New-York tribune., 1890-06-04
NOTES FROM LONDON.
ISBURY ON wORDS-AIR HOOPER-COUNT
BISMARCK'S CARDS." SUCH LIKE
THE MAILS.
London, May 81.

London, May -.
The best present ally of the anti-copyrght
neople in the United States is Mr.. Wemyss Reid
Have they subsidized him? ! suppose not The
question is offensive, and / ask it only that Mr.
Wemyss Reid may discover how such things
sound when they are applied to himself. lie
edits the new weekly journal which London crit
les. slightly altering its true title. are won't TO
call The Squeaker.' lie is occupied in squeak
ing at Congress and the American people In gen.
eral When he heard OF the rejection OF the
Copyright Bill by the House of Representatives
he produced an article on this event headed
The House of Thieves" Mr.. Bryce protested
in letter which was published, but which had
no Other effect than to elicit from Mr.. WemyS
Reid the remark that he had nothing to alter
To-day he prints another article headed Pirates
in Congress. And he is no longer content with
denouncng members of Congress He assures 10
that in the opinion of Englishmen, the Amer.
leans as n whole are dishonored by their public
condonation of a system which is simply Of
theft"
Mr.. Wemyss Reid is hcavy-mnded man, well
meaning, and doing from week to week that kind
of mischief which well-meaning men Of heavy
minds have Snack of doing. He is responsible
for very considerable amount of harm TO the
cause he has at heart. lie is Incapable Of seeing
what is injurious and what is beneficial to that
cause | suppose we are to assume that he is in
favor OF International Copyright, but il he ven
AGAINST il and wanted 10 prevent the passage Of
any copyright bill for all time to come, he would
act precisely as he is acting now. ] say 50, al
though I agree with him. The House Of Repre-
scntatives deserves to be called House Of
Thieves The men who voted down the copy
right bill are pirates The American people as
whole are dishonored by their cOndonation OF
this crime, if they do in fact condone II. But il
is one thing for American 10 say this, and II
is another and very different and ineApressiby
foolish thing for an Engshman like Mr Wemyss
Reid to say it, and say it publicly, and relterate
il from week to week in a paper which, though IL
has little position or weight, p likely enough to
be quoted ! am eager as Mr. Reid or anybody
else to see copyright bill passed, and the long
and just reproach Of dishonesty removed from US.
But when read such an article as his IN an Eng
lsh paper, the impulse of the moment is TO re-
oice that the bill was not passed. The Impulse
vanishes presently Opinions do not change per-
manenty for such But many other
American friends of copyright have, l presume,
felt the same thing. the natural effect OF Mr.
Reds silly outburst is to induce Americans 10
the interests of people who have no manners
| That international comfy on which the argument
for copyright is based implies international cour
tesy
Or the matter may be put in another way
Mr. Wemyss Reid urges that what lie says Is
true Does he say in print everything he thinks
true? He Uses. no doubt. in tie editing Of his
paper. such Judgment a. he has tact. also If he
have any of that and discretion. He puts for
ward such arguments in such language a. he
thinks most likely TO advance the cause he has
at hcart The rest he suppresSes BIT II he sup
poses his coarse nvcctiye on the copyright ques-
tion likely to promote the adoption Of in'e'na-
tional copyright in America, be knows nothing
whatever Of America and Americans
Mr. Reid undertakes TO speak Tor England.
| He is not entitled 10 speak for England The
| American people says Mr.. Wemyss Reid, must
NOT be left under any mistake as the real scnti-
ment OF England on t',is question IL is I'M
portant they should not. and that Mr.. Wenyss
Reid's pretcnsons TO speak for the people Of Eng
land should he exposed. II is not the custom OF
Enclishmen. Of the best Englishpen. 10 address
remonstrances 10 friendly and kindred nation
in a tone which they would not TO a servant
No doubt they feel strongly. No DOUBT they re-
sent the injustice from which they suffer- and
| keenly the appearance Of Mr. Wemyss Reid az
their mouthpiece. Mr. Bryce speaks for them'
NOT Mr.. Wemyss Reid. ! have heard know nos
how many but many-protests AGAINST Ills u''
| mannerliness II is deplored here not only De-
cous. INTELLIGENT Englishmen well understand tho
| adverse influence il has in America. bat hecause
| tbev dislike that their opinions on tie suole'o
| sbould he caricaturcd. They do not believe thae
Mfr Mills. Of Texas. and Mr.. Payson. Of Illinois,
| renre,ent the American people or American lue1s
| ~ honesty And they know that Mr.. NemNss
| Peid does not represent the English people OF
| English ideas Of what is civil and decent III IN
| ,ercour,e between the English ana American
nations.
Lord Salisbury is one Of the few EnSllShmen
! in publio life who do not shrink rom sehe'-
| oI;,a,ior II might he said that his speeches
are worth looking through. If only Tor INC s'N'
- ,hs rronositions he lays down. often phlo-
| ,,.ioa1 almost always with some mark Of
acut.ness upon them; the offspring Of a mind de-
,;rbtiry in the exercise of It's very remarkahe
no,yers The force Of his reply to Lord Wemjss
an Socialism the other day in the House OF LORDS
o,r hardly he measured without referring 10 Lora
| wor,vss's speech: which would carry MS too iar'
I, may be enough 70 point ont that Lord Ne'usS
| rl,rgrs the definition OF SocialIstc Legislation
! ,,u be IS able To reckon up 30S Sociahsuc oiAs
which have been introduced into FarAanen'
,yitbin five wears: of which forty were pAssf'
said Lord Salisbury: Ny noble FRIEND aS
tachcs too much importance 10 woris' lnes'
are DAYS of words Words are used at the present.
| day without very much meaning To them ana ''c
result is tha, the effect of words Ii very mu'h
diminished. and people read them without h''l'' ,
| the least impression made upon their MINUS
| Therefore il is that such amazing DOCTRINES
Socalistic and other. are preached. such shi'1l"s
schemes brought forward, and The punne REMAINS
tranquil all the while The pnohc Knows VI
thinks, they are only words ana an thSiuS"'"'' -
def.rs his Judgment on any theoretical proposal
| ,,,,u :, has taken what he thinks practical
sh,ne And Lord Salisbury encourages him III
| this indifference.