_To the honorable Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives._ GENTLEMEN: Referring to the proposed bill, "To amend and consolidate the acts respecting copyrights," now before the committee, I would propose the following amendments: Amend section 3 (p. 3, line 8) by adding continuously at the end of said section the following: "_And provided_, That no devices, contrivances, or appliances, or dies, or matrices for making the same, such as referred to in clause (_g_), section 1, made prior to the date this act shall go into effect, shall be subject to any subsisting copyright." Amend section 5 (page 4, lines 2 to 3) by adding between lines 2 and 3, before the word "Photographs," the following: "(_j_) Talking-machine records." Amend section 18, clause (_b_), (page 14, line 14) by adding between the word "composition" and the word "any" the words "any talking-machine record." Amend section 23 by striking out from the clause marked "First" (page 17, lines 18 to 20) the following: "or any device especially adapted to reproduce to the ear any copyrighted work." Amend section 23 by inserting in the clause marked "Fourth" (page 18, line 4), between the words "of" and "all," the following: "any device, contrivance, or appliance mentioned in section 1, clause (_g_) and." These amendments to section 23 are for the purpose of making the penalty relative to unlawful use of devices, etc., enumerated in section 1, Clause Z, one dollar instead of ten, which latter amount is excessive. It puts the device for reproducing sound on basis of books, etc., instead of in the class of paintings, statuary, or sculpture. A brief memorandum of argument will be submitted later. Senator SMOOT. I would like to ask Mr. Sousa a question. I was very much interested in your statement, Mr. Sousa, pertaining to talking machines taking the place of the human voice, and I will ask you this question: If you were protected in your productions and received a royalty from the talking machines, would that lessen the use of the talking machines any and strengthen the use of the voice and the brass band and the home choir, and so on? Mr. SOUSA. I do not think so, but I think it will reduce two wrongs to one. Senator SMOOT. Then, it is simply a question of your receiving the royalty that you think you are entitled to? Mr. SOUSA. Yes, sir. Senator SMOOT. I think there are other causes besides the general use of the talking machine that account for the fact that there is less singing than there used to be. I think we do not live quite as close to nature as we used to, and that that is what used to make us sing.