The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-23 00:00:00

were were only 2,000,000; 8,000.000 were knocked off by the
alvertisetnent duty; au I who the arive..tiscra who
who took up a column of
had to Fly each time Is. 6 Lie poorest of the
6d. Tee poort.st servant
girl, who only took a line of the paper, paid just as
trheeePlilesl2hteaarlyk'hpaiadd'l;';':'
much. There was no justice in tae, tax itself when
cansidered in priuciple; but the inequality was most
glariug—it was not founded on equ.licy in the distri
butioa of its burden or upon sound principle, because,
whet her a person advertised in a paper of large or.
small publicatioti, he was fined la. 61. every time
he made known his wishes U could no.. believe that
the raising of 150 00a/. could he a .reason why rational
should persist in maiataining a tax so 01313"'d
to comm, real purposes and soiled priacieles of legisla-
tion. la®y might advertise on a wall, 11.1 amrabus,
or by the advertising vans, and no duty was imposed;
hut let them go to a howspap,a, and they were fined
Is. 61. Now, the.ada-atiserneut fund was a legitimate
fund for supportioa newspapers, and, if they drove men_
from newspapers by saying they should pay Is. 6d.
fie-, they took the most direct and 'effectual - 'mode for
injuring the newspaper press. It W,•.S impossible to
have an independent press unl.as they allowed the legi-
timate food to fl,.v for its naarishment. Bat, after all,
what was an advertisement? 'rho House did not know,
nor did the Board of Inland Revenue. It was the most
strange tax he had ever had to consider. There was the
Daily News newspaper. They undertook to give a list
of sales that took place—cot in the form of advertise,
meats—receiving noltting for it, bat
giving it with a
view to make the piper attractive and 'to supply the
public with useful information. The Board of Inland
Revenue came down aped them cal said, "'You must
not put in that list, although you charge nothing
f it, unless you pay Is. 6d. for each announce-
ment." That put an end to the plan of making the
newspaper atti active and useful. Then as to ships.
They might put into a newspaper an account of ships
that had arrived, but that, could not give a he, of ships
intelligence was quite as im-
apboortuattitto, wsaitiLaultthpoauygich Lbgli's.al.for each announcement.
tie would call their atienaon to this fact. There was
Bell's Life in London; in that papn. there was every
week a quantity of announcements which appeared to
him just as much matters for the advertisement duty as
those to which he bad alluded. For example, there
were lists of the matches, fighting, pedestrian, "canine
faney"—(A laugh)—and what not, that were to come
off, next week or next month--annouecements by which
numbers of people were brought together at public-
houses and places.of that kind, tor the purpose of betting
and spending m aley in various ways, to the infinite ad-
stivantage of publicans and other persons concerned as
caterers of the entertainments provided; yet no attempt
was made to apply the dory to these canine and other
fancy lists, though certainly quite as much advertise-
ments as any other annauueemeats,—(Hear, . hear.)
The public iaturmatiot. that the fight between
So-and-So for 151. aside is to cone off at
such a place on such a day paid no duty;
hit the public inforns.aton, as it appeared to lam
quite as useful, that sue a ship was to sail for such a
place on such a day, or such a sale to take plata., was
tined is. 6d. A paragraph in the number of Bell's Life
before him announced, fur example, that at Mr. So-and
So's, in a such a street, 100 rats would be killed by
such a dog in so many arnutes; thin announcement
would in all probability attract a great number of people
to the house on the ocassiou, and the landlord and other
people concerned would reap large profits from the en-
tertainment so announced; yet the announcement paid
no advertisement duty; but inform the public that on
such a day a sermon ,:,ould lee preached for the relief of
the sufferers by the de,truotion of the Am ..Z 3t), or other
such calamity, or even that is certain places subscriptions
would be received for such a purpose, that was an adver-
tiiemez,t, and the Board of Inland Revenue came down
upon you for I'. 61--(llear, hear.) He trusted that he
might appeal to the H use to repeal such an advertise-
ment duty as thia wawa crippled the press, which pre-
vented the difftaion of a vast deal of useful information,
which stood between the employer and the employed,
and which, he co scieutieusly believed, woud, if per-
sisted in; have a most pernicious effect ie impeding the
Nuaatastia compaaaion at this coun ry in trade and com-
merce will the United Stt.tes of America. He hoped
he might have on this occasion the support of' the Noble
Member for London. The Noble Lord could have Ito
objeotion on lid and s 1 ground,; he had always professed
buns. If friendly to a free press —to an independent
press, and as such, he must support the present propo-
sition. He also looked, as a matter of course, for the
support of Hun. Gentlemen opposite, who had promoted
a vote of censure upon a Noble Member of the late Go.
vernment tor some transactions with a paper in Ireland,
since the reason why such transactions could exist at all,
why the press was venal, and took money from this
person or that for writing up or down this or that prin-
ciple, was that by these taxes it was prevented from
realising those legitimate profits which would enable it
to pursue au honour able and independent career —(Elear,
hear.) Though tnere might be among the newspapers
of this country some misgivings as to the newspaper
stamp question, he had not met with any newspaper
that was not favourable to a repeal of the advertisement
duty. It was obvious to them all, were the tax re-
pealed, a multitude of new advertisements would come
to them. Tbe Times, indeed, could not have more
advertisements than it really had without be-
coming a huge book of advertisements; but there
would be ample room for all its ovetllowing,s in
other newspapers, and the labourers and poor
servant girls, ant other humble persons having their
services or other commodities to dispose of, would
be able at length to make their, proposals public.
He would now pass to the question of the newspaper
stamp duty. He had said he would show that this news-
paper stamp duty was not a revenue question at all, and
never had been imposed by the Legislature, or con-
tinued, nor was it so spoken of in the preamble of any
of the various Acts passed, for the purpose of revenue.
How then did it originate? The Parliamentary History
informed us that on the 17th January, 1711, a message
from the Crown was brought to that House, and at the
elennaceor othf esemdeistisoatgise'actidomnplla.sinpht pwroaosuma
found in the journals of the H tpluebloicfatthinensp.revHae-
ouse the following state-
ment:—

