The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-26
Dominion Company Wins Suit
Proves Ii Has Exclusive Right to Publish
Murat haIstead's Life OF Mckinley,
Revised TO Present Date.

After a Lee al battle in which the
best lawyers of Chicago were Ell
gagged, the Dominion Company,
publishers of the Murat Ha stead
edition of the life of William
M'KInley, has won a signal vic
tory over the Monarch Book Com
pauy, which also ISSUES a history
OF the martyred President. The
Monarch Company obtained an or
der restraining the Dominion cor
poration from publishing its book,
but Judge Kohlsaat has decided
the latter owns the rights TO he
edition and has vacated the order.
Incidentally the Monarch Book
Company will be made defendant
in suit for injunction brought by
the Dominion Company. Appli-
cation Tor the injunction will be
made early next week.
There seemed to be no doubt IN
the mind of the court as TO which
concern had the rights to publish
the book which has been the cause
of the trouble. In 1896 Murat
Halstead wrote THE Life aud
Distinguished Services of William
M'Kinley." Four years later he
revised it, and it was published
under the title, Victorious Re-
publicanism."
When the Dominion Company
purchased the right TO issue these
books it also entered into an agree
ment by which it was TO publish
all future works of the kind writ
ten by Murat Halstead. and he
agreed rot to write another his
tory of President M'Kinley. Soon
after the Presidents death, how
ever, the Monarch Book Company
put on the market book purport-
ing to come from the pen of Mu-
rat Halstead, and which contained
an account of his assassination.
In the meantime the Dominion
company had had the story of the
last days of the President written
and issued its revised life of the
martyred executive. AS this was
the complete history written by
Halstead, excepting for the final
chapter concerning the scenes at
Buffalo, Washington and Canton,
it hurt the sale of the book pub
lished by the Monarch Book COM
pany and the latter obtained an
order restraining the Dominion
company from putting its publica-
ton on the market.
Publishers admit it simply was
a trick of the trade. Each COM
pany was anxious to get its books
on the market first and the Mon
arch Book Company, despite the
fact that the Dominion company
owned the rights to the Halstead
editions, got the restraining order
that it might steal a march on its
competitor.
Nobody was quicker to see this
than Mr.. Levinsou, attorney for
the Dominion company. He under
stood that each day the order was
in force his clients lost money, so
when he appeared in the United
States District Court he was ready
to make any compromise that
would not injure the Dominion
company's book and would vacate
the order. So he offered, while he
did not admit any of the allega-
tons of the lawyers for the other
side, to make any changes which
the court might consider right.
AS a result the title page of the
Dominion company's publication
has been changed slightly. That
is the only alteration. The book
itself is as ii was when, in fhe
prime of his journalistic career,
Muraf HaIsfead wrote and revised
il.
Mr.. Halstead began the prepara-
ton of 1.-THE Life and Distin-
guished Services of William Nc
Klnley" in 1896, and completed
his portion in 1900. Mr.. Munsou,
whose literary abilities Mr.. Hal
stead has spoken of in the strong
est terms, completed the work from
Mr.. McKinley's letter of accep-
lance in 1900 until the Presidents
assassination, death, burial, aud
sentence of the assassin.
The Dominion book is Of the
highest character, and the teach
ings are of an order to inspire con-
fdence and patriotism in the heart
of every American.
-ChicapO Journal