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

were only 2,000,000; 8;000.000 were knocked .Off by the Ito prevent either individual libels .or libels on the Ml-
advertisement fie y ; wet who were the advertise rs who nistry. because those who were disposed to libel framed
hid to p,37 each time Is. 6e? Th, poareet of the' their libels in such a way that yeti ceuld not touch
people. The rich adverti.e r. who rook up a column of them, whilst men of character and respectability, by
the - 1 imes, only pid his le. 6d. The poorest servant whom such libellers would otherwise be met and over-
girl, whe only took a line of the paper, -pail just as come in fair conipetition, were driven from the field-by
much. There was npti,,j;ul;tuict a t
hin e the
inequalityta i t svve lars whenineet ; a stupid tax and thus prevented ,from making known
considered in priecithe truth. The same principle had ac uated the legisla.
glaring—it was not founded on (veiny in the distri ture in its proceedings up to a very recent period; when
bution of its burden or upon sound principle, because, they extended the stamp duty in the reign of George
whether a person_ advertised in a paper of large or 111., how did they begin to act? Was it by any dada-
small publication, he was fined ls. 61. every time lion about granting a supply to his Majesty? : Nothing
he made known his wishes. 11 could not believe that of the kind, but complaint was made of the. prevalence
the raising of 150 00111. could be a reason why rational of pamphlets and printed papers tending to excite hatred
beings should persist in maintaining a tax so opposed of his Mejesty, and contempt of the Government and
tion. They tnteht advertise on a welt, to comm-reiel purposes and sound principles of legiale- Constitution, and also blasphemipg, the truth, of our
-or by the aivertisieg in an ~mnibue, holy religion, which had he n lately published et a very
but let them go to vans, and no duty was imposed;
.small price; and it was declared , to be expedient to re-
There was an idea that,
a new.pap-r, and they were tined - strain the circulation of triese.,
:usg-, 6. "1: Now, 'he adv-rosemeut fund was a legitimate although this tax was imposed for the purpese of restrain-,
froted furneswufppiopretirnsehynewspapers, and, if they drove men ing the prese, yenthe potsestion,of certain pistil advert- '
"Pug they should pay Is. 6d taxes now enjoyed by it constituted a fair equivalent.
fine, they took the most direct and effectual mode for But the truth was that this qaestion of the free trans-
injuring the newspaper press. It was impotsible•to mission of newspapers really had nothing to do with the
have an independent press unless they allowed the legi- stamp duty. "they might make whatever regulations
whit
foodwteasa
to fl iw for its nstribhment. Bat, after all,' they pleesed for the transmission of printed matter by
an advertisement? The House did not know, p >sit; but the question with which he was now dealing
nor did the Board of Inland Revenue. It was the most was whether a man Might be allowed to,print a certain ,
strange tax be had ever had to consider. There was the description of matter called news. without a stamp. It
Daily News newspaper. Thev undertook to give a list' did not follow thai, if you repealed the,stautp duty, the
et sales that took place—not in the form of. advertise- postal regulations might not be as favourable to the
meats—receiving nothing .for it, but giving it with a . press and to all printed matter, aye much more favour7
View, to mike the piper attractive and to supply the able, than they
.now. were. At . present some fifty-
public with useful information. The Board of Inland three or fifty-four papers were allowed. the:privilege
Revenue came down upon them and said; " You must of free transmission by pest merely by paying a
not put in that list, although. you charge nothing penny stamp on the particular portion of their im-
ftr it, unless you pay is. 61. for each announce. - pression sent by post, and those were obliged to
went." That put an end to the plan of making the pay the penny duty who did not want a paper sent by
newspaper attractive. .and useful. Then as to ships. post, in order that some other men might have the ad-
They might put into a newspaperwn account of ships • vantage of having his newspaper transmitted by post..
