The semi-weekly miner., 1886-02-03
is long one and the full committee ad-
journed before concluding it's consideration.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT


AT hearing given to-day by the Senate
Committee on Patents, to publishers and
others interested in the subject of an inter
national copyright, Gardner Hubbard
addressed the committee in opposition to
the passage OF any copyright bill. James
husseil Lowell, President of the American
Copyrlght League, was introduced, and
spoke at some length in favor of the pas
sage OF the bill. In reply to Mr.. Hubbard,
ne said nobody would maintain that there
was property in an idea. The Constitution
recognized this. in the granting of patents
! Patents were nothing but ideas fashioned
} Telephone was precisely parallel case.
with books. He declared there was one
kind OF books better than cheap
books, and those we're books hon
estly came by. He took moral
, view of the question. Many of the argu-
ments introduced by Mr.. Hubbard might
be used in defense Of pocket picking. . e
could live much easier if he couln live upon
the labor Of other people, but this was not
considered honest when be was young. Mr..
Lowell spoke for an hour chiefly in reply o
inquiries addressed to him by members of
the committee. James Welsh, President
OF the Typographical Union o. Philadel-
phia and representing the Unions of the
entire country, addressed the Committee
and presented a memorial in sup Ort of
the Chase bill and in opposition to the
Hawley bill. In reply to inquiries, he said
the Hawley bill amended as suggested by
Senator Hawley yesterday, by the inser-
tion OF a provision requiring foreign works
copyrighted here to be printed in the
country, would be satisfactory to the
Laborers' Associations.
THE LETTER CARRIERS.
The National Letter Carriers Associa-
tion will appear before the proper commit
tee next week in favor of an extension of
the eight-hour law to letter carriers.
DIsGRACED PAYMAsTER.
The sentence imposed by the General
Court Marshal III the case of Paymaster
General j. A. Smith, United States Navy,
having been approved by the Secretary of
the Navy, and confirmed by the President,
was promulgated to-day at the Navy De-
partment. The charges upon which Pay
master General Smith was arranged and
tried were two, the first being ''scapdalous
conduct tending to the destruction OF good
and the second, ''culpable ineffi-
cheney in the performance of duty"
The Courtfound him guilty of both charges
and sentenced him "to be dismissed from
the position Of Chief of the Bureau OF Pro-
vision and Clothing in the Department of
the Navy, to be suspended from rank and
duty as pay inspector on furlough pay for
three years, and to retain his present num-
ber in his grade during that period" The
offense Of which Paymaster Gen. Smith
was convicted under the first charge.
according to the findings of the court,
consisted ''in scandalising and disgracing
the service by subordinating the interests
OF the Government to those of favored con-
and by resorting to irregular ard
unlawful methods to accomplish that end"
The specifications, rs proved under the
charge of "culpable inefficieny in the per-
formance OF duty" on the part OF the pay
master, embrace, acc riding to the court,
1.-THE making OF contracts for excessive
quantities OF supplies at times when they
were not needed, and his failure to enforce
legal contracts when supplies were needed"