National Republican., 1888-05-01


Among the bills introduced aud referred
In The Senate yesterday was one by Mr..
Stewart TO require the purchase and coinage
Of not less than 81, 100000 worth of silver
bullion per month. He said that he bill |
involved no new principle, and asked that
IL be read first aud second time and laid
on The table. So ordered.
Mr.. Stewart offered resolution (which
was laid over calling ON the Secretary of
the Treasury for u statement Of the amount
Of silver bullion offered to the government
since the passage Of the silver coinage act,
and by whom, and at what prices; also, Of
The amount of silver bullion purchased each
month during the same period, and from
whom, and at what prices; also, whether the
question of India council bills enters to any
extent into the determination OF the market
price Of silver bullion in the United states.
Mr. Stewart also offered resolution
(Which was adoptcd) directing the secretary
of the mint TO send information rs TO the
foreign silver coins designated IN his clrcu.
lar, the amount Of the pure silver in each
coin, and whether The value of such silver
coins las SO dcsgnated) has been estimated
iained In them respectively.
The resolution offered last week by Mr..
Hale, calling on the Secretary of the lnto-
riOr for information as to appointments in
bis department below The civil service grade
since March. 1885, was taken up aud
adopted.
MIR. Spooncr offered resolution (Which
was laid over calling on the Secretary of
tie Treasury for detailed information MS to
appointments IN the New York custom
house since March, 1885.
The hill 10 authorize the Secretary of the
Treasury to re-cXamine and rearldit the
claim Of the state of Pennsylvania FOR ad-
panrcs made and money advanced TO pay
the militia called into service under the
Presidents proclamation OF tue 18th of
June, 1868, was taken from the calendar
and passed.
The Senate then proceeded TO the consid-
Grafton of the railroad laud forfeiture bill,
After several amendments had been offered
and discussed, the bill went over without
action.
The international copyright bill was then
taken up, Mr.. Spooner giving notice that,
after II and the animal industry bill were
disposed of, he would call up the bill relat-
ing TO the manufacture aud sale OF gas In
the District Of Columbia.
The amendment heretofore offered by Mr.
Morrill, las to rcpublications OF magazine
and newspaper aTticles) was Withdrawn by
his authority, and another amendment was
offered for him by Mr., ChGce, who said lie
would accept IL as a matter of compromise
II was that any publisher Of II newspaper or
magazine may import for his own use, but
not for sale. not more than two copies of"
amy newspaper or magazine published in
foreign country. The amendment was
adopted.
Mr.. Vest moved to strike out the words
an ~ In 40
read, "Bouk or dramatic composition
printed within the limits Of the United
States.n
Mr. Beck spoke against the bill rs one
which proposed To give an absolute monop-
oily TO few favored individuals In the
United States IN combination with foreign
authors, and said that the demand OF the
Typographical unions to have the printing
al1 done here would increase the price Of all
foreign books 10 the American people. The
object Of the bill was not to carry out the
constitutional provision "topromote science
aud the useful arts,n but TO enhance the
price Of ull things that tended TO develop
either science or the useful arts. Referring
to the point that the effect of the bill would
be to prohibit the importation of books
from which u revenue Of s6S3,OOO was col
| lccted lastyear), he argued that the bill was
| q money bill, and, therefore, one which
could not constitutionally be originated in
| the Senate. Waving that point, he said
that Congress had been denounced AS guilty
OF robbery and piracy. and dishonesty
| in all It's forms because 1t had not hereto
| fore passed such law. lie thought there
| ought tOb ea little more modesty about the
matter, Whenever bill had been hron"h'
DeToIe Congress looking to the promotion
OF science and the useful arts, twas op
posed by printers aud publishers, viii
| wanted q monopoly.
They had defeated such bill last yea
(Mr. Hawley's) that was reciprocity bill
giving equal rights to authors in over
country, II had been protested against b
all the publishers in America and by all til
typographical unions In America becaus
they could not get their share in the me
nopoly.
Mr. Chacc asked Mr. Beck II he woul
prefer the type setting to be done abroa
rather than in this country.
Mr.. Beck replied that he was opposed {
establishing monopoly under the guise Q
promoting science and the useful arts.
Mr. Jones, of Arkansas "a member of tn
committee on patents, from which the b
was reportedl, said that he sympathiZe
with all that Mr.. Beck had said about th
absolute prohibition OF the importation {
copyrighted books, and asked whether hi
objection to the bill would not be met b
strikingo ut all of section q
I
serious objection on his part and he was Il
favor of striking out that provision. II
quoted from the statement made before thu
committee by Mr.. Gardner q. Hubbard Il
show that such distinguished English Al,
thors as Grote and Lord Macaulay hal argue
against copyright laws as granting monor
olies and enhancing the price of books.
Mr. Vest said he did not like the friend
Of the bill to be placed in the category Il
which the speech of the senator from Ken
tuckyplaced them. He Mr. Vcst) favored th
principle established by the lnternationa
Copyright Union, and he quoted from th
message of President Cleveland urgcutl
pressing the subject on the attention OF Con
gress. All that any friend of literature dc
mandcd was that the people of this countr
should simply give TO foreign authors til
same protection that thoy gave TO their ow
%; that there should be 10 geograph
a,iu aaI d;S,, ,r'ion IN the commonwealth of lei
r ,ors "'', Il 10 Nj. eeck's argument that tn
bill was in favor of pools "n' no,p ,iJ So "
he (Mr. Vest) said that there Coz M.
worse pool and no more dishonest one
that Of publishers taking books to whlci
they had no right aud publishing them. |
the principle OF the bill were struck down
II would be striking down of theprlnciple
which underlay all right Of property-tha
Of creation, whether intellectual or physical
Mr.. Chace said that the bill simply OK
tended the provisions of existing law b
foreign authors Ii gave the privilege t
them which was not enjoyed already unde
the existing law by American authors.
The question was taken ON Mr.. Vest
amendment, and II was rejected without
division.
Mr.. Jones, of Arkansas, moved TO strik
out all Of section 2 (requiring as part Of tn
conditions OF copyright printed copies o
books and works of art To be sent to th
congressional library, the books TO b
printed from type set within the Unite,
States,)
The amen dment gave rise to discussion
participated In by Senators Jones, Chace
Renna, Call, and Gray.
Mr.. Chace opposed the amendment u
tending TO emaseulate the bill, destroy u