that had arrived, but they could not give a Lis!, of ships Half the papers thus gent, or the great msjority of them,
about to sail, although the intelligence wet quite as int. were transmitted twice; there were 80.000,000 on which'
portant, without paying Is. 6d. for each anneuncement. stamp duty was paid, and 66,000.000 transmitted by
He would call their attention to this fain There was post, which, allowing for double transmissions, reduced
Bell's Life. in London; in, that paper there was every the number posted to 33,000,000. Could there be any-
ee,-It e q•td)lity of announcements which appeared to thing more easy than to provide that all printed matter
him just as much matters for the advertisement duty as shouni stand on the same footing, and that there should
those to which he bad alluded... For example, there be a stamped wrapper for. the purpose of franking it
were lists of the matches, fighting, pedestrian, "canine through the post? Make the charge a penny, if you
fancy"—(A laugh)—and what not,. that were to come pleased; he was not there to suggest postal regulations,
off, next week or next month—announcements by which but he was quite sure, from the evidence of Mr. Rowland
numbers of people were brought together at public- Hill, before the committee of last year, that in ttie Post-
houses and places of teat kind. tor the purpose of betting office they were very anxious to retain the carriage of
and spending money in various ways, to the infinite ad. printed matter, and, rather than lose it, they would be
advantage ot publicans and other persons concerned as willing to carry it for the smallest possible charge. for
caterers of the entertainments provided; yet no attempt less than a penny indeed, because, if they did not, they
was made to apply the duty to these canine and other must compete with private aeencies, and, thus com-
fancy lists, though certainly quite as much advertise- peiing, they would not retain the carriage. They still
meats as any other aneoutecemeets.---(1-1ear, hear.) stated that even if ho printed matters were sent, they '
The public informatiott that, the tight between would not be able to reduce to any great extent the
So-and-So for 151. a aide is to come off at charges of the establishment, so that all they earned
such a place on such a day paid no duty; under this head was into pocket and direct gain. It
but the public information, as it appeared to him was clear, therefore, that 'there to full be no difficulty in
quite as useful, that Such a ship was to sail for such a making the arrangements_ consequent on. a change
place on such a day, or such a sale to take Weep, was of &eel regulations. ' A man who now paid a
lined ls. 61. A paragraph in the number of Bell's Life penny for his paper being carried by a post, would
before him announced, for e xample, that at Mr. So-and buy his paper when the stamp duty was removed
Se's, in a such a street, 100. rats would be killed by tor a penny less, and thus stand in the same
such a dog in so many
m'nutes: this announcement pecuniary position. Then, as regarded the man who
would in all probability attract a great number of people
bought. a paper At second hand transmitted a second
to the house on the occasion, and the landlord and other time free by post, if • the tax were repealed, that man,
people concerned would reap large profits from the en-
tertaiument so announced; yet the announcement
paid instead ot having to wait for stale news, and buy his
epaper seiettral days old, would be able to go into the
no advertisement duty; but infirm the public that on market, and .buy a fresh paper. He was not one of
such a day a sermon could be preached for the relief of those who thought that if newspapers were to be carried
the sufferers by the destruction of the Anetz tin or other by post the country ought to &tray the charge. Ann-
such calamity. or even that in certain places subtoriptious Cher set of postal regulations might be made to suit the
would be received for such a purpose. that was au adver- altered circumstatc et; but, in tact, the postal question
tiieme,,t, and the Board of Inland Revenue came down was beside the motion he bad submitted to the House,
upon you for ls. 61.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that he and would be easily dealt with without in the slightest
might appeal to the H use to repeal suoh an advertise- way altering or injuring 'the position of any parties.
went duty as this, wretch crippled the press, which pre- Did the newspaper stamp secure you against those ire-
vented the diffution of a vast deal of utetul information, proper liberties spoken of by Swift. and attacks on the
which stood between the employer and the employed.
perrecieutbeelffi:vcriinconstitution and laws of the realm ? It did not, and
arid which, he co ecientiautly would,
impedingif per-the even if you could enforce the law, which you were
titted in, have a wo,ttotally unable to do, the act was so framed that it
successful competition of this coon ry in trade and cow- di' not touch the very_ fish for which the net was set.
