The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-15 00:00:00

✓ents of the day. Mr. Heywood said of the Family Herald '
that it had already a circulation of 200,000, and that if the
editor were to put in two or three columns of news the. sale
would be doubled or trebled very shortly. He did not
think the penny periodical publications were so
or
obscenity bad as
people supposed. Their tendency was not to
immorality. Mr. Heywood told the committee that perio-
dicals of this kind could not live, and that the good perio-
dicals put down the bad when an attempt was made to
establish the latter. There was in the mind of many mem-
bers of the Conservative party a dread of these cheap
penny newspapers. But as hon. gentlem
en opposite must
go into partnership with the people for. weal or for woe,
and as they were bound to take their tone from the
great mass of the people, would it not be better to
have a better aliment than the Hangman's Daughter
and to give them a cheap newspaper, in which they might
learn that Prince Albert had been laying the foundation
stone of a model cottage, and read the events of to-day
rather than those of a century ago. (Hear.) He saw now
and then great complaints against the cabmen for congre-
gating at the corners of the streets, and using offensive
language to ladies as they passed. Would it not be some-
thing of a remedy if these people had a cheap newspaper to
amuse themselves with. In New York the first thing that
struck him was, that the cabmen, who were all Irishmen
or coloured persons, always had a small newspaper in their
hand. In New York too, the mechanics, the ship-
builders, the stonemasons, received their daily morning
paper at an early hour, before they went to work. That
indicated the possession of a high order of intellect on the
part of these workmen as compared with the working
classes in this country. There was an advantage in abolish-
ing these taxes now, when everybody was quiet. The great
questions of policy would, he had no doubt, be discussed as
temperately by the press of the working classes as by that
of the middle classes. No doubt his views upon political
economy would often be attacked, and he should probably
receive some hard rubs on account of the Peace Society,
but he was not the less inclined on that account to see
these matters discussed. With regard to emigration,
what Parliament had to do was to give the people
no temptation to go abroad. But at present a working
man, when he went to New York and found news-
papers catering for him, felt immensely raised in his posi-
tion. The people of this country were at a disadvantage
even with their fellow subjects in the colonies, for there
were no taxes upon knowledge there. There were more
daily papers in Canada than in all England. The repeal of
these taxes would not necessarily injure the prospects of
the high class newspapers. After paying great attention
to the question of national education, he had arrived at the
deliberate conviction that, in the interest of the great mass
of the people, if he could see the taxes upon knowledge
removed he would agree to abolish every grant for educa-
tion given by that house. (Hear, hear.) He despaired at
present of seeing an efficient system of national education
carried, and, give him the removal of these impedimenta
to knowledge, and he would willingly give up all the sums
now voted for education. (Cheers.)
Mr. JAMES MACGREGOR said, as an independent
member, he wished to vindica'e the course he should adopt
in supporting these three motions, irrespective of all party
considerations—(hear, hear)—leaving the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to extricate himself from his position with that
ingenuity for which he was so remarkable. (Hear,
hear, and a laugh.) He had recently received a letter
from a gentleman of great literary eminence, bearing
strongly on this question. The writer, who was now
abroad, said—" I am very thankful for your anxiety to
push my work into notice, but I am not sure that indis-
criminate advertising would do good in proportion to the
cost. Literature is divided in England into university,
political, and circulating ; and unless you can advertise
into, or enter one of these circles, it is necessary to trust
to time. I am not a university man ; my works do not
fall in with the political ideas of the day ; they are much
too heavy for the circulating libraries—indeed, the high
price of books in England gives a bad tone to general read-
ing, as people can only see the books that suit circulating
libraries and book clubs, which are so much in the hands
of booksellers that they may be regarded as a part of the
same system. I see the effect of this in my own library : all
my best modern works on history, in English, are American,
French, or German reprints, for I could never have afforded
to purchase the quarter otherwise. The ten volumes of
Grote's History of Greece, which is the English edition, has
alone cost me more than the works of Hallam, Macaulay,
Arnold, Prescot, and Carlyle. Englishmen residing in our
colonies have told me they procure all their books from
America, which is, therefore, educating the descendants of
all who emigrate. I was always aware of the great im-
portance of Mr. Cowan's motion on the paper tax, and
every day I see that, as a political measure, it is necessary
to preserve the intellectual guidance of our colonies. If
we cannot keep our political power over them, we might
give them a good education, or the materials for giving
themselves one." (Hear.) For these reasons he should
certainly vote for all the resolutions. (Cheers.)
Lord R. GROSVENOR said, that although many of his
constituents were very much interested in this question,
he meant to vote against the resolutions, in spite of the
speech of the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Disraeli), the
delivery of which he much regretted, because he
thought it calculated to lower the character of public
men. (Cries of "Oh !" from the Opposition, and cheers
from the Treasury benches.) He said that Lord 7, Russell
had stated that the House ought not to vote for the repeal
of any tax before the budget was brought in. That was
a misstatement of the speech of his noble friend. ("Hear,
hear," from Lord J. Russell.) What his noble friend had
stated was, that as this was the first budget of the present
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as it was within four
days of the time, he ought first to be allowed to make his
financial statement, and, above all, to state what the sur-
plus for the year would be. (Hear, hear.) Last year he
(Lord R, Grosvenor) voted with the right hon. gentleman
(Mr. M. Gibson) in favour of these resolutions. On the
present occasion his intention was not to vote with him.
(Derisive cheers and laughter from the Opposition.) When
the right hon. gentleman (Mr. M. Gibson) brought forward
these motions last year, the right hon. gentleman (Mr.
Disraeli) then met the question by a quiet negative. But
his right hon. friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer),
instead of meeting these resolutions by a quiet negative,
said that in their main features he concurred, and he met
them with the previous question. Ho (Lord It. Grosvenor)
was perfectly satisfied with that mode of meeting the sub-
ject, and thoaght the House ought to wait until Monday
for the financial statement. (Cheers.)
Mr. MAGUIRE said, it was a matter of indifference to
him whether the late Chancellor of the Exchequer was a
convert to a certain proposition or not. If the proposition
before the house was a fair one, he was bound to sup-
port it, whatever the consequences might be, and, though
he might have individual and personal interests in
opposition to the motion, yet the right hon. member
for Manchester had his sympathy in every proposition he
had laid down. (Hear, hear.)
Lord R. GROSVENOR explained. The Chancellor of
the Exchequer had met his resolution on the.repeal of the
attorneys' certificate duty by a direct negative, but to the
resolutions now before the house ho only moved the pre-
vious question ,

The house then divided on the previous question, when
the numbers were :
Ayes
• Noes

Majority against Government. 169
nt .....31

The first resolution, " That the advertisement duty
ought to be repealed," was then agreed to without a
division.

A division next took place upon the second resolution,
relating to the stamp duties on newspaper, when the num-
bers were :
For the resolution
Against it ...
Majority

98
280
--182

The house then divided upon the third resolution, affirm-
ing the impolicy of continuing the Excise duty on paper.
The numbers were :
For the resolution
Against it ... -
Majority

... -195

BURGHS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the house adjourned at 12 o'clock.