Concerning Copyright (1875) (See Chapter cii)

To the Senate and house of representatives of the united states in
congress assembled.

We, your petitioners, do respectfully represent as follows, viz.:  That justice, plain and simple, is a thing which right-feeling men stand ready at all times to accord to brothers and strangers alike.  All such men will concede that it is but plain, simple justice that American authors should be protected by copyright in Europe; also, that European authors should be protected by copyright here.

Both divisions of this proposition being true, it behooves our government to concern itself with that division of it which comes peculiarly within its province—­viz., the latter moiety—­and to grant to foreign authors with all convenient despatch a full and effective copyright in America without marring the grace of the act by stopping to inquire whether a similar justice will be done our own authors by foreign governments.  If it were even known that those governments would not extend this justice to us it would still not justify us in withholding this manifest right from their authors.  If a thing is right it ought to be done—­the thing called “expediency” or “policy” has no concern with such a matter.  And we desire to repeat, with all respect, that it is not a grace or a privilege we ask for our foreign brethren, but a right—­a right received from God, and only denied them by man.  We hold no ownership in these authors, and when we take their work from them, as at present, without their consent, it is robbery.  The fact that the handiwork of our own authors is seized in the same way in foreign lands neither excuses nor mitigates our sin.

With your permission we will say here, over our signatures, and earnestly and sincerely, that we very greatly desire that you shall grant a full copyright to foreign authors (the copyright fee for the entry in the office of the Congressional Librarian to be the same as we pay ourselves), and we also as greatly desire that this grant shall be made without a single hampering stipulation that American authors shall receive in turn an advantage of any kind from foreign governments.

Since no author who was applied to hesitated for a moment to append his signature to this petition we are satisfied that if time had permitted we could have procured the signature of every writer in the United States, great and small, obscure or famous.  As it is, the list comprises the names of about all our writers whose works have at present a European market, and who are therefore chiefly concerned in this matter.

No objection to our proposition can come from any reputable publisher among us—­or does come from such a quarter, as the appended signatures of our greatest publishing firms will attest.  A European copyright here would be a manifest advantage to them.  As the matter stands now the moment they have thoroughly advertised a desirable foreign book, and thus at great expense aroused public interest in it, some small-spirited speculator (who has lain still in his kennel and spent nothing) rushes the same book on the market and robs the respectable publisher of half the gains.