(tierce with the United Stet'-s ot .America.. He hoped The wording of the Stamp Act included publications con-
he might have on this occasion the Support of the Noble tanking public imelligence or occurrences, or say matters
Member for London. The Noble Lard could have bo
nneteirilieusrcohr sopreScutalatetiene;:baeYiai gahnedltalrntioctietsOcgoiveninegwPi 'thiiinticiatsi
The Hon. Member then proceeded to read. pas.,
ohjeetion on fluancial ground.; be had always professed
bons,lf friendly to a tree press—to an independent scope,
press, and as such, he must support the present propo- saws from several penny publicetions,such astheEnglish
sition. He also looked, as a matter of course, for the •Repablicsto- Notes to the People, 8:,,.., in proof ot. the
support of Ent. Gentlemen opposite, who had promoted
seminated under the presentuf Isetsattseliotftvthe
objectionable coaracter of the matter printed and dis-
a vote of censure upon a Noble. Member of the late Go
vernment tor Some transactions with a paper in Ireland. to show the extreme folly which
since the reason why such transactions could exist at all, confined the people .to PubliCatioos of this class, instead
why the press was venal, and took money from thiseplraowvitilioneswished
1 allowing them to have cheap newspapers giving a
person or that for writing up or down this or that prin- record of tne current events of the day, the proceedtugs
ciple, was that by these taxes it was prevented from
in the courts of justice and Parliament, and the occur-
realising those legitimate -
profits which would enable it rences of daily life, in which every man took a lively
to pursue an honourable and iodepentienteareea—(Bear, and domestic in erest• -it was a monstrous injustice to
hear.) Though toere might be among the newspapers deprive the working man of the privilege of having a
of this country some misgivings as to the 'newspaper compendious record of occurrences in his penny publi-
stamp question, he had not met with any newspaper cation, so long as his welfare was affected by the facility
that was not favourable to a repeal of the advertisement of knowing what was going.
duty. It was obvious to them all, were the tax re_ country, with respect to on in the trade of the
emigration and the state of em-
pealed, a multitude of new advertisements would come ployment in various branches of industry. He con-
to them. Tee Times, indeed, could not have more tended that there was no other mode of combating the
advertisements than it really had without be- dangerous theories circulated by a certain class of exist-
coming a huge book of advertisements; but there tog papers than by allowing them to be competed with
would be ample room for all its overfiowings in ny that must interest ng of publications, the notate utter.
other newspapers, and the labourers and poor Look also at-the-established newspaper press. What a
servant girls, and other humble persons having their pernicious effect had the stamp bad upon the established
services or other commodities to dispose of, would newspapers. There were but two newspapers in London
be able at length to make their proposals public. that were increasing in circulation; all the rest were
He would now pass to the question of the nosypap r declining—year by year they got small by degrees and
stamp duty. lie bed said he would sho v that this new.- beautttulty teas, till it appeared as if in a short time, un-
paper stamp duty was not a revenus question at all, and less they allowed a reduction to take place in the price of
never had been imposed by the Legislature, or con- newspapers, so'that a new anti more extended field might
tinned, nor was it so spoken of in the preamble of any be open. to them, we were Itkely to have but two
of the various Acts passed, for the purpose of revenue, newspapers, the Times and Morning Advertiser,
How then did it originate? The Parliamentary History The Times had risen teen a comparatively small circu-
'informed us that on the 17th January, 1711. a message lation to one of 12,1)00 000 yearly, and it would be found
from the Crown was brought to that House, and at the from the tables laud before tne douse at the close of the
end of the message, c iniplaiut was made of the prevto inquiry of last session, where a return was given of all the
lence oief
publications.tshedeiitieouurse2clefbltthsophneornuoduesthefelleingHe newspaper stamps, that the Morning Chronicle. for in-
foundmeat:— state. stance, bad a circulation under 1,000 000, the Morning
Herald had a circulition of somethnig inure them
" Mr. Samuel St. John informed the House be had a 1.000,000, whilst the- Daily 'News had a cireu•ation of
message—
`' `Her less than 2,000.000. It was remsrkable that
.
`' Majesty finds it necessary to observe how great soon after the first establishment of the Daily NeWs its
licence is takes ia publishing false and scandalous libels, price was reduced to 20., and its circulation rose to
such es are a reproach to any Government. This evil between 3 000 000 and 4,000 000 per annum, but on the
seems to be grown too etrone for the laws now in force; "ice being raised it tell back to the old amount. With
it is therefore recommended to you to find a remedy .be two exceptions he had mentioned' none of the papers'
equal to the metnise2choinif, Answer ."A'
Jan. 18, 1711. were improving. Was this a satisfactory state of
things? For the lest sixty years no new daily paper,.
