The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-23 00:00:00

so chiefly on the ground that it is impolitic to tax
capital. Now, it is by no means difficult
to prove that it is practically a tax on capital,
and that of the very worst description.
Let us, for example, take the case of two persons
each possessed of 10,0001. The one may choose to
invest his money in 3 per cent. Consols—the
other in Long Annuities, which expire in 1860.
The one would obtain a permanent charge of
3001. per annum. The other one for eight years
of, say 1,5001. per annum. The first would
maintain its value, if it did not improve ; while
the latter must deteriorate each year, as it ap-
proaches its termination. Can the whole of
1,5001. in the hands of the annuitant be con-
sidered as income ? Certainly not. If at all a
prudent man, lie will set aside a considerable por-
tion thereof ; so much as would, if accumulated
at compound interest, replace his original money
at the termination of his charge. His 1,500/. is,
therefore, made up partly of interest, or income,
and partly of capital. Thus lie may spend 3001.,
while he lays by 1,200/. ; the 3001. being in-
come, the 1,2001. capital—but while, like the
fundholder, he is compelled to pay 81. 15s. on
his income, lie must also pay 351. a year on his
capital, on the income derived from which he
will also be bound to contribute in every sub-
sequent year; so that before his 10,0001.
is again collected in 1860—he will have been
charged nearly 5001. on his capital, from which
the fundholder is altogether exempted.
But if this be unjust to the long annuitant,
how much more so is it to the man whose only
income is derived from his own exertions ? He
must also put by a large proportion of his receipts
in each and every year to secure some provision for
a rainy day—for the time when age and infirmity,
or a change of fashions or of law, may cut off his
sources of income, or his helpless family may be
deprived of a father's care. He has many ar-
duous struggles to maintain his position, and
which is essential to do, unless he would
with it surrender his emoluments. But
the cruel tax on his entire capital—for he has
nothing but . his earnings—prevents him from
laying by anything whatsoever, keeps him in diffi-
culties during his lifetime, and consigns his help-
less family to poverty and destitution after his
death. This is alike inequitable and impolitic,
and we call upon every right-minded man to resist
it with all his power and all his energies. And
this is the fitting opportunity for so doing—such
as, if suffered to pass 'by without due advantage
being taken, may never again arise at any future
time. Fiscal Reformers, look to it. Your coun-
try expects that you will faithfully discharge your
duty.

The friends of popular education ought now to
bestir themselves. The ice is broken. A large
and enthusiastic meeting has been held in Exeter
Hall. A deputation from it has been graciously
received by Lord DERBY, and partial promises
made, and petitions begin to flow into the House
of Commons. With the aid of a tolerably hearty
effort in the provinces, especially in the boroughs,
we should not despair of seeing the greatest
obstacle to general education completely removed
when the next or any other Budget becomes
law. Our earnest advocates of universal educa-
tion should avail themselves of the Christmas
holidays to hold meetings, and to sign petitions
for the repeal of the Taxes on Knowledge. We
had, indeed, hoped that our first literary CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would have signalised
his first financial scheme by the truly noble
achievement of a thorough emancipation of the
Press. Perhaps he had it in his heart. Perhaps
he would be thankful for a popular coercion of
his colleagues, but more probably following the
wont of his predecessors he has listened first to
the most clamorous, or to the necessities of pre-
serving political support. Nothing else, we think,
could have induced him to retain so paltry and
indefensible a tax as that on Advertisements, espe-
cially when he was making his reductions in each
department in such piecemeal style. .
Do our readers of the trading class fairly under-
stand the value of Advertisements ? The expense
of them, under the present system, has so limited
their use, that few are aware how much a freer
employment of them must benefit trade. A grocer
or a draper cannot put half his things in his shop
window, and, if he could, his window cannot visit
half the persons who might be his customers, but
do not pass it ; but a newspaper finds its way into
every dwelling, or would do were it untaxed ;
and an Advertisement in it would remind persons
of comforts, conveniences, luxuries, and ornamental
elegances, which they would not otherwise think
of ; would do it at home, where the wife could
talk with her husband as to ways and means, and
the daughters ply their entreaties so omnipotent
with papa. It would tell of every fresh arrival
of Winter, Spring, and Summer goods from the
great manufacturing depots of the North, and
lead to a visit and a purchase ; it would announce
every reducticn of price, that great temptation
to so many, who buy because it is now
" cheaper than it was. " It would tell
the other class, which quits an article as
soon as " everybody can get it," of the new and
just registered pattern or fabric, now making by
one of the first houses in Manchester or Bradford ;
and that " Messrs. TAYLOR and SMITH having this
week received a large supply thereof, with many
thanks for the past unprecedented support they
had received, invite the favour of personal in-
spection." Happy couples, in the near prospect
of the blissful day, would study in it on the sofa
the catalogues and prices of cabinetmakers and
upholsterers, ere they made their half-blushing
visit to the shop, and many an addition to what
they might otherwise have thought of would pro-
bably be pencilled down in the smiling discussion ;
while the prudent matron, half questioning whe-
ther she must not merely alter the last year's
dresses of her six daughters for this season, " be-
cause times are so hard," is unable to resist the
temptation of clothing them afresh all alike, " be-
cause, on the other hand, these new dresses ad-
vertised by Mr. - are really at once so cheap,
and look so respectable." We do not, mean, of
course, to insinuate that there is even the
shade of a thought in the mother's mind
that new dresses are anything at all
of the nature of an Advertisement them-
selves. The careful housekeeper, too, glancing,
while at her needle, at the butcher's, baker's, and
grocer's Advertisements, would ponder prices and
articles, and think of many a thing for to-mor-
row's purchases. There is, indeed, no depart-
ment of retail trade to which cheaper advertising
would not be an invaluable boon. Keep things
befOre people's eyes, and in time, though they did
not buy at first, they will think they need them.
Good advertisers, even under the present system,
have almost always made their fortunes. Far be it
from us to deny the merits of the articles fur-
nished by the most eminent in that line ; but
surely they do not surpass in quality and cheap-
ness those of hundreds who do far less business

America is wide awake to the advantage of adver-
tising. Her Advertisements amount to ten millions
annually—England's but to two millions ! Every-
body there advertises everything. All are at
liberty, without a farthing of paper-duty, or
of stamp-duty, or of advertisement-duty, to tell
each other what they want to 'buy and
sell. The consequence is, that in America
FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILLIONS of news-
papers, annually, are required to tell the wants of
n.aighbours to each other,—in England ninety-five
millions suffice for the same purpose ! The Ame-
ri cans know the value of hand-bills, placards,

circulars, periodicals, and the other means of ad-

ver tising, as well as we, but still our shrewd

bro tiler JONATHAN finds his account in publishing

;en millions of Advertisements to our two millions!

Lel.; our tradesmen of every class open their eyes
to this. But it is the educational advantage of

the untaxed newspaper on Which we lay the great-

eilt stress. It is little better than folly to Cram
children perforce with knowledge, while you
le ave in abeyance the best allurement you can offer
tc ► seeking it spontaneously. The Society for the
L iffusion of Useful Knowledge, according to the
t( .3stimony of Lord BROUGHAM himself, found all
leir efforts to reach the lowest classes useless,
b ocause the penny stamp forbad them to pub-
lish news in a penny magazine. He tes-