The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-28 00:00:00

Mr, Cobden and the Newspaper Press.

(From the Scotsman.)
MlnunusT, October 22, 1861.
Sir,—Absenee from home for a week has prevented me
from troubling you sooner with this communication.
In my former letter I invited your attention to a leading
article in the Scotsman of the I I;h, respecting the agitation
for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge, and I bagged to
be furnished with your authority for the following kite*
meat But what were the anticipations of the chief
agitators for the change ? Mr Cobden stated, over and over
again, in public speeches, that his object or hope was to see
a newspaper press which would abstain from discussion,
and confine itself to reporting events, especially platform
speeches and police trials,"

- Your response to this appeal is now before me. You say
" Speaking at Holmfirth in Feb., 1853, he (Mr Cobden)
thus depicted one of the blessad cffects be expected to flow
from a revolutionising of the newspaper system :

" People would [I ask the reader to bear in recollection
this " would"] resort to newsrooms, not to read the leading
articles—for I regard the leaders as of far less importance
than the articles of news in the paper. I believe these ori-
ginal articles, so far as guidance and direction are con-
cerned, are the least useful and interesting parts of the
papers—facts and intelligence being more sought after by
readers. There aro far more newspapers in America than
here, but they have less political influence."
In my capacity of member for the West Riding of
Yorkshire, I attended, on Feb. 3, 1853, the anniversary
soiree of the Holmfirth Mechanics' Institution. On arriving
at the place of meeting, I remember to have put myself in
communication with some of its most active and intelligent
members with the view of obtaining such information as
would enable me to plead the cause before a large and re-
spectable gathering of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.
I was informed that a newsroom had been recently added
to the institution; and finding that there still lingered
in influential quarters some cld-fashioned objections to this
innovation, I endeavoured to remove them by a few obser-
vations which I copy from the very full report of my rather
lengthy address which appeared in the Times of Feb. 5,
1853 :

"I am glad to hear of this new feature the newsroom
and have no doubt it will be one of tile most attractive
features in your institution. This has been found to be
the case in other places. For many years these institu•
tions could not have newsrooms, because they were
objected to by influential parties as being political. But
there is nothing less political than a newsroom, if the
newspapers are fairly selected, because you will have
newspapers of all kinds. You will find that people will
resort to newsrooms, not to read the leading articles—for,
with all respect for the able writers for the public press, I
regard the leaders as of far less importance than the articles
of news in the paper. Take up a newspaper, and you will
find news from all parts of the world ; 19-20ths of the whole
paper consists of news, and only 1-20th part of original arti-
cles or leaders; therefore, with all respect for the editors of
these papers, I believe the original articles, as far as guid-
ance and direction are concerned, are the least useful and
interesting parts of their papers—facts and intelligence
being more sought after by their readers. There are far
ra.)re newspapers in America than hero, but they have less
political influence."
Now, let it be distinctly understood that the /meeting
which I was addressing had no connection whatever with
the agitation for the repeal of the taxes on knowledge; and
that, so far from appearing there as an advocate for any
such political object, I should have violated all propriety
if, on the neutral platform of a mecharics' institution, in
the presence of men of all shades of political opinion, and of
a large number of ladies, I had introduced any topic of the
kind.

It w!ll be seen, on comparison, that the passages retained
in your quotation from my speech aro a ver63tin copy of