New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-20
THE INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT BILL

with the New forK campaign Sonis'ee'
THE INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT BILL.
AGREED TO BY TnR HOUSE ceAMIrrEE-iIs XII
Frcr on :" CHEAP LITERATURE"
WASHINGTON. April o CSpeciaD The agreement
NJ the House Judiciary Committee to-day to report
fayorably, the bill for International Copyright
greatly encourages the friends Of that measure
The report will be nominauy unanimous, but chair
man Culberson and Messrs Oates and Rogers re-
served the right to oppose the bill In the House.
upon further investigation they shall desire TO DO
SO. It is understood that they are as yet IN
decided The bill to be reported is Identical with
the one favorably reported to the Senate oy tne
Committee on Patents; so 1t may be regarded as
fairly probable that the measure will become
law before the expiration of this Congress. IL
ia expected that the bill will encounter some OPP
position in the House from members who fear
that the effect of tho law will be to limit or cut
off entirely the supply Of cheap books for the
Masses
In speaking of this matter today DR.. Edward
Eggleston said that when the subject was peiors
the Senate he had not opposed that view, because
he supposed it to be correct but he had since become
convinced that cheap literature would not be
affected by the proposed law. The twentycent'
or yenty-fve-cents market will be sought by
publishers under the new law to the same extent
as it now is An example to show this is given
in the case of f. p. Roe's books which are pro-
tected by copyright. OF " Barriers Burned Away
30, 900 copies were published and sold at 81 so
per copy. Afterward, q cheaper edition at 20
cents was published, of which 100000 copies
were sold. Some of the publishers are said to
hold the opinion that the supply OF cheap books
is more likely to be increased than diminished.
MILLS REBUKED BY HIS PARTY CAUCUS.
TIE TARIFF BILL NOT LIKELY TO BE DEALT WITH
BEFORE THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.
WASHINGTON, April Ie-The resolution OF the
Democratic caucus instructing the Democratic
members of the Ways and Means Committee to
confer with the Republican members OF the COM
mittee and try to reach an agreement as to the
amount Of time to be devoted to general debate
on the Dark Lantern bill, was equivalent to
q rebulxe TO Premier" Mills and his associates.
From the time they began to frame that measure
the minority has been completely ignored, and In
more than one instance Republican members have
been treated in @ manner which was the reverse
of courteous. number Of Democrats have
privately criticised the arrogance OF the majority
OF the committee in severe terms. Tho formal
action Of the caucus was a sharp reminder TO the
Premier and bis associates that the minority
committee has some rights which they arc pounu
| 10 respect ,,t
Several Republican members OF Ways and Means
said this afternoon that tney had received no
| overtures from the MAJORITY Ior u conference IN
| accordance WItn the CAUCUS resolutlons although
the result ls to be raported u u OemOcfatdc eau
| Gus to be held hlonoAy night IL may he thAt
| they Will desire 70 remit Jne matter " caucus
\ OF the KepuOncAn members, many Oh whom nave
aeyoJed niucn time and study 10 the pfePafdt1on
1 OF speeches winch tney desire 10 denver II the
ouse- AS the Dill never was considered py Tile Wsys
| and Aleans CVmmittee ana as all hearings anu
1 even the readlng Oh petitions ana memorials were
denied, IL wlu Ne Necessary TO devote more JHne
4 70 the discussion IN Inc house tnAn might nave
1 been otherwise required
| Inc democrats, vi course, are anxious TO force
| the bill through the House before the 81 Louis
| Convention, and VIII exert every effort 10 DO SO.
| IL seems hardly probable that they Will succeed.
The IarIf1 bill of oo6 was based on the mass OF
! Information collected by the 1afln Commission
in the summer OF 1862, ana on statements VI IacJ
Laid before the Mays ana 1lcanS Committee during
q period Of SIX weeks. That Dill was brought up
in the House for consideration January 20, 1888,
and twenty-f0ur days later, February Z, only
three OF the fourteen schedules composing the
dutiable list had been disposed OIL The democrats,
who were then III the minority demanded, ana
were accorded, full opportunity for debate and
/ amendment, and they protested that all their
actions were III good faith. Tho " LARK Lantern
| bill in addition 10 provisions repeating ana re-
ducng certain internal taxes, affects Twelve Oh
the fourteen schedules which compose the duUaole
list makes large additions TO the free list, and
contains many important sections modifying Inc
PrOyslofhs OF the sS Is more
i
intricate and difficult to understand than was
the bill of 1883. -
Premier Mills in his speech on Tuesday did
not attempt to explain the BILL even in the most
general terms SO that all the Light thus far shed
on 1t in the House was by Judge Kelley IN his
speech, much of which was devoted to q aus
cussion of the economic theory according to which
the bill was framed. The Democratic members
| of Ways and Means who prepared the measure and
thrust 1t upon the House were occupied elSnt OF
ten weeks with the task. despite the aid they
| received from political economists OF their own
way Of thinking and from the Treasury Depart
ment That fact amounts to a confession by them
| that the bill is one which will require the most
| iabored as well as lucid explanation
before it can command intelligent con
| sideration and action at the hands
| of the House. In view Of the history OF the Dill
| Of 1883 the difficult problems presented by the
hin itself and the amount Of time which must De
necessarily devoted to other important matters OF
| for the House to get through with the DARK
| lantern bill before the renominatlon OF Nr
| Cleveland at st. Louis. which probably Will take
| Mace about seven weeks from to-day.
THE TARIFF DEBATE POSTPONED
WASHINGTON. April 10 SpeciaI.-The tariff
debate has been postponed until next Tuesday.
Take notice that this action was not due to " OBJ
structive tactics by Republicans The Democrats
seem suddenly 10 realize that they have wasted
nearly five months Of the session and that only
one general appropriation biu-the small 6lu Ior
the Military Academy-has been sent TO the SENATE
The Premier therefore this morning asked unan-
imous consent that the House devote the day 10
the consideration Of appropriation ollls that the
IxIo Io on