New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
A VICTORY FOR COPYRIGHT
FAIR PLAY AND HONESTY AT LAST TRIUM.
TIlANT IN THE HOUSE.

THE BILL PASSED by VOTE OF ISo TO ss-
THIRTY FOUR DEMOCRATS VOTE FOR 1T, AND
TwEYTY-sIx REPU UBLIC,Ns AGAINST 1T
THE VOTE NEITHER SECTIONAL
NOR PARTY ONE-THE DEBATE
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE Ix,sUSE.i
Washington Dee 3-Thc friends of honesty
and fair play won decisive victory in the House
| of Representatives to-day. The International
| Copyright bill. reported by the Committee
Patents at the last session. which contains sub
stantially the provisions as the bill from
! the judiciary Committee, which suffered a reverse
| last summer. was passed by vote OF I39 to 95.
| after two unsuccessful attempts had been made
| ny ITS opponents 10 rccommit the measure to tho
Committee on Patents. The Democrats who voted
for the bill were Messrs. Andrew and O'Neil Massa-
chnsctts: Breckenridge, Kentucky: Brunner, Penn
| sylvanla IYnum, Indiana: Chipman, Michigan:
| Cummings, Clancy and Covert, New-York Dorgan,
| South Carolina Dunphy, Fitch and Flower New
| York; Gibson, Maryland; Iiemphin, South Caro-
| lima; I.awler, Illinois; Lee, Virginia; Lester,
Georgia; Marsh, Pcilly ard Mutchler, Pennsyl.
| vania; Mctdoo, New-Jersey; Mccarthy and
| Quinn, Newly ork; Pennington. Delaware; Rusk,
Maryland; Shivcly Indiana; Spnola. Tracy and
Wiley, NewYork; Tucker, Virginia; Vaux Penn
| sylyana; Wilson, West Virginia. and Yodcr,
| Ohio--3i in all. The Republicans who voted
against the passage Of the bill Mcssrs. At
kinson and Ray, Pennsylvania; Bergen, New
Jersey; Brewer Michigan: Cannon and Payson.
Illinois: DelonO, New-York; Dollivcr, Kerr.
Flick and Lacey, Iowa: Finley and
Wilson, Kentucky: Haugcn and Thomas,
Wisconsin, Henderson, Illinois; Kelley, Morrill,,
Perkins and Peters, Kansas; Swiney and Reed,
Iowa; Rockwell, Mass; Smith, Illinois; Smith,
West Virginia; and J. G. Taylor, Ohio-twenty-
six in all.
1t will be observed that the vote by which the
bill was passed was neither party nor a " section
al" vote. The affirmative votes were cast by lo5
Republicans and thlrty-four Democrats. while the
negative votes were given by sAty y-nine Demo-
Gratis and twcnty-siX Republicans. Democrats
east about 0ne-fOurth of the affirmative votes and
about iwo-thrds Of tho negative votes. About
the same proportions were found in the vote on
the motions to rccommt with instructions. Mr..
Peters. Of Kansas. moved 10 recOnmlt with in-
structons 10 limit tie term of copyright 10 iif-
teen years. and the motion was rejected by vote
Of 9s 10 l3s Mr. Breckenridge. who like most
Free Traders has strong and peculiar fondncNs
for things of foreign origin and manufacture,
vision to allow importation of foreign editions OF
foreign authors upon payment of the rates or
duty now prescribed by law books imported
into the United States His motion was rejected
bv vote OF - to liO. although supported
hv Mills. Springer. CIlSO. Hatch and most OF the
other Democratic candidates for the Speakershlp.
The debate which preceded the vote was
limited to forty minutes and spirited, despite
| the fact that the friends of the bill found little
! 10 oppose and overcome in tho form OF argument.
| The men who tried 10 sneak against the measure
| seemed al loss for arguments and, in truth, ap-
pearcd TO be triic ashamed of their position
There is hardly any reason TO doubt that tho
bill will pass the Senate and become a law before
March :. 1891. thu. ending long, weary and dis
courasins struggle in behalf of honesty. fair play
and the right of author 10 protection IN the
enjoyment Of the fruits OF his labor.
In opening the discussion of the bill, Mr..
Springer criticised the first section Of the bill
on the ground that II placed no limitation on tho
| life OF a copy right.
Mr. Simonds who waS in Charee Of the bill,
replied tha, there vas no change in the law 50 far
| As il referred 20 the life OF the copyright.
Nr Springer argued thai the bill changed the
| Tarln law in far as the importation Of books
was concerned. that In" first effort after tho
! Mckinley bill and after election was TO make it
more impossible To import articles from abroad.
| Notwithstanding the statement of the President
! that importalons were increasing
Mr. Peters. of Kansas. expressed his opposition
| 10 the character of legislation involved in tho
/ bill H. was in the nature of quasi-special lcSis-
| lation. and as a matter of fact was the very
legislation that had been largely condemned by
/ the last election. The kind of legislation the
| people wanted was such legislation reached
the masses of the people, and such legislation
was not in favor of any special class. There
was no demand from the reading public for this
| lelSlaiion The General public was averse to
IT, II was demanded only by few represent
ativeS of a certain profession. and the protest OF
the American Congress should he placed In un-
mi>takablc terms or all legislation of this kind.
Mr. Breclnridee, of Kentucky, said that il was
clearly inconsistent with any idea of copyright TO
make it anything but exclusive. The idea OF
copyright was that he who owned the copyright
had the exclusive right of sale of his book lte
who owned the property had right 10 sell ~
according to his judgment Copyright was nothing
but the legal title under the statutes to tho
property of the man who produced the book.
Being his. he had a right 10 dispose of it. 1t was
dishonest to deprive HIM Of that right.
Mr. Oate;, of Alabama. inquired as TO the
clause requiring rhe book TO be printed from
tvpe sci within The United States.
Mr. Breckenridge replied that all legislation
was practical and matter of concession. The
question was not whether the remedy could be
made absolute, but how nearly absolute it could
be made There were divers interests involved
the interest Of the author who furnished the
brains the interest of the publisher who fir-
nishcd the capital and the interest of the work
incman who furnished the labor All these IN
forests must he combined in this BILL and all
were combined in it, lie did not believe thae
cheaper books could be obtained now than conid
be obtained under this bill; but even If they
could this was matter of justice ana honesty
II was the old argument he had heard OF IN
Kentucky when one colored man asked another,
sam. how's il You sell your brooms cheaper
than me. when | steals the straw? On, tnat