Page:Copyright, Its History And Its Law (1912).djvu/377

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INTERNATIONAL IN AMERICA 345

was realized in large measure in the convention of Berne a half century later, the more interesting as coming from an American publisher, who was per- haps first to realize in thought the world-wide pos- sibilities of the movement then in its beginnings. He suggested that Congress should empower the President to appoint commissioners to meet in Eu- rope with similar representatives from other nations "to negociate for the enactment of a uniform law of literary property, and the extension of its benefits to all civilised nations. It should be a new chapter of the Jus Gentium, and should be one law {iisdem ver- bis) for all the enacting nations, extending over their territories in the same manner as our law of copyright extends over the territories of our twenty-six sover- eign states; so that an entry of copyright in the proper office of one nation should protect the author in all the others."

"Public opinion has made such progress in the "One various civilized nations, as would justify a great J«stlaw" movement in favour of establishing a universal re- public of letters; whose foundation shall be one just law of literary property embracing authors of all nations, and being operative both in peace and war. Besides the great impulse that would be given by such a law, to the improvement of literature and intellec- tual cultivation, the fellowship of interest thus created among the learned men throughout the world, would in time grow into a bond of national peace. Authors would soon consider themselves as fellow-citizens of a glorious republic, whose bound- aries are the great circles of the terraqueous globe; and instead of lending their talents for the purpose of exasperating national prejudice into hostile feeling, to further the views of ambitious politicians, they would exert their best energies to cultivate charity among