Anthony Trollope - Autobiography of Anthony Trollope

be a member of Parliament! This use of the borough seemed to be

realised and approved in the borough generally. The inhabitants

had taught themselves to think that it was for such purposes that

boroughs were intended! To have assisted in putting an end to this,

even in one town, was to a certain extent a satisfaction.

In the spring of 1868,--before the affair of Beverley, which,

as being the first direct result of my resignation of office, has

been brought in a little out of its turn,--I was requested to go

over to the United States and make a postal treaty at Washington.

This, as I had left the service, I regarded as a compliment, and

of course I went. It was my third visit to America, and I have made

two since. As far as the Post Office work was concerned, it was

very far from being agreeable. I found myself located at Washington,

a place I do not love, and was harassed by delays, annoyed by

incompetence, and opposed by what I felt to be personal and not

national views. I had to deal with two men,--with one who was a

working officer of the American Post Office, than whom I have never

met a more zealous, or, as far as I could judge, a more honest

public servant. He had his views and I had mine, each of us having

at heart the welfare of the service in regard to his own country,--each

of us also having certain orders which we were bound to obey. But

the other gentleman, who was in rank the superior,--whose executive

position was dependent on his official status, as is the case with

our own Ministers,--did not recommend himself to me equally. He

would make appointments with me and then not keep them, which at

last offended me so grievously, that I declared at the Washington

Post Office that if this treatment were continued, I would write

home to say that any further action on my part was impossible. I

think I should have done so had it not occurred to me that I might

in this way serve his purpose rather than my own, or the purposes

of those who had sent me. The treaty, however, was at last made,--the

purport of which was, that everything possible should be done, at

a heavy expenditure on the part of England, to expedite the mails

from England to America, and that nothing should be done by America

to expedite the mails from thence to us. The expedition I believe

to be now equal both ways; but it could not be maintained as it is

without the payment of a heavy subsidy from Great Britain, whereas

no subsidy is paid by the States. [Footnote: This was a state of

things which may probably have appeared to American politicians

to be exactly that which they should try to obtain. The whole

arrangement has again been altered since the time of which I have

spoken.]

I had also a commission from the Foreign Office, for which I had

asked, to make an effort on behalf of an international copyright

between the United States and Great Britain,--the want of which is

the one great impediment to pecuniary success which still stands

in the way of successful English authors. I cannot say that I have

never had a shilling of American money on behalf of reprints of my

work; but I have been conscious of no such payment. Having found

many years ago--in 1861, when I made a struggle on the subject,

being then in the States, the details of which are sufficiently

amusing [Footnote: In answer to a question from myself, a certain

American publisher--he who usually reprinted my works--promised me

that IF ANY OTHER AMERICAN PUBLISHER REPUBLISHED MY WORK ON AMERICA

BEFORE HE HAD DONE SO, he would not bring out a competing edition,

though there would be no law to hinder him. I then entered into an

agreement with another American publisher, stipulating to supply

him with early sheets; and he stipulating to supply me a certain

royalty on his sales, and to supply me with accounts half-yearly.

I sent the sheets with energetic punctuality, and the work was

brought out with equal energy and precision--by my old American

publishers. The gentleman who made the promise had not broken his

word. No other American edition had come out before his. I never

got any account, and, of course, never received a dollar.]--that

I could not myself succeed in dealing with American booksellers, I

have sold all foreign right to the English publishers; and though

I do not know that I have raised my price against them on that

score, I may in this way have had some indirect advantage from

the American market. But I do know that what the publishers have

received here is very trifling. I doubt whether Messrs. Chapman &

Hall, my present publishers, get for early sheets sent to the States

as much as 5 per cent. on the price they pay me for my manuscript.

But the American readers are more numerous than the English, and

taking them all through, are probably more wealthy. If I can get

(pounds)1000 for a book here (exclusive of their market), I ought to be

able to get as much there. If a man supply 600 customers with shoes

in place of 300, there is no question as to such result. Why not,

then, if I can supply 60,000 readers instead of 30,000?

I fancied that I knew that the opposition to an international

copyright was by no means an American feeling, but was confined to

the bosoms of a few interested Americans. All that I did and heard

in reference to the subject on this further visit,--and having

a certain authority from the British Secretary of State with me I

could hear and do something,--altogether confirmed me in this view.

I have no doubt that if I could poll American readers, or American

senators,--or even American representatives, if the polling could

be unbiassed,--or American booksellers, [Footnote: I might also say

American publishers, if I might count them by the number of heads,

and not by the amount of work done by the firms.] that an assent

to an international copyright would be the result. The state of

things as it is is crushing to American authors, as the publishers

will not pay them a liberal scale, knowing that they can supply

their customers with modern English literature without paying for

it. The English amount of production so much exceeds the American,

that the rate at which the former can be published rules the

market. it is equally injurious to American booksellers,--except

to two or three of the greatest houses. No small man can now acquire

the exclusive right of printing and selling an English book. If

such a one attempt it, the work is printed instantly by one of the

leviathans,--who alone are the gainers. The argument of course is,

that the American readers are the gainers,--that as they can get

for nothing the use of certain property, they would be cutting their

own throats were they to pass a law debarring themselves from the

power of such appropriation. In this argument all idea of honesty

is thrown to the winds. It is not that they do not approve of

a system of copyright,--as many great men have disapproved,--for

their own law of copyright is as stringent as is ours. A bold

assertion is made that they like to appropriate the goods of other

people; and that, as in this case, they can do so with impunity,

they will continue to do so. But the argument, as far as I have been

able to judge, comes not from the people, but from the bookselling