New-York tribune., 1884-03-09
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.
PROFESSOR LoCNsBURY HAS FEW MORE WORDS
WITH Mr.. LEA.

PROFESSOR LoCNsBURY HAS A FEW MORE WORDS
WITH MR. Lea
To the Edttor OF The Tribune.
SIR: have hesitated about making any
comment upon Mr. Lea's letter printed in TIE TRIBUNE
Of the lst inst partly because l unwilling 70 mix
with the discussion Of question OF Justice any element
Of merely personal controversy and partly because he
the point for which contended, the diff
ference between patent-nght and copyright
which, indeed, he assures Us is well known
The value Of this concession, however, ia seriously
impaired both by his inability TO the consequences
that result from his admission and by the fact that the
more strongly marked difference between ownership and
monopoly does not seem to be well known 20 him
that between patentght and copyright Nr Lea has IN
exclusive right 10 and sell the house he owns
If he enjoys calling his title 70 1t and his right
Of disposng Of 1t monopoly hard indeed would be the
heart that would deny him a qualification so innocent
only It is asking much expect that argument
based upon such usage should be taken seriously On
one point only therefore, which there s persistent
attempt made 70 lead the discussion away from the main
Issue, do beg leave to say few words
Before entering directly upon it, let me pre-
mise that Mr.. Lea need not be SO super
fuous charity upon ungratefu recipients
unhestatngy repeat my former assertion that more
books and better books be bought for the same
money I'm England than IN America excluding from the
more" did previously the cheap paper reprints 1t
is doubtless than could reasonably be demanded,
but it would have been attended with certain advantage
il Mr Lea before replying 70 my letter. mad done the
honor Of first reading IT, expressly stated that there was
not the slightest possibility of the methods Of English pub
fishers ever being transferred this country He asks
il theirs IL the system which wished to see introduced
here. expressly excepted from comparison the prices
OF books found n the English publishers lists and the
cheap Amer reprints To meet my assertion he cites
his Illustrative comparisons from these two and these
alone Comparisons Of prices OF particular works, with
M he yCnp Of
ent conditions prevailing in England and America, are not
only worthless but they in general intentionally mis-
leading They of course be made 20 suit both sides
happen to have before at this moment an English
publishers List for 1853, placed at the end Of book.
From # ind that volumes Of works Of Oliver Wendell
Holmes OF Bayard Taylor OF Emerson and Of Irving are
published in extra cloth FOR two shilngs. or fifty cents.
each volume forming complete work The writings OF
Bret Harte this catalogue range from fifty cents to
q dollar and a haIf a volume. according 20 The exc
Twain IN the same way from 80 cents q va. .ume 10
81 30. Whether these works are pirated paid for
have no mcans OF aiming but I'm nearly every IN
they more than twice cheap they be
purchased tn TINS country. 10 base general statements,
however upon isolated facts Ike these is fraud upon
the public o. KIND which may be properly lcit to the
But it ia ail-mporsnt that attention should not be
diverted rom the main question oy this side sSue. which
International copyright is Advocated not because il viii
affect the price Of books way the other. but be-
c-use 1t Us Just Admit tuat III certain cases II VIII adj
vance prices temporarily. r,tal bookseller
could buy DOCKS or the puDl-hcr without the
UIfiug IOmanty Of paying for them, he might
doubtless for time sell them far below the cost OF pro-
ductiOn From the opinions held by Mr. Lea 10 follows
egltmatei that surh retailer can plead certain moral
justification for his course He Is exertng himself for the
public welfare He s doing bis best t. spread abroad in
formation "a cheap rate His customers determined
to have knowledge, and II they cannot have IL
# for nothing And II a private man could
maintain successfully this position II he could 20 for
buying books without paying for them and selling
them consequence for merely nominal price, have
no doubt he won be hailed by many as public bene
tc
spOkesmen IN the Legislature he might come IN tame 70
look upon Ia, rasoaity great moral agency for elevat
sell az pre-cmineuty practical man, and express no
end Of scO for the theorists who took the ground that II
producer should be- swindled FOR the public good The
difficulty with The individual h that he cannot long keep
nation, however and II the precise position which
this nation has usintaned from the beginning. Practices
which I'm private life would send the offender Jail, when
sanctioned by the state upheld the ground that the
benefit derived from them IL sufficient % counerbaance
honor resulting from them. Mr.. Lea himself feels the
OF this position, for he is without doubt sincerely
il favor Of international copyright though he wants
kind in which the interests OF everybody else shall be
cousidsred before the rights of the author Buf the
men who are using him and his arguments do not
want any nternaOns copyright al all II Il nom con
templang them apparently that Mr Lea gets his esti-
that II this country spasm Of virtue, abandoned uu
quLllicdly the present system Of 'Boliaton II would
plunderng, and adding domestic larceny 10 foreign pi-
tacy, sweep away al once notn nome ana lnlerna-
the American people. The men Who are pretending the
pubic g0Od Tor ie sake or iht own eoou may deIeat hc
measure they have often done before. But they fail
fev Tor 4m6m,nt tbaf they wi ever resent any more
than they vii nave reason to regret me doing OF dn act Ot
INV coui oin .1ccuf ei.rr, IRON, The I,rr-re of in
slider question fully and fairly, the OF the pro-
posed bill would be certain Very tuy yours.
He,c HarcD Conn, March $. Iss4.