New-York tribune., 1895-10-26
THE CANADIAN COPYRIGHT
HALL CAME, THE BRITISH AUTHOR,
SCORES THE ACT OF 1882

THE PRINTER SHOULD BE NO PARTY TO
THE coNrRAcr-THE BERNE con-
vENTIoN IGNoRED-A NEW
SCHEME PROPOSED
Toronto. Oct IS (SpeciaD.-At the Canadian
publishers banquet to Hall Caine tonight ). IL.
Edgar. NJ p, who has probably devoted more
time to the study OF the copyright question thah
any other Canadian public man, was called upon
to respond to the toast. THE Land We Live In.
He expressed his pleasure assisting to pay
compliment to Hall Caine. II welcome him. ne
said, ito The Land We Live In. 1t Is but a small
and remote part of the Engsh-speaking world
yet the names Of great British authors are house
hold words among us We admire them I'M
nensely. We manage either to buy or to borrow
most OF their works We do not wish TO steai
them I don't really think ever did steal
them. but perhaps 1t would be better ROT 10 pur-
Sue that inquiry. for II might introduce cohtro-
versial matter. Mr. Hall Caine has been but lew
days amongst us. yet he has noticed that we are
loyal people. He is right. although th.iih we
would show much better taste II we did not poast
OF II quite so much. Would IL not be pity 10
put a strain that loyalty by an attempt to take
away our self-governing powers? Though Canaua
has hitherto been to the ears OF British authors
little more than geographical expression. we are
perhaps as numerous as were the Eilsilsh Peopo
in the days of Queen Elizabeth. and IKE theIl'
we have a distinct intention to govern ourseiVe'.
This is not question upon which parties oii,eI
here at all. I may conhdentially say tha' aoi
some years past think we have governed our :
selves very badly. Yet we like to do H. III mas
been my fate to have opposed the present Mlhlstry
in the House of Commons at ottawa earhesuy iol
"A dozen years, but ! am glad TO say we nay
never differed on the constitutional aspect oi the
copyright question. .
Even smaller communities than ours are pos pos,
sessed Of desire to maintain what they CONCEIVE
TO be their rights. Are there not certain I'M
memorial rights stovtly insisted upon py ina 1h
brave little island In the irish sea Whe,e [
srallC II,
as well as for others. / think the au.
thors did well in sending the guest OF
Han Caine has touched at length upon what he
considers TO be the Objectionable icensinb system
provided by our act of 1889. will not argue that
or any disputed point at all, but wish 10 point
out that the licensing system Is not Canadan
device for the infiction OF wrongs upon tne or'ls"
authors. but 1t was expressly suggested IN tne re
port OF the Imperial Copyright Commission OF 1910.
/ ask guest to take my WORD for ~ ina. man, tire
Canadian Parliament will treat BRUSH aulhq,
In all things not only justly but generously Te
will be wise II he counses his frends not 10 fa'e
an issue on the constitutional point. Let me say
to him in the words Of the greatest OF an Ehslsn
authors Your gentleness snail more tha' Sou'
force move us 10 gentleness
Hall Caine in the course OF his speech, after
referring to the Limit ID copyright law in force
In the United States and admitting that its
.half-Ioaf was better than no bread, said
Now am not here sir. to discuss the constitu-
tona. aspects OF the question We have been doins
that with more or less ei9per h cenrv ard get
no forrader." Whether the act OF lsof gives yot
Of international copyright and whether the British
Government are bound 10 grant you, AZ your III
cations OF the BerEe convention, can very Wen pr
left TO the decision Of the law officers IN Iohdoh
any My II 6sence here Toronto your saes, tact
ly implies that we recognize mat rignsE gIIs Eust -.
ter and is likely TO be allowed to exercise mem,
Don't let us diff away from cHpyFsIht In n'O ns ob
scure true problem IN the ciouns OF paiy
POaips p0a psrotc younS Sr Minister to say that Canada
has a right to misgovern hersef II she lkes hes
Whether an author has a right control his books
absolutely. and II he has not. what measure Oh MS
control must he hand over TO the state!
INJUSTICE TO BRITISH AUTHORS.
Gentlemen. the attitude of authors toward your
act of 1889 is very easily stated-we object to your
claim TO manufacture our books whether we VIII
or not because the right OF the author, winch
ought TO be shared with the reader only "ouid
be divided with the printer also who 9Isn HronSs 10 de
OF natural law there is only one party to copya9sn, H.
the author The laws OF nations IA haVr agrrep who no
allow a second party TO come in the rrausr' Wlo %
is granted mitei right on strihgeet !en ms ;ed
now claiming as tEe un,ed and r. the first
party does nor like three TO the conlrac', you %le sh
asking that there sha be 1hy b@ narty Of the
aisGon!en.ad an,So4 af Jas 1ar'Y '"s "'S' parry ~
That is our objection to your act OF 1879 on ao.
object to 1t because % 1t mulupiies tne pio paic, ~ o
Manufacture ard prevents the productioh OF
ali but popular books 8, snS hai ~'l and Ie
srcbandise coming to your shores whereas 10
book viii sfs sfs 40 ana
water and fetch It across: CD II allows o, pernDa n
when "a, boo. Is strikes 1S OasI oW at the spirit
OF copyright and demands ireer sh ha .,,, raW
from the Berne convention which ,nabt ls 1ne ,er the
anchor OF the hope OF all who nave iouSh' ioi ''e
security and dignity OF literature
WHATS THE GOOD:'
csr,,oroon 7 have tried to state the cage fairly.
and without questioning your right 10 egisiate Tor
yourselves I want to ask you a single question
What's the goody What's the good OF the act OF
1889 to any party 'mong the people for whom you
ne good 10 Your reader? What's the good to your
printer? What's the good TO your publisher a"s
Do0sSeef no sScd to an7 say Of the these e'' u ' 90
1t is ne good your author because 1t deprives v
right union and reduces him to the isolation OF MS
right of copyright in Canada ,scause he gets his
popular books at 80 cents, 75 cents and dollar
Mhs and our IL he 4ea9ss sscs m get
and what he has no right TO ask II ne mas s any wbo
make his literature. -.
II IS good your printer lby that mean not
positor) because your act does not require that
you should find labor for your poor operatives IN
had our sympathy. but only that your publishers
should import the plates that have been maze ,S oS
the labor of English operatives. and this, when
has been claimed a concession to England -
really an injury to English authors, because II VII
help you 10 produca books at less than the natural
price, and that Is unsound commercial basis
And finally, II is good and much less IMAM
no good TO your publishers and booksellers. be
the unlimited licenses which Il allows VIII
cut the throat OF the book trade. by reducing the
prices Of popular books from 20 cents to % and to
Il and 10 until ft length from the plates or
newspaper serial novel Will. as formerly in the
United states be produced by the soap merchant
to wrap around bars OF kitchen soap. and booksels-
be gone from the face OF Canada altogether. In
short. sir. to use the idOmatic language OF one
OF your own rude but wise and far-secing legisa-
tors of the past There amt nothing to II no.
how"