The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-02
THE COPYRIGHT BILL.
REGULATIONS of Objections to It-Appeal
to Sober Second Thought.


to Sober Second Thought.
Mr.. Robert Underwood johnson has sent
to THE TIMES the following communication,
which is reproduced with pleasure:
"a new vote on the Copyright bill is
among the probabilities OF the present ses-
sion. so confident are the friends OF the
whole bill that it is in the interest Of the
American reader as well as of the Ameri-
can author that. in behalf Of the authors OF
the country, united i'm the American Copy
right League, ! respectfully address to you
the following considerations, by which 1t IS
hoped to secure your active support OF the
bill. We have the more hope Of this since a
number of Representatives who voted
against the bill have expressed their regret
that they did So and have explained that
their votes were cast under a misapprehen-
sion as 10 the effects of the bill, or upon in
sufficient consideration.
The objections 10 the bill were twOfOld.
First, that It would create a monopoly; and
second, that it would make books dear.
THE MONOPOLY.
In regard to the first point it must be said
that the monopoly which the bill would
create is exactly the kind of monopoly
which exists by reason of the Domestic Copy
right lava constitutional monopoly, 10y
the way, since the Constitution authorizes
Congress "tO promote the progress of science
and the useful arts by securing for limi-
ted times TO authors and inventors the
Exclusive right to their respective writ
ings and discoveries" 1t is no wonder
that this sort of monopoly was authorized
by the makers of the constitution, since II
is exactly this monopoly i'm the exclusive
use of the products of ones labor which
constitutes ownership, and which is at the
basis Of all organized society. Ii is against
this principle that anarchists and COM
munists direct their eflorts-a principle
that obtains and always has obtained in
this country with relation to every species
of property except literature. On this point
Mr.. Mills wholly Inexperienced the inten-
tiOn Of the bill. Nobody desires by copy
right TO mOnOpOlze ideas, but merely the
particular literary form in which each
writer would express them. Under the
proposed law, as under the domestic Copy
right law, COpernicus could not hold his
discovery nom the world twenty-fOur hours.
ANY one could retell it in his own language
the moment 1t was published.
No book trust or monopoly, in the offensive
sense of the word, has ever been organized
or could ever be maintained. Hon. W. l..
Wilson, of West Virginia, who has paid
special attention to trusts and mOnOpOlies,
and who will not be suspected Of having
any sympathy with either, has stated that
| il is impossible that there should ever be a
trust in literature. There can be a trust in
staple necessaries, such as sugar and oil,
because they are Of one kind, and the
sources Of production can be con-
trolled, and, moreover, they are con-
sumed by their use. Literature, how
ever, is not consumed by its use, is not of
one kind, and its sources of production can
not be controlled. Even should publishers
be foolish enough to increase largely the
prices of books, they would have TO meet
with an enormous competition, People who
could not get one authors books would
take anOther's. Printing presses would
multiply the present mass Of uncOpyright
books. American books, on which the
copyright has expired. are continually be-
ing added 10 the mass of those by foreigners
at the disposal OF any publisher. The pub
lie libraries the magazines, and the news
papers would furnish sufficient literature
10 make il impossible 10 sustain trust. In
fact, the whole cry OF monopoly" and
"trust' is the sheer est demagoguery.