Evening star., 1925-02-01
SEEK NEW COPYRIGHT LAW
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

a new copyright law may be one
of the first legislative accomplish
ments of the new Congress. 1t will
be If one of the most powerful and
picturesque Hobbies ever to appear
in Washington has any influence with
the national solons.
This law is expected to make 1t
possible for the United States to be-
coma a member of the International
Copyright Union, from which We have
been barred for something like half
a century. 1t is also expected to
prove an effective demonstration of
what Congress can do in the exer-
else of it's constitutional authority to
promote the progress of science and
useful arts.
The colorful lobby which is seek
ing the proposed legislation Is COM
posed of the leading novelists. short
story writer's, scenario writers, poets.
dramatists. artists, cartoonists, song
writer's, librettists and composers Of
America Wrapped up in one pack
age these personages are identified
as members of the Authors League,
but as identified by their professions
they are grouped in four guilds
authors, dramatists, artists and COM
posers.
Less picturesque, perhaps, but none
the less insistent upon the Importance
and need of the proposed new COPY
right legislation, are the organiza-
tions representative of the publishing &
interests and of the librarians of the
country.
Arrayed in opposition, or at least
demanding changes in the measure
under consideration, are the associ-
alton of motion picture producers
nv,A
binders and allied crafts.
AS the members OF the House COM
mittee on patents put 1T when they
held their public hearing on the bill,
1t was big league stuff." The large
caucus room in the House once
Building was filled with one of the
most interesting assemblages ever
brought together in Washington
men and women famous in the world
OF literature, art, music and drama
and the Congressman fairly reveled
In the intimate contact with the per-
sonages, who. heretofore, had been
little more to them than names on
books. in magazines, on theater pro-
grams, on musical records and the
like. Obviously they were quite as
thrilled as they had ever been by
the brain children of those person
ages.
In fact, they "ate it up" which
is arts retort to the big league
stun" comment of the committeeman.
NotabIes Who Performed.
Not all the notables present ad-
dressed the committee. If they had
the hearing would have been as long
as a Democratic national convention,
and quite as engrossing II not as
t,rr,1 ,1,,lf f,,n pttt h. l.
were all headliners. Gene Buck, the
librettist, who has made many of the
Ziegfeld shows, was master of cere-
monies for the proponents of the
measure, and himself contributed a
snappy half-hour to the performance.
For the publishers the spokesman
was Maj. Putnam, head of the old est
publishing house in the country, who
told the committee he had been ap-
pearing at congressional hearings on
the copyright question for more than
40 years, his experience antedating G
the birth of several of the Congress
men. When he was asked by one
Of the youthful members If he would
be present at later hearings to an
swer questions that might be asked
Of him he said that he hoped to be.
But" he added, when a man
reaches the age of 81 he hesitates
about making definite commitments Is
for an indefinite future"
Another veteran was Robert Under
wood Johnson, one Of Americas great
poets, former Ambassador to Italy
and present editor of the Century.
DR.. Johnson's copyright activities
also date back to the law of 1891
and the amendment of 1909. Augustus
Thomas, dramatist, spoke for his pro-
fession, and no one was listened to
more attentively. Ellis Parker But
Ter, author of the famous Pigs is
Pigs" story, convulsed the crowd with
a recital of some of his experiences
with an inadequate copyright law,
one being his selling of the motion
picture rights of the Pigs" story
for 325. only to learn they were