ty now proposed.

Its confirmation is, as I understand, urged on some senators on the ground
that consistency requires it. Being in favor of protection elsewhere, they
are told that it would be inconsistent to refuse it here. In reply to
this, it might fairly be retorted that nearly all the supporters of
international copyright are advocates of the system called, in England,
Free Trade; and that it is quite inconsistent in them to advocate
protection here. To do this would however be as unnecessary as it would be
unphilosophical. Both are perfectly consistent. Protection to the farmer
and planter in their efforts to draw the artisan to their side, looks to
carrying out the doctrine of decentralization by the annihilation of the
monopoly of manufactures established in Britain; and our present copyright
system looks to the decentralization of literature by offering to all who
shall come and live among us the same perfect protection that we give to
our own authors. What is called free trade looks to the maintenance of the
foreign monopoly for supplying us with cloth and iron; and international
copyright looks to continuing the monopoly which Britain has so long
enjoyed of furnishing us with books; and both tend towards centralization.

The rapid advance that has been made in literature and science is the
result of the _perfect protection_ afforded by decentralization. Every
neighborhood collects taxes to be expended for purposes of education, and
it is from among those who would not otherwise be educated, and who are
thus protected in their efforts to obtain instruction, that we derive many
of our most thoughtful and intelligent men, and our best authors. The
advocates of free trade and international copyright are, to a great
extent, disciples in that school in which it is taught that it is an
unjust interference with the rights of property to compel the wealthy to
contribute to education of the poor. Common schools, and a belief in the
duty of protection, are generally found together. Decentralization, by the
production of local interests, _protects_ the poor printer in his efforts
to establish a country newspaper, and thus affords to young writers of the
neighborhood the means of coming before the world. Decentralization next
raises money for the establishment of colleges in every part of the Union,
and thus _protects_ the poor but ambitious student in his efforts to
obtain higher instruction than can be afforded by the c