New-York tribune., 1886-02-14
1 PIR1TL EING.

NJ. Poocr sherman of Philadelphia came
brfore the Senate Committee on iateGis ID
onoosc international copyright and announced
himself as pub i-her who flew the black nag
ot hi. fore. and WAS proud to be known rs Il
pirate. There is no accounting for tastes
thouyh il certainty does not seem 10 the pam
minded observer that book piracy Is business
to be proud Of Mr. SA"rmln, however
,ccorJiur 20 his own showing, has some clam
to he regarded As the pira-e king, for he has
engaged in one o, the most extensive acts ol
oiryry vet ATTEMPTED. He j. rcprlnting the
Egcvcloppdia Britannica" work upon when
lbc Edinburgh publishers, MesSrs. Black
Co. have cyprndcd probably 100000. Mr..
Racer Shrrmm coolly steals tins costly pnb-
lic1tion, and then he comes Forward an" i'lIp"-
dc,tly cndravors to impicatc the American
proplc in his theft by arguing that they
demand stolen rub!cltions because they can
be supplied cheaper than such is are honestly
purchased.
This is gross and slandcrous impn'ati"h
upon the American pablo. 1t Is not IN any
vav true. 'Tnc public are and always nave
been really to pay tor their books ana To pay
thr proper owners Of then fairly. Mr.. Roger
sherman pratcs about cheap education DelhE
hrlpcd by his ubpninaD,c system. mat II
another piece of hyppc~itical cant. Tn" edrca-
iinn which involves paralysis 81 the mora
sense is 10 be Shulurd, not desired. Ldcca'loh
which teaches that il is not wrong 20 steal is
y,cious. If the American people cannot AFFORD
to nav honestly for THEN education they WIZ
never get one that will do them any good. bul
there i, no truth in Mr.. Roger Sherman,
Shameless pretcacc. Nobody wants piracy
protected bdt tue pirates, and the d'm"fa"Ah-
u.rngc of their bI>lcsS MS never more clearly
eyhpltcd than in the audlri"u' and unbIu~hhs
defence of it put forward by This their Np"A"H-
man. Mr. Shrrmin wants the American "pN-
crnmrut to refuse 10 protect authors against
sucb spoliltion IL ne practices. lie says, II
would bc wrong to force the people u pay i"i
what they can now have free The rghl
inrerprctation Of this remark Is that 1T Wou'd
be wrong to force the pirates to pay lor WHAT
they can stca, with impunlty.'
! If i an insult TO the who.c country to make
! such an app,al I'D il. Ii l. in no respect "A less
4, honest proposition than would be one to
abolish the laws against larceny in the interest
of the burglars. sneak thieves and pickpocketS.
| WHY should these people be forced To pay for
| wnat they could have free bat for the inter
mcddliug statutes Certainly there Is exactly
| as uuch reason and equity on their SIDE As on
| that of Mr.. Roger sherman and the class he rep
| rrsents A, to his observations about the
American author aud his relation to Intcrna-
tional copyrlght, they are wlda OF the marx
| Whether the AmcrlcI author can or cannot
meet foreign competition does not affect the
fact that piracy is dishonest and hAgranIly
wrong. and that a pirate can nave no rleh' u
! discuSs the ultimate consequences oil MS plIacS
| with a view to finding arguments Tor MAINTAIN
ing and protecting it. pirate even though
ne be a pirate king, can only be rc2Ird as 4
man whose greed of gain is far stronger thal
his honesty. and As one, therefore, ali oi whos'
arguments are certain to br based upon th'
most utterly selfish considerations. But whri
such person, to shield himself from the JUS
obloauy attaching to his acts undertakes u
assert that the American people are interested
IN his deliberate theft of literary property, an'
that they demand the perpctuatIon o. the oa'
system under which such theft IL possible !
becomes necessary to repudiate the inJnriou
assumption " it'll emphasis, and to charactcriz
it plainly