D20872

Great Neck, N.Y.

July 25--1900

My dear Moffatt,

You can't get any damages out of the Times profile for their blundering, and the only revenge I know of would be that of writing a letter--to them, or to some other paper, if you could get hold of one to print it, which might not be impossible. If they had not given you credit [crossed out] you could sue them infringement of copyright law, of course, but when they give credit ^[crossed out] (mere functory mention even) the amount papers take from each other, provided it is [crossed out] changed about a bit, not cribbed straight, is only limited by [crossed out] desires--desires for the stuff in question, or for self-respect.

The laws are entirely too vague. Analogous cases are always coming up with ^the^ big houses. At Scribners we used to write these very dignified letters calling attention to the fact that [crossed out] the stuff had cost us money, and if worth [crossed out] anything to them it was worth paying for, [crossed out] [crossed out] intimating that publications which [crossed out] ^would show^ such disregard for our firm's interests ^reasonably^ might not be considered the best mediums for our firm's advertising, which letter of course always scared them. But the reply, usualy, was one of innocent surprise and regret. "Knowing that you liked us to advertise your publications--indeed

you even send us ready printed selections for the purpose every month--we thought that if we gave you full credit, you would not object, but in the future" etc.

And that [crossed out] tells about all I know about it. If you are loafing this summer it might be a diversion to put off a chapter of Thackeray and have some fun with the Times by way of letters--but you are the best judge of your tastes. [crossed out] For my part I am pretty belligerent in a case like that and would probably get hot and write

vigorously. You can't get any money out of 'em. And let the good P.G. work with Thackeray so in by all means though you don't need it so much as many a young graduate, judging from your valedictory, which I listened to all the way through and liked almost altogether, not that you wrote it for me or require the opinion of one who all the same would like you to consider him Your friend, Jesse Lynch Williams My love to Wilson and his wife. I do hope they are getting over it well, and that I shall see them in Princeton some time. What 're you going to be - a lawyer? JLW By the way, why didn't you ever send a copy of that Lit? I should like to see it. (Perhaps we cribbed too much also) JLW