New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11
THE RIGHTS OF A AUTHORS.
VIEWS OF HORACE GREELEY, REPRINTED FROM
TIE TRIBUNE.


TIE TRIBUNE
The rights of those Who create intellectual property
are less clearly defined perhaps less capable of IN
cring deRnitoa-than those Of the producers or tran
formers OF material substance: Yet they seem TO me
not less real bcncccut, an defensiblc. Let u' sup
pose that four brothers commence responsible HE WIN
,oual patrimones equal capacity, and Ike habits Of
industry temperance and frugality. Twenty year
aferward, one Of tIcm who has devoted his cncr
les 10 farming has a fine estate commodlouS dwell
ing a handsome herd Of cattle. Il good COLLECTION "l
imnloments a library. ard all the material elements
of Independence and comfort. second has addr ss"d
himself to the construction of locomotives, ana ia
done as well thereby a. his farming brother third
ha, given himself up to the study of mechanics ana
encincernc and has after many di>appontmcH'~. Per
foctcd a new -tetmcucue whereby the power rcqulfrl
IN move train boat OF % many tom al gwen ftt-
per hour, is reduced at least - per cent. Ina
fourth has addicted himself to literature. art, ana
poetry. and has produced book which one hundred
thousand of our people annually read, deriving In
,tYuction and pleasure thcrcfrOm which they Womb
rather pay him for than forcIo. ak why th'
inventor and this author have not fairly earned.
and are not a> Justly entitled 10, the price that "ihci
prefer to give rather than forcEI the ADVANTAGE or
pleasure derived their products. a. arc their
arothrci the farmer and thc locomotive builder 10 "
Ike remuneration for the u-c Of their products II,
sThier, forcbiy say the indc~tUc5Ic un!dton 81
the right Of property j., labor them surely. the ,at Of
property in Elias Howe to that combination of the needle
VITA the shuttle which gave practical existence ana
value TO the sewing machine Of Alfred Icnuy'"f u"
The Princess Maud" In NCmoram.' and " Tbs
Lotus Eaters" is a. perfect any r'.u Of proper
cIn be- For the craftsman merely fashions, WGptN
o. recasts material, coexi>icnt with the Garth. Hn:
which may be rcearied a. in some sense tn c1m'no
property of mainland; while the Inventor the poet.
builds into the VOID spare mates chaos luminous. ana
ADDS potentially, and 1t were by original Great ion
10 tie enduring wealth Of mainland. cannot PEI
ceive how or why hi right OF property In his product
i, not at least perfect and pervadns that OF the
uaker of a locomotive. the grower Of grain
have considered what ha, bee, urged in favor o.
a restriction Of this right of property 10 the ma'eria.
thing wrought u2on-to the particular locomotive hu
~ the inventor tn author manuscript copy 81 h'
poeIn-and it 10 me pilpably absurd. For "h't
he Inventor ha, aborcd twenty years to perfec :, not
the single particular locomotive which he expended
his handiworA. but all locomotives 81 be then aftNr
bn-his efforts were melted and upheld by dceir"
TO make all ocOmotive, h"uc form L., costly. or mor'
efficient Thi, he ha, achieved, nothing; herein BE-
Ia, succeeded. or not "a all. once comp,ct a. the
machine whereon he la, ltbored 50 long may acct
dentally take lire, and burn to ashes. V. no one,
surely would thence infer that his labor had been ia
vain.
suppose now. who differs from me on this point
we're 10 drop in AT friend, housc while one
asked in a whisper BY a non-Llcrary acquaintance
Whose poem j. hat p" cannot doubt that he would
trails answer Lord Pvron'>: - no matter though lie
saw the l-trrpIc,s, and read Published by Harper
and Brothers, the die PAGE The rights Of author
and publisher in The premises are perfectly distinct
and uoUise clash with each oihcr The fact that tho~r
are or wcrej citizen, OF different countries native
Of diverse hem. pheIrs doe, not vitilv affect them.
deeply regret that any who uphOds the right,
Of labor and the duty o! protecting those rights q"
vovcd on government sEOud question the policy u
international copyright. Were there other reason
than that afforded by patriotism, shouh insist on
according copyrght to foreign authors IN lis absence
their works tire sold in markets for the bare co,i
Of paper and printing, and bought bcrHu,c Of Their
relative cheapnrs, by the great mass II our less in
stucted least rejecting readers. whose opinions are
thu, moulded by Buwer Alison, DIsrach. DclcuS,
Mchcct Professor Wilson, Victor Hugo Gcorgc sand.
ThacScrlv Willie Collins, the Tr1lopcS far more than
bv olr own best writers do not regret that io;c!ri
authors are extensively read here. do not deny tina,
some Of them are deserving o. American popularity
bu, protest against the legislation. lack If lcri~
latlon on TIE part Of usr> Whereby foreign works
are habitually-nav necessarily prOf"rcd cheaper 10
our people than those Of our own authors. This =
unjust to both alilc-to those whom il dop'ivcs y;
readers aud those whom 1t gives than their ni:
proportion Of readers. but denies compensation for
Their work. Waiter scott barely escaped dying
bankrupt, when cent per volume from hi, Amer
can readers woulf have saved him from pecuninry
cmbarra ssment sInoOhcd hi, dOwnhil Of life. and per
hap, enabled him 10 live longer and write AID
better / Wish had rendered him naked justice.
HORACE GREELEY.