" Mr. Samuel St. Ji.hu iufurmed the LIP we be bad a
meagage—

a i Her Majesty finis it necessary to observe how great
licence is take a in eutetelang false and scandalous Wale,
such as are a reproach to
any Government. This evil
seems to be grown too strone for the laws now in force;
it is therefore recommended to you to find a remedy
equal to the mischief.'"
" Commons' Armor, Jan. 18, 1711.
" ' We are very sensible how much the liberty of the
press is abused by turning it into such licentiousness as
is a reproach to the eatieu, since not only false and scan-
dalous libels are priutt d and published against your Ma-
jesty's Government, but the most horrid blasphemies
against Grad and religion; and we beg leave humbly to
assure your Majesty that we will do our utmost to find
out a remedy equal to the mischief, and that may effec-
tually cure it.'
" Some Members were so exasperated at the Dutch
memorial being puhliefed in a newspaper, that on the
12th, the House being resolved into a grand Committee
to consider of that part of the Clieen 8 message to the
House, the 17th of January last, which relates to the
great licence taker. in publishing; fates and scendalons
libels, Sir Gilbert Dolben being the chairman, they came
to these two resolutions:—' 1, That the liberty taken in
printing and publishing scandalous nod impious libele
creates divisions among her Majesty's subjects, tends
to the disturbance of the public peace, is highly pre-
judicial to her Majesty's Government, and is occe-
stoned for want of due regulating the press. `2. That
all printing presses be registered with the names of the
owners, nod . places of abode; and that: the author,
printer, and publisher of every book sot his name and
place of abode thereto.' These resolutions wore ordered
to be reported the Tuesday following; but the said re-
p net was then put off till that day se'nnight, and after-
wards further adjourned from time to time. Some
Members having, in the grand Committee of ways and
means, suggested a more effectual way for suppressing
libels, viz., the laying a groat duty on all newspapers and
pamphlets."
" Among the matters of importance during this ses-
sion, we may justly number the proceedings of the
House of Commons with relation to the press; since her
Majesty's message to the House of January 17 concludes
with a paragraph representing the great licenses taken
in publishing false and scandalous libels, such as are a
reproach to any Government, and recommending them
to fed a remedy equal to tee mischief.. The meaning of
these words in the message seems to be confined to
those weekly and daily papsrs and pamphlets le-fleeting
taiu that .s
upon the persons' and the management of the Ministry.
But the Howse of Commons, in their address which
to this pure thou
"ne
"re
answers this blasphem;e •
message,
meat, en addition cif the
again,t God and religion, and it is cer-
vised the
t h eau 7
nothingLtli.statureth wuuld be more for the honour of the
then in his
44,1,,ea mischief; but, as the person who ad-
vised law for putting a stop
that part of her message had only
factious libels,
Igittienkthe redressing of the political and
his great credit in thho ought to have taken care, by
ways by which that evil might House, to have proposed some
taxing single papers having
be removed. The law for
effsct, as was then
true
a quits contrary
sino--, bi:en found true by y many persons, and has
draw their pens on eide experience,ofh those who would
are discouraged by thiseax, whicheir princes and country
value both of the materials
and eheexcegds the intrinsic
work; a tax, if I be
not mistakere -without exunpi..„ .
tt Whereas pamphlets and printed Papers
observations upon public events and occurreaceesciattaidnting
to excite hatree led contempt. of the Governo;u:t. atn6i.
Constitution of these realms as by law established,
and alai villifyieg our holy religion, hare lately been
published in groat numbers, nd at very small prices,
and it i 3 expedient that the same should be re-
strained, may it therefore please fore your Majesty that it
enacted, and. be it enacted by the King's most
may be
with the advice and cons.mt
excellent Majesty, by and
~
and
Comm
of the Lords spiri:u.ll and temylorial
tall by the
in this present Petri:amen', assetnueL
tt nda after the
Pity of the same, the,. from and after' !
1,
any passing of this Act, all pamphlets acid pep
- eurtence, or tiny
any public news, intelligence, or oe, . ,n
re-
marks or observations teerecn, or upon any matters . i
r or the United
Church or Stute, prine.d in any par, -
Kingdom for sale, ane published periodically, fir in
parts or numbers, a' intervals net exceeding 26 days
between the publicati.-n of any two such pamphlets, or
papers, parts, or numbers," &a.
Atter these proceedings a Bill passed imposing, he, the
same enactment, a paper duty, e. newspaper stamp duty,
and an adverri4etn,.nt duty; it was found, in short, that
th,, most effectual way of doing th,3 work of the censor
was by taxation. R loetive to the subject, DOan Swift
hcti some curious remarks which deserved ettel,ntioa.—
(Hear, hear.) kit contended that it hat ben proved by
experience that up to the present time that the imposi-
tion of taxes on publications and papers WdS not the way

THE SUN,