The Express.
London, England, 1855-04-24 00:00:00

had in settees for libel; sad why shoeld seek *male 1
which paid for a stamp be Wend so to resistor, sad
stamped papers afford ao seek fealty to passes whit
be aggrieved by these. He submittestAlt the deem
be attend, eo that all papers, or nista be
fee CHANCELLOR of tIWEIMISt lIMMUER MIA it
was of souse mespetent to tbelgammEleitlei realm seam •
aluntios as was suggested byte hena sod learned patie-
a. but if it was meat *at minratleta wee te be ea-
for4d by restaldes, ho wished to oat that this bill was
so drawn as to alsolik silimpeoltieinipsmaNse. Mo realties
wire imposed by any Melo& The de Manse lon Ile OM.
raissioesta of fished Eeveams pewee isishm sleep la
'erten man. If It was wished that a peoiedisal pita
entice should be stamped, ose to simile the privilege
of treasmissioe, it mast sem* with thsod e meatless d
the Haan referring to resherseisa neeerity. The
operation of the Glasse depended es Me receipt of the
stamps, the granting of whisk woe einditintal on the eon-
pilaus, with those emu. The mesa why the bill was so
drawn was that every paper which enjoyed any sisedation
would be likely to apply to have • potent of its impromien
stamped, and to would be brought within the opeentios of
the clause relating to registration. Newspapers if limited
ostentation might coattive to sant he a time with-
out beiag stamped hr the purpose of bong
seat through the post, but they would be oily
°benne and uelesportant publications; and his belief wee
that the bill as framed would, without penalties, same the
regiatratioa and security to be given, whisk the lea. and
learned gentleman said truly was a great adenines to say
penes. nekiag retirees for libels genet their ehareeten.
If it should be thought dilatable to enforce registratioN, and
the giving security on all periodicals, it was eompeteat to
the bout* to do so; but her Majesty's government did not
intend to prowne say suet& oompuleory Glasses.
Ilt. WHITESIDE said it was true that it yea wished
to salons regiavatioa you must do as by MOW of
Penalties, and he bad sketched a proviso to be added to the
7th clause, enforciag ngistratios by • penalty of 2W.
Mr. G. BUTT urged the great advantage derived from
registration and the giving of security by newspapen in the
ease of libels, and mentalisd that if respectable papers
I' wove to be subject to that eentannt, it was Still mere ne-
cessary to give each advantages and facilities to person
whose characters Tire attacked la the sans of cheaper and

less reepentable poblieatiens.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied
that the set referred to was limited to newspapers • bat this
bill extended to all periodical publications at intervals of
sot lees than 31 daps; end if the hon. sad learned gentle-
man made it compelsory upon them all to go through the
proems of registration and giving security, thugs regula-
tions would be made to inelude a clogs of pollination' 'Wish
was not eamprieed in the original act. Thus wee a large
number, for instance, of halfpenny and penny publications,
issued 1; religious and other societies, and circulating, not
much in the observation of hen. members of that
basso, but widely amongst the poorer classes. These
did not avail themselves of transmission by post, but were
sent in monthly parcels into the country; and it would be
bard to Wise them under the operatics' of the law, which
was net originally intends I for thorn. It would be, there-
fore, more fair to limit the registration and security obliga-
tions to those periodical publications which voluntarily
came under them for the sake of postal privilege.
Mr. BUTT said that his remarks were conflaed to news-
papers, and he objected that the effect of this bill, as it
now stood, would be to enable person to publish them
without being bound to give security or register them-
selves, if the did not care to take edvantsge of the
Post-oflloo. The case of other periodical publications was a
matter that should also be considered.
Lord STARLET would draw a distinction between a
se wspaper giving security for its contribution to the revenue,
which would be perfectly unnecessary where there was no
compulsory stamp, and its registration, which gimpy meant
that the names of the proprietors should be placed on
record; the latter could not be called an annoyance or,
vexations requirement, and it would give greater facilities
for any person who might be injured by that paper to get
his legal remedy ; he therefore approved of compulsory re.
gistraties.
Mr. WHITESIDE then moved, as an amendment, that
the printer, publisher, or proprietor of every newspaper or
other periodieal publication should be required to deliver
to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue a return of the

