New-York tribune., 1880-06-27
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT
ALErTER FROM G. P. LATHRoP.
wILKIE CoLHNSs cDNsiDERATIoSs CoNsID
RRED--A SUGGESTION TO TILE sTATIS DEPART

MENT.
To the Editor of The TrtbWne
SIR: Mr.. Wilkie Collins has lately offered to the
world, and more particularly that part of it which
we inhabit what he calls 4" Considerations on the
Copyright Question" tmeaniDg the question of in
ternational copyright between England and the
United Statesl. These Considerations" published
ia The International Reviec take the form of some
what weak and inapplicable fiction, curiously CON-
bined with what he is pleased to call historical
survey" It would be fattering to Mr.. Collins's
self-esteem to intimate that the excitement at
tending a great political Convention must natur-
ally distract public attention from this utterance
OF his But it is to he feared that the small amount
of attention paid to it due to the small amount
of vauo it contained. Mr.. ColinB's opinion as that
of q novelist commanding great popularity in his
own country and in ours, might be awaited with
interest, were it yet to he pronounced; but, being
given it is longer of any account. because it has
I'D led nothing to the discussion, excepting i'll
humOr. His letter Continues the old strain abOut
"pirates' and robbers and it advances the ex-
traOrdinary theory of its being I" a delusiOn that
the American people have something to do with the
question of international copyright 1t is not
the people. says Mr.. Collins, who are to blame for
any absence of copyright provisions; it is the Pres
dent and Congress.
IHe people, Oh cOnTbe, HdVe Il RTedI ueal JO uO
with the question, and if it is acted upon at all it
must be acted upon by their chosen Executive, with
the aid of his Cabinet and by their chosen agents in
the Senate. It is worth while to notice Mr.. Col
lns's violent publication however. for several
reasons; among them being the hope of bringing
something good ont of even so unfortunate a COM
position. 1t illustrates a mood in some Of the Eng
lish which makes fair-dcalnG very difficult. The
agitation for projections to British authors in
America has repeatedly been begun from England
but it did not appear likely to meet with prompt
success until some two years ago, when the Messrs
Harper, of New-lork proposed to Secretary Evarts
the appointment. by himself and the British Secre-
tary for Foreign Affairs, of nine English and nine
American authors, publishers and pubcists, to
form a conference for determining basis on which
treaty negotiations might be opened. Last year,
again. Mr.. s. s. Conant, of New-York, writing in
Mdcmilda's Magazine by request of its Editor,
forcibly stated the existence of n desire IN this
country to protect English authors, provided the
American public should not have to undergo a
luton in its book supply by admitting English pub
fishers to competition In the csatlantic market
on terms which il was feared would Disadvantages
0uslv disturb the relations of American b0Ok-buyers
and book-makers. No sooner were these steps
taken toward cfecting a clearer understanding be-
tween all parties, and the achievement Of practic-
rowl because by the proposed equitable provision
for authors of both nations the publishers of the
United States and Great Britain were to be confined
10 publishing in their respective countries; con-
dtion which they found unpleasant, not because 1t
excluded American publishers from England, but
because it would prevent English publishers from
taking share Of the book-trade OF this country.
Mr. Leonard Courtney, an English lawyer, in
some acid remarks appended to Mr.. Conants article
in Macniidn's reached the conclusion that because
of this proposed condition precedent, the American
mind was not yet in state even to comprehend
what international copyright means. and that the
whole discussion should be deferred until our intel
Iigcncc could broaden to such comprehension Now
comes Mr. Wilkie Collins, encouraged by that per- !
forinance, TO dance very lively war-dance Of a
similar nature. Finding that there is disposition
In this country to treat the English author fairly,
these gentlemen appear TO think it n god time to
demand more than that. They have the spirit of
the sharp-trader, who, finding that q bargain can be
made on the terms first proposed, repents not hav
ing made better, and ncs into passion about it.
What was originally an authors question, they
wish now to make an authors and publishers qucs-
tion.
Fortunately, they do not represent the hest Eng
lsh sentiment this subject Mr.. Matthew
Arnold writing in The FOrtn0htly Rerietr. has given
in his adhesion to the American theory that the
publication Of English books III tns country
should, under n copyright treaty, be limited to
American publishers; and n memorial printed in
The London Times, Herbert Spencer, Sir John
Lubbock Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskn, Professor
Huxley Professor Tyndal John Morley. Charles
Darwin. John stuart MILL Mr.. Froude, the Rev.
James Martincau, William Black, JuetIn Mccarthy,
Mr. Sala Harriet Martineau, aud number of
other authors expressed decided approval or this
mode of settling the matter. Mr. Arnold yields his
assent qualified by q rather cOndescending charac
terzation of the American public middle class
society" from which not much dclicacy of feeling
can be expected. But il to Judge in this way
what shall DC said concerning tho spirit OF delicacy"
in those English publishers and IN writer's like
Mr. Courtney and Mr.. Collins, who prefer to go on
reviling American publishers and to subject both
English and American authorship to annoyances
md Losses inevitable under the present system
rather than accept III equitable arrangement which
consults the interests Of all sides l do not in
their conduct much of that courtesy which Mr.
Arnold seems to think inseparablo from and spon-
taneous In - ! aristocratic community.
Mr.. viii. Collins appears to be much irrltated |
which Ia natural and pardonable) because pub |
Usher IN this country sold 10000 copies of book
written by him and never sent him sixpenoe. All |
people iu this country are irritated
by the possibility Of such thing occurring |
amongst u.s. But does not Mr.. Collins see |
that the quickest way to avoid smi- |
lar injury hereafter to himself others of like Oc-
cupat,on, IS to join In procuring tho copyright |
treaty which we seem to DO ready to makef Is it |
possible that he is so devoted to the interests Of
English publishers that ho would rather go on |
suffering loss than to profit by treaty which con-
fines them TO their home marketT
II he feels this unsolfsh ardor, 1t is misplaced. |
American publishers say they have paid large sums
for prior rights to publish English books in this
country and have sent q good deal of money to
English authors without copyright. Mr.. Arnold |
seems to think that but small proportion of the
sums named has been received by English authors