The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-28 00:00:00

they Issardod with fear and aversion. Bat to hays
avowed this would have bees as awkward confeardoo.

The interdict against the publieatioa of news of any
kind, unless in a stamped serial, was therefore rile-
rattily enforced. This has had a most prejudicial
effect, not only upon political publications,
but upon those devoted to practical and ap-
plied science, literature and art, and general amuse-
ment. By extending the postal privilege to all
serials, under a certain size, and published within
certain intervals, the necessity of defining that unde-
finable word "news" is avoided. Any serial, not
too bulky, and not published at too remote intervals,
may obtain postal privileges for any part of its im-
pression that is stamped. The justice of the limita-
tions of the privilege is obvious. Serials have a
claim to be transmitted by post at lower rates than
other pablicatioes, on the same principle that tra-
vellers by railway are charged less when they take
mason tickets than casual passengers. And there
must be some limitation to the rise of the serials

transmitted by post, unless the service they receive
Is to become altogether disproportionate to the price
they pay for it.

Such being the character and tendency of the
Newspaper Stamp Bill, to assail it on its real
merits or demerits would obviously be • hopeless task.
Attempts are consequently made to ..projudios the
public and the Legislature against it by other consi-
derations. In waging these hostilities, two classes
have been pre-mainently active: the narrow-minded
.__ _

and timid politician@ who dread the extension of
publicity and political dimmed°. ; and the eats.
blished journals, which fear that any change of
spasm may affect their interests injuriously.

The fears of the former class we believe to be
utterly groundless. The Newspaper Stamp Act can
only operate injuriously by calling into existence a
licentious or anarchical periodical press. Within
our recollection the moot successful speculations
in licentious serials have been the John Bull
(as it was conducted when first started), the
Jim the Satirist, and the Argus. The circula-
tion of therm newspapers was 000 fined exclusively
to the upper classes and to what are called the
"well-to-do" middle closets. The serials conducted
by members of the working classes during the palmy
days of the obscene periodicals named above were
free from licentiousness. The cheap ribald trash which
has sprung into extensive circulation of lacerate. has
uniformly been put forth by depraved members of the
ideated claws, who have lost caste, and owes what
mesas it has obtained in a great measure to the ass-
enhance of a clue of newspapers adapted to the coat-
pealeensimi of the poor and uninstructed ; and the
sea-existeaes of such newspapers has been owing
eddy to the Stamp Duty. There is no reason to
appeehead that the newspaper press will become
limmthms r consequence of the proposed new
lam. Culls and rash political theories may find
ass advocates in the newspaper preset Ist
these theories are already extensively dinemi-
sated by other agencies. The publicity gives
to them by newspapers will disarm them of
their worst danger by attracting the attention of the
jadiehose, and rousing them to counteraction. Thew
ammaele ate addressed to such persons as apprehend
that the newspaper press will be deteriorated by the
projested change in the Stamp Laws. As fat NI&
and reamers of his am (it tommos,
they can be called), the newspaper is in their eyes a
thing so vile that it cannot well be made wens. It
*sir arguments were worth anything, they would
pto prove that newspapers ought to be subjected
to more stringent restrictions than are at present
imposed upon them.
As for the "vested interests," we believe their
fears to be as 'roundlets as those with which land-
owners looked forward to the repeal of the Corn
Laws. The competition likely to be called into
existence under the new Stamp Act will
be of two kinds—of newspapers properly so
called, addressed to an humbler clam of
readers ; and of serials dedicated to special
branches of information, which will avail themselves
of postal privileges. The former clam will seek to
obtain purchasers among the poor and illiterate by
devoting themselves principally to such news as
interests theta; they will not suit the purpose of the
habitual readers of existing newspapers.. The exist-
ing newspapers will not lose a single subscriber ; and
the new and inferior newspapers will disseminate a
taste for reading among those who now do not reed
at all, and will is time raise crops of new readers for
the high clue journals. As for serials devoted to
special subjects, from them newspapers have nothing
to apprehend. The charm of a newspaper is its
universality. It has something for everybody, some-
thing for every mood which the same individual may
find himself in at any moment. A public moistened
to the variety that is to be found in the column net
our existing English journals, will never be satisfied
with anything short of it.
The only thing that our brethren of the brew.
sheet have to fear leprosy, and from that the kgleia.
tare ought to protest them. The ArroattaY-Omenah,
alleges that the existing law of copyright is sufficient
for this purpose. Bo far as articles of political and
literary discussion are concerned, it may be true that
the letter of the law is sufficiently stringent; but,
without more accessible and promptly working tri-
bunals than we can appeal to at present, it will
continue to be a dead letter. Sane such sum-
' mary jurisdiction as has beta panted in the case
of copyright in designs i, reigalred for the safety
of newspaper. And copyright (lir a limited time)
ought to be extended to mere "news" pawed with
labour and expose& It is alleged that such a espy-1
right will be diScult to enforce. At all events, let
us try. Give us the law—give us cheap and expe-
ditious tribunals—end leave it to us to find the
means of establishing our right by evidence.—Doily
Nam