4' 4 We are very
sensible how much the liberty of the except the Advertiser end the Daily News, had been
press is abused by turning it into such licentiousness as
established; showing that the tendency of the stamp
is a reproach to the nation, since not only false and scan- duty was to create a kind ot monopoly in newspapers,_
dalous I,b is are printed and published against your Ma- and to limit the diffutit n of 'news to very few hands,
jesty's Government, but the most horrid blasphemies He did not charge any existing newspaper with advot
against God and religion; and we beg leave humbly to vociting the maintenance of the stamp on account of
assure your Majesty that we will 'do our utmost to find their own vested interests, It was stated on behalf of
out a remedy equal to the mischief, and that may effec- the Times. in evidence before, the Committee of' which
tually cure it.' he was chairman last session,. that the removal of the
" Some Members were so exasperated at the Dutch stamp duty, would be attended with, great commercial ed-
m-mortal hezeg published in a newspaper, that on the vautaee to the Times. _They stated also that the main-
12th, the House being resolved into a grand Committee tenance of the present stamp law had the effect of ma-
to consider of that part of the (4 iesn's message to the serially limiting the circulation of the Times, from its
House, the 17th of January last, which relates to the operation on the supplement; and theanainuer of that
great licence t,kt,r, in publishing false and scandalous paper, Mr. Mowbray Maurice, when examined before
libels, Sir Gilbert Delben being the chairman, they came the Committee. weed that if they bad waning to do
to these two resolutions:—' 1, That the liberty taken iti but to supply the public with as many of the newspaper
printing and publishing scandalous and impious libels as , they would buy, they could double their circulation
creates divisions among her Majesty's subjects, tends in two years. The effect, then,.of the present law was
to the disturbance of the public peace, is highly pre- to limit the mass of circulation to two newspapers, to
judtceil .to her Mejes•y'it Geverninent, . and is ()ma- cause every other to decline, And to prevent the working
sinned tor want of due regulating the preste' `2 Tut classes. from hiving any newspaper at all. He, there-
all printing presses be registered with the names of the fore, asked them to repeal the newepaper stamp, duty on
owners, and places -of abode; and that the. author, principle. . But cent(' they enforce this law after all?
printer, and publisher of every book set his name and Could their law officer& define its repireinentt I They
place of abode thereto.' These resolutions were ordered had engaged in a law-suit on the question with one of
to be reported the Tuesday following; but the said re- the most popular writers of the day. Mr. Dickens.'t The
port was then put off till that day se'nnight, and after- Board of Wand Revenue found out that a certain publi
wards further adjourned from time to time. Some cation, celled the Household Narrative of Current Events,
Members having, in the grand Committee of ways and published once a mouth,. but giving a summary of news
means, suggested a more eff.ctnal way for suppressing up to the most recent date, was obnoxious to its de
libels, viz., the laying a great duty on all newspapers and minds. After very considerable expense had been in-
pamphlets." curred, and the parties_ put to great inconvenience in
" Among the matters of importance during this sea- getting up their case and. appearing in , court to defend
sins, we may justly number • the proceedings of the their rights, the judges decided that the Household Nar-
House of' Commons with relation to the press; since her rative was not a newspaper, and that the publisher had
Majesty's message to the House of January 17 concludes a right to print it upoa paper free of • the stamp
with a paragraph representing the great licenses taken if it did not appear oftener than once a month. The
in puhii.hilig false and scandalous libels, such as are a proprietors of the Household • Narrative obtained a
reproach to any Government, and recommending them verdict, but the Attorney-tieneral said, that not being
to find a remedy equal to tne mischief. The meaning of satisfied with the decision of the judges, be should take
these words in the message seems to be confined to steps to disturb it, and to ascertain whether or not the
those weekly and daily papers and pamphlets reflecting paper was liable to a stamp duty. Now, he- contended
upon th., cretins and the management of the Ministry. this was a great grievance, for although in this case they
But the
House of Commons, in their address which bad fallen upon a man of sufficient property and , spirit
answers this message, make an addition of the to contest the queition loss court of law, how many peo-
bhAaphemoe
ta,b that against God and religion, and it is cer- ple were there in the country who had either the 'means
