morality had always seen, that the nationality ol an
auth0r does not accc BIS moral claim to Il property
in BIS composition. lIut thai question Inciu4cs
LEGAL hist.ry which, however, viii not dctain Us
lg.lg fiem the main topic OF these letters
CHARLES hEADr.