names of the prropritten.
Mr. GIBSON asked what machinery the hos. sae learned
gentleman would provide to oompel this regisidatien ?
There meet he lacers appointed to go round the nesatsy
e 2mair
for the pa tinder the present law, it was Vpaw. IM
certain class publications came for the flowering Ile
enable them to go through the Post-ofildem that
were called upon to register; and there mere Mfg
rwspapers now unregistered, which engin be Ille
legiatered, he dared say, according le as did
law. It would be impossible to enforce a general Idliffro
den without a sew machinery, which must beds
vexatious and troublesome character; the registradenelenee
of the revise tat was, in fact, entirely neglected, *CM tote
Board of Inland Reveals • undertook to enforce it, they sail
have little else to do. He (Mr. Gibson) bad no objection OP
engistration ; he was for giving means of tracing the aril!
skip of every publication, whether periodical or not, end
=the responsibility of any calumny that might ha psi.
But there was a law in force already which pre-
Aid for that, by which, on every paper that was
printed the aims and plies of abode of the printer
nest be stated ; and every printer was obliged to heap a
reseed of the names of his employers, which be mast prel-
ates upon the order of a juges of the pease. There was a
tdl sod saficient remedy, therefore, an See say one were
WC:W
be the publication.
HITESIDE observed there need be no machinery
C.4to enforce the registration; the act of the 6th and
164 111 int IV. prescribed how it should be done by the
midst cot local authorities under the Stamp-office.
Mr. WARNER said he should be glad to have registra-
tion provided for, though not in the wybs=d a the
igsa
M. and learned gentleman. A deem
declaring that as periodical palatalise ele
which was brought to the post-Mies with gr.=
stamp, should be refused transusissiee, if It were un-
registered.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he was in the issfortmeste pm-
disament of disliking both the amendment and the original
dame. The proposition of the hon. and leaded
man was more consistent and more in keeping IBM
regularity and uniformity which ought to be preserved; list
he (Mr. Gladstone) objected to requiring that all periodical
publications should be registered, and certain declare-
doss made in regard to teem. What security sane
be gained by it which we did not posse.. by Ile
present law, requiring the printer's name to be
on the piper ? He bad listened in vain to hear of any
°radial advantage to be obtained by it. It was tree that,
in a case of libel, the printer's name did not Indicate the
real libeller; but it would be precisely the same with the
registration. Hs should, therefore, oppose the anteladalelets
bat he should also oppose the original clause, wedeln...ld
ineonshitent and irrational. A clause requiring the
minion of all publications alpich discussed public are
would be quite intelligible ; Sht the right hon. gentleman
abasdoned that requirement, and said that his bill would pre&
dully wears the registration of all the respeetable periodical,
and that only the sea-respectable oat a would escape it. Bat
surer, the periodisais that were not respectable were those
on which registradsa ought to be imposed, if there were
any real safeguard Ice it. The clause proposed by the Chan-
cellor of the Bresegeer, therefore, included too little, et
tee meek bemuse the present law did not mere, new,
that all periediesh obese he registered : it tooth as orget
sense et periedisals, but of gewspspen; and on shelve
preens* bed grown up, whereby the proprietors of pews
whisk wars use newspapers at all, and which bad nothing
in run with newspaper, came forward end declared
them/sire to be newspapers, in order to get the postal peas
riles*. Now, that gross anomal and absurdity—he
might slime my, that greet falsehood—was
to be adapted as a priatiple of the bill, by which all p
cals, whether they were political or not, were to be yogis-
tered as newspapers if they sought the postal privilege.
The Chancellor of the Brelseqeer might say, that he should
in that mariner catch all the respectable sewepapsae, but
along with them he would include a vast number of periodi-
cals which had really nothing is summon with newspapers;
and he (Mr. Gladstone) was unwilling to tolerate the im-
porting of suck an anomaly into the statute book. At the
same time he objected to the pc brains of the ben, sad
learned gentleman (Kr. Whiteside), because it would give
unnemseery trouble to persons engsged in a very wife en-
terprise.
Mr. DISRAELI said he would not attempt to answer the
objee'ions made by the right hen. member for the Goner.
sity of Oxford to the scheme of the Chancellor of the Each'.
goer, bat tidy his objeetiore to the amendment of Mr.
Whiteside. That amendment appeared write rational and
consistent. The public ores enjoyed a very groat power,
sad he did not grudge its power or liberty; but be thought
society was entitled to exact front it that responsibility,
which was the condition upon whit* all power should be
exerliesd. Now, what was the propeddes of his hes. and
learned friead, Mr. Whiteside ? It was, that the system el
registration, which did at prang 'gist partially, and which
the meassre of the gevernmest proposed to retain, should
Meet
uellturrel is Its appliestion. That system
of be essmected, amerding to the hon.
end patlemmes repetition, with ao vexations
eandliene whatever ; and its object was only that society
skidS be aware of them who were responsible fee the
=ll ozonised on pubisit melees. sad the in
0 public stradeet; end that ea the power of the
rem, which ioanneed public opinion, shank be made re-
spealibls, for its due traerolse, at the bar of that pules
°pluton which it attempted to guide sad to form. This
meld not he otherwise regarded We as a rational and banes
doial requirement. Bat the right bass redeem said, sad
ethers bad said before, that the memo of redress wore
already 'hose, by the law as ft 'shied at protest,
beams* no publication coed appear, es whist
the same of tie printer was net merest. Bet
everybody mast know that a pablisilks might
sad might exert a great Induesee nor • time, and =
effect the character of au individual, on even the emus of
events at a entice moment, which bore the name el MN
individual as the printer, who perhaps did set eves mist;
then the effect whisk was designed tbeirgehhirj fm • few
hours, or for an hoar, would have boss by snub a
pediestkos ; and, after all, them wee be ste wiggles leg
throe wise had beim 'glare by it ; because as
mimeses name was edged to the pamphlet or plestrig
*seeable law, however, the a •me of the preptieter of
the }sense mist be registered at the Staistrellee ; sad
that weed net be the same of a mere man of
sew, be azze =meal and substantisl, frees
whim isle Ise obtained if anyone
nee • Waged by his publication. The relondtiOn of