Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-02
HOUSE.

MIR. Flower (N.Y.) presented the joint reso.
luton of the New York legislature in favor o,
an increase of pay to letter carriers. Referred
Mr.. Milliken Me- presented, and the House
adopted the conference report on the
Lafayette, Ind, public building bill. The limit
of cost is SS0,0O0
The same action was taken on the conference
report ON the Chester, Pa, public building
bill. The limit of cost is fixed at $500
On motion of Mr.. O'Neili PENN "A resoll-
ton was adopted setting apart Saturday. June
IA, for the delivery of eulogies upon the late
Samuel j. Randall of Pennsylvania.
THE COPYRIGHT BILL.
The House then resumed the consideration
of the copyright bill
Mr.. Hopkins (Ill. } said that the ostensible
purpose of the bill was to extend the rights OF
American authors to foreign authors But the
measure meant vastly more than this. The
inevitable result of it would be to
create gigantic publishing monopoly.
which would raise the price of
every book and periodical printed in this
country and would impose a tax on every
reader OF books, from the boy with his primer
to the college professor with his scientific
work. 1t would effect the reader of every
periodical, and even the reader OF the rural
newspaper would suffer. The argument that
the foreign author was robbed of something
were published here and the Ameri-
can author was subject to the
same species of robbery abroad was based OIL
the idea that the author was indebted to the
state and the people for nothing, and that his
works were not the creation of his surround
observer knew that this was not
true. The state and the people
had done as much for the author as he
had done for them: The American author was
protected in the labor of his brain for forty
three years. Free schools and free libraries
had given him a constituency of over GO .OOO. 900
people, who rejoiced in his success and paid
him willingly the price he put npon his works.
The bill could not be passed on the idea OF
justice to American authors. The rights of the
American people should be considered. The
benefit derived from the cheap editions of for
eign books could not be too highly estimated
They had gone everywhere and tine result
was that today America was the greatest book
market in the world. Congress could not afford
to tax every American reader for the benefit
of the foreign author. Foreign authors were
paid enough in their own country without in
vading American soil and taxing the American
reader. Congress should not Weld to the
false sentiment urged by the friends of the
measure. but should look to
and iesislate in their interest against against
all the world. He denounced as damnable
the third section of the bill, which. he de-
clared, prohibited the importation of foreign
books. The foreign authors had formed a
combination with certain labor organi-
cations for the purpose of making a
trust and controlling this market. The
labor organizations when they came to under
stand the question would denounce the meas
ure. These foreign authors were using the
type-setting unions a cats paw for the pur-
pose Of securing their aid in getting copy
right law. If this bill passed il would cause
hostile legislation in foreign countries which
would result in an international conference.