Boer Politics Part 15

OFFER TO DR. KUYPER.

On March 25th I addressed the following registered letter to Dr. Kuyper:

_March 25th, 1900._

SIR,

I have the honour to send you the numbers of _Le Siecle_ containing a criticism of your article, "La Crise Sud-Africaine," which appeared in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_.

In order to present the _pros_ and _cons_ to the reader at one and the same time, I ask you to agree to the following proposition: _I offer to publish in one pamphlet your article and my reply._ I undertake to pay the cost and if there should be any profits to divide them with you.

By accepting this proposal you will show that you are as convinced of the solidity of your arguments as I am of the solidity of mine.

YVES GUYOT.

II. REPLY OF DR. KUYPER.

I received the following letter, March 29th:

AMSTERDAM, _March 28th, 1900._

TO M. YVES GUYOT.

SIR,

Only having received one number of your paper (23,381) I do not know whether your criticism is finished. As soon as I have it all before me--with references to the doc.u.ments cited, if you please, otherwise it is difficult to follow--I will see whether it calls for a detailed reply on my part, in which case I might, according to American precedent, republish my article, inserting, with your permission, your reply. This was done by the New York _Outlook_, when it published in the same number, "the Case of the Boers," and "the Case of the British."

At the same time the copyright of my article belongs to the Editor of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, without whose permission I can do nothing. As I shall be in Paris before long I will ask him for it, should your polemic attack seem to me to require a reply.

With regard to your proposal to leave the risks of a fresh publication to you, while sharing the profits, although I appreciate the delicacy of such a suggestion, I could not accept it.

KUYPER.

The following remarks on his letter were published by me in _Le Siecle_, March 30th.

"With regard to the first point, I regret that, at the time of writing, Dr. Kuyper should only have received one number of _Le Siecle_; each of my replies having been sent to him under registered cover on the day of publication. It is unfortunate for me that Dr. Kuyper's Article should have appeared in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, for that brings me again into contact with M.

Brunetiere, and it is well-known that M. Brunetiere who, last year for fifteen days burdened _Le Siecle_ with his prose, does not wish this discussion to be presented to the reader in its entirety. I am greatly afraid of his desiring the same isolation for Dr. Kuyper's article.

"As far as I am concerned, having began my reply to Dr. Kuyper I shall continue it. If it is not M. Brunetiere's wish that our articles should be published together he will thereby acknowledge anew the force of my replies. Were they not doc.u.mented and convincing, he would not fear their proximity."

III. ANOTHER LETTER.

On April 6th I sent the following letter to Dr. Kuyper (registered).

_April 6th, 1900._

SIR,

In a few days I shall have finished my replies to your article; they will then be published in pamphlet form. I have the honour to ask you definitely whether you accept my proposal to precede them with your article in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_.

YVES GUYOT.

In answer to this I received the following letter from Dr. Kuyper written from the Grand Hotel, Paris:

GRAND HOTEL, 12, BOULEVARD DES CAPUCINES, _April 12th, 1900._

SIR,

My last letter informed you to what extent I could meet your wishes.

Now that, without regard to my reply, you simply ask for the authorisation to print my article in a pamphlet which you propose to publish, I can only refer you to the person who has the power to dispose of the copyright.

KUYPER.

I was under the impression that I had acted in accordance with the reply of Dr. Kuyper, who in his letter, March 28th, wrote: "The copyright of my article belongs to the Editor of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, without whose permission I can do nothing. As I shall be in Paris before long I will ask him for it should your polemics seem to me to require a reply."

But since Mr. Kuyper withdrew from the correspondence I wrote the following letter to Mr. Brunetiere, Editor of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_:

_April 13th, 1900._

TO THE EDITOR, SIR,

In the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, February 1st, an article was published by Dr. Kuyper under the t.i.tle of "La Crise Sud-Africaine."

I have published a criticism upon it in _Le Siecle;_ and in order that both sides of the question may be presented to the reader, I have asked Dr. Kuyper's authorisation to reproduce his article in a pamphlet in which I purpose to collect my own.

On March 28th, Dr. Kuyper wrote me: "The copyright of my article belongs to the editor of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, without whose permission I can do nothing. As I shall be in Paris before long I will ask him for it, should your polemic attack seem to me to require a reply."

To-day Dr. Kuyper writes to me from the Grand Hotel, Paris: "I can only refer you to the person who has the power to dispose of the copyright." Since I am asked by Dr. Kuyper to make the request which he had undertaken to make himself, I will do so. I have the honour to ask you for the authorisation to publish Dr. Kuyper's article which appeared in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_ under the t.i.tle of "La Crise Sud-Africaine," and to inform me of your conditions for the reproduction.

YVES GUYOT.

IV. M. BRUNETIeRE'S REFUSAL.

The next day I received the following from M. Brunetiere:

PARIS, _April 14th, 1900._

SIR,

You ask me for the authorisation to publish in a pamphlet Dr.

Kuyper's article which appeared in the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, under the t.i.tle of "La Crise Sud-Africaine." I hasten to refuse you the authorisation.

I am, Sir, etc., F. BRUNETIeRE.