vised the
Legiseautuowtting would he more for the honour of the or the moral courage to encounter the_Board of Inland
to thi, uniyeit:'_.n sem° t ffectual law for putting a stop Revenue in a court of law?. If. they insisted on. im-
factious libels, I that
441._eant tau isehiaf; but, as the person who ad- posing a tax upon such vague and undefinable things ai
then: in hi. oil,:t.that,part of her message had only news, and observations . upon. news, the law would con-
kthe redressing of the political and Ono's to the end of time to be a mails of uncertainty and
ways by which 'het the his great credit in the ought to have taken care, by injustice. They. were now exactly in the same position
itlouse, to have proposed some in which the Government were placed before the reduc-
taxing single pipers 138mi:tight be removed. The law for tiOn-of the stamp duties in 1836, when, after 500 ptrsens
eflicons wits thee "13.e:introduced ' a quite contrary had been imprisoned for selling the Poor Man's Guardian,
since been found true by
._.3_'
.uttins, persons, and has a court of law decided that the publication was riot liable
draw their pens on the b'iti:ol7ttehneFe, Untie who would to the stamp duty, and that, therefore, the whole of the
are discouraged by this tax, whichi:
value both of the materials and the princes and country proceedings against these parties had been founded
xceeds the intrinsic upon - illegality and injustice. The same results
not mistaken, without exempla." work; a tax, if I be- would follow if they attempted to. enterce the law as
" Whereas pamphlets and Printed'. Pap they had done in the case of Mr.. Dickens. And, after
and
ocouireelecsontaining all, it was necessary to maintain the respectability of the
religion, have lately
observations upon public events
.G.eve.rani,eittetriding press, and to support our institutions and religion, that
to excite hatred and contempt of the
Constitution of these.• realms •as by law establised' a tax should be imposed upon. newspaper., was it
and also villifyieg our holy ki_d, fitting that, the discretion of prosecuting ,or .not
before the Coca'
--en shout ' ' • .
.pUblished in great numbers, and at very small in.j6 dbe left to the Board of Inland Revenue? Were
Xcisemen
sod it is expedient 114...- the same shoutd be re'. Pnei • the parties to whom the guardianship of re-
may it therefore please your 'Majesty that it it-Zsand of our institutions should be entrusted ? If
strained, . . to devolve aeon them, as it• was clearly proved
uf t,e. it
excellent Majetty, by and with this advice and cons Int mittens should be itp- ' that
- -
may be enacted, and be it enacted by the. ling'a m,s,
to decide what publi-
of the Lards spiritual and temporal, anti Commons, allowed to violate-trhoceeded against and what should be
in this present Parliament assembled, and by the autbo- species of censors of"the4w, they
were thus set up as a
rite, of the same, that from and after ten days after the with parties, rettticcord. press, and were left to deal
nd papers containing it might be ie. tatd, tug to the letter of the law, but
passing of this Act, all pamphlets a
or any re. of the Ministryoftimes, in accordance with the wishes
any public news, intelligence, or occurrence, . the day, orof -
matters in try who might desire that particular
any party in the noun-
marks or observations thereon, or upon any
he suppressed It t, particular . publications, should
Church or State, print,cl -in any part of the United , . was a most dangerous thing for the
Kingdom for sale, and published periodically, or in Government not to enforce the letter ofthe I
...., ease, but to hold it in r terroruet. law in every
parts or numbers, at intervals not exceeding 26 nay over the press,' telling
between the publicatian of any two such pamphlets, . , .
or them thc they might break '
that if
, _ tt If . they kept within cer-
tain limns, but
papers, parts, or numbers," &c. d of Tule, in a mariner
After these proceedings a Bill passed imposing, by the which the 11.,ar n i Revenueconceived
reus to religion .and the les° • to be
SUMS enactment, a teepee duty, a newspaper stamp duty, lenge .. tituttona of the c mn•
and an adversittentnt duty; it was Rued, •in shirt, that try, they would be, proceeded against. But could any .
the most effectual way °Editing the work of the censer ine believe that the •Government weuld, iii 1852, yen--
was by taxation. R. detiee to the subj'ct, Dian Swift turn to cunal,nce the same crusade against unstamped
had Borne curious remarks which deserved attention.— aublications which wee, tarried ..on
,in
.183;_?.. He
(Hear, hear.) He tani tended, tnat it b.,,, i been proved by otelieved• that they would , ihrtak. from,
but..:, it,,avrts:=.
"Per.„l4___°". that up, to thP.R;esenkiime that the impose t- -their duty to undertake it;' If, then, they were afraid
ticalsys nixed on 'publiggtiono and peferd was
a - a leer is: au esees,he emended um they
3 the way to e 4fvrce