The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-03
THE AMERICAN COOK.

animals than any other.
THE AMERICAN BOOK.
An Indianapolis Writer Makes Strong Plea
in Favor of International Copyright.
John e. Cleland. in January Century.
There is one thing which, more than any
other, would pationalize orr literature. 1t is q
question of q little common honesty matter
of little everyday sort of Justice and it would
be twice blessed in the giving and in the receiv-
laws, better protection for ideal and intellect
ual property. which is, after all, a more nat
ural property than lands and coporeal heredita-
ments. 1t lsa case where the ideal is most real:
but it is also a property most liable to theft.
most easily stolen, and least protected OF all
property
legislation. that it would be wrong to force peo-
pie to pay for what they now have free
that to allow copyright to foreigners would be to
pay an enormous tax for what we can have for
the taxing. Shoes and shirts are an enormous
tax paid to decencv and comfort. Shall we.
therefore. in order TO evade the tax, take the
compensation 1t is the argument of Captain
Kidd and the banditti. Proudhon said, prop
erty is robbery" America says. by her attitude
on the copyright question, property in brains Is
robbery. if the brains are nder foreign scalp.
A foreign author has no rights an American is
bound to respect. and because of this theory,
and this only, the converse is true in fact-tEat
an American author has no rights In the hands
of foreigner
We bear with CO mposure the charge, and the
fact, of being robbers in the fields of literature,
but our blood runs cold at tine thought of the
torch of the mob applied to the finder Ct fac
tory, or at the vision of piece OF Ras-pipe.
charged with dynamite. flung into the streets OF
a great city. We can not afford suspend
the truest maxims of our freedom at the call of
interest or expediency. We cannot allow our
love of dollars to overshadow the future and
forge letters for our principles, nor let commun-
iem of brains emasculate our literature and
make us a nation of literary beegars There is
hoff han nhAon Thn
smusgler's goods are cheap. Is the
smuggler, therefore, great reformer
and public benefactora The people
must read. they must educate; but to do these
things shall we steal or smugglea James Rus
sell Lowell says. "There one thing better
than a cheap book. and that is book honestly
come by" The argument that cheapness is q
national blessing largely resolves itself into an
argument that is individual and selfish. II it is
of any force as against International copyright,
let us carry it out to its logical sequence and
abolish home copyright as well, and then sit
down and forecast the result
It is true that it is the duty of the state to
legislate primarily in the interests OF its own
citizens. But ''there is that scattereth, and yet
increaseth; and there is that wthholdeth more
than is meat but it tendeth to poverty" Amer
lean progress cannot be built upon
cheapness alone. We sometimes buy
cheap and ask no questions glad
that our wants and our purses so nearly
agree; but there is, after all, universal senti-
ment Of honesty that is always glad to see ones
neighbor come into his own. And 1t would
seem to be tue simplest possible proposlUion,
that if one has made anything whether baby
jumper or a book that is sufficiently valued by
his fellow men to be used by them, he has an
ownership in his work, and is fairly entitled TO
a profit therefrom. Justice is better than cheap
ness. honesty is more to be desired than culture.
righteousness is higher than expediency.
But expediency seems to be the highest reach
of international law, and. abandoning any
higher principle, it is full time for America to
get into line with other states and nations, and
amend her copyright laws on the ground CT
policy.
Competition is desirable, but our copyright
laws put us beyond competition, and, as we have
monopoly tends to robbery Mercantile compe-
tition is a matter of public policy. But an hon
est merchant can not compete with the pirate
governmental protection would soon destroy all
home market and home manufacture. and nome
hanesty we'll. It is regular "Stand and de-
United States government is doing in literary
matters. It puts the American book in compe-
tition with the book for whose production moth.
ing is paid. It is not "Chnese cheap labor"
but stolen and absolutely unpaid labor!
IL the aliens book is to be forever the cheap
est book, it will be the book most read. Ameri-
can thought and action fed on foreign diet will.
in time, be but an echo Of foreign types. If we
are to promote a national culture We must keep
abreast of our neighbors in all that tends to the
Advancement of sound national literature.
The state ought to have literature in sympathy
with it, for literature is one of the strongest
forces in shaping social life and national char
acter.
It is argued against international copyright
that it will increase the price of books, aud that
cheap reading Is a large factor in cheap educa-
ton. Cheap reading is, perhaps, desirable and
cheap education may be blessing, but things
may sometimes be too cheap. think the facts
would be that new foreign books would be
higher in price by reason of copyright, and new
American books would be cheaper by reason or
a wider market. There is q large class of books
which would not be affected by copy
right, for it would not be retroactive.
Year after year the books that age can
not wither nor custom stals-the books that are
Observation-Disclosures dropping into the common
fund by the expiration of the limited period"
Let us take these spoils of time freely and with
out price, under the policy of all governments. but
ia all justice and good conscience. let US recon-
pense the author for his work. under whatsoever
skies he writes. for the statute time
The United States, whose literature owes more
to the world than that of any other nation is. in
the matter of intellectual property, behind the
age She wraps the mantle OF selfishness about
her and lsgislates for her own family only. say
ing to her citizens: Thou shalt not rob thine
own brother but il there be q stranger within
thy gates, thou mayst plumber him with high
hand and free conscience" 1t il against
the world, and his plumber weakers her capacity
for producing work that is good at home or
work that the world will even steal. A govern
mental policy in copyright that would grant
common rights to Others would secure for our
selves rights which need and rights which
svould largely help US to higher standards, purer
taste and added nationality in our literature