The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-09 00:00:00

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE-SOIREE TO

MR. MILNAR GIBSON, M.P.

Yesterday evening a soiree was given at the Whit-

tington Club, by the Association for promoting the Re-
peal on the Taxes on Knowledge, to Mr. T. Milner
Gibson, M.P., in honour of the repeal of the advertise-
ment duty. The spe 'chest of the evening were preceded
and interspersed with music and singing. The chair was
taken by Sir J. V. Shelley, M.P.
The CHAIRMAN said that the meeting had somewhat
reversed the usual course of things. They had had the
" flow of soul," and it was now his duty to bring them
to the "feast of reason." He should not detain them
long, as others would follow him better able to deal with
the subject before them. He would remind theln that
they had met at the institution for promoting the repeal
of the taxes on knowledge, to commemorate a great vic-
tory gained by the independent liberal party in the
House of Commons last year, obtaining the repeal of the
advertisement duty, and to do honour to the president
of the association, Mr. Milner Gibson—(great cheering)
—through whose seal, talent, and assiduity, was mainly
owing the great triumph which had been achieved. He
(the chairman) did not profess to be able to do justice to
this great subject ; but he felt obliged to the association
for allowing him to prelider on this occasion, as it
enabled him to show, besides, 'What little support he had
been able to give Mr. Giblionti the House of Commons,
how sincerely he felt the importance, to the great mass
of the people, of the spread of knowledge and education
among all classes. After the severe struggle which they
had gone through for free trade in food for the body, he
hoped the time was not far distant when they would ob-
tain free trade in food for the mind. He would only
say, as one who had been engaged largely in agriculture,
that, as free trade had been obtained at the expense of
his business, he did not see why other trades should not
be subjected to free trade ; and he thought the press
should not be exempt from the free trade for which
they were now fighting. There was no doubt that the
great newspapers of the metropolis were the pride of the
nation ; but as regarded the working classes, the Times
was a thing which certainly they heard of but which they
never met with. It was such publications that assisted
to spread education ; and it was only proper that they
should wish to see good and cheap publications open to
all classes. It was the claptrap of all parliamentary
addresses to constituencies, and especially of Tory ad-
dresses to talk of our glorious Constitution of Church
and State, and Tories always said they were anxious for
the education of the people. But what they meant was
" parson education." (Hear, hear.) Such education as
the parson approved, and not such as would be of prac-
tical benefit to all classes. He (the chairman) wished
to see in the hands of every Englishman newspapers as
you saw abroad and in America, which enabled him to
judge of men and things, and did not. leave him at the
mercy of a paper (he spoke especially of the agricultural
districts) which he could not see, except at the beershop
or when he borrowed it from his neighbour, after it had
become so dirty as hardly to be readable. (Hear, hear.)
Those gentlemen who advocated the education of the
people were of opinion that there should be no duty on
the means of obtaining knowledge. Take the duty on
lieoverwyishonede
wsionuceldreldyestiroesteoe
gflon•oedignnowokosrkins.
the
ohaoundee
of w
see such books dear. As to the duty on paper, it was
now only a question of time, after the speeches of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, last year, who said it was
only of insignificant amount. And he was glad to say
ttett in all the communications he had had with Mr.

Gladstone, he found him to be conscientious, and anxi-
ous to do right— (" hear, hear," and loud cheers)—and
that was much to say for a Chancellor of the Exchequer.
(Hear, hear.) He looked forward to the duty on paper
as soon likely to go by the board. Then there was the
stamp on newspapers. They heard a great deal and
prided themselves a great deal on a free press, but
in fast they had but the shadow and not the substance of a
free press ; as thin# were there was no greater mono-
poly than newspapers. As far as he had ascertained the
effect of the repeal of the advertisement duty it had
worked well. Newspapers of merit, which had previously
been struggling, were now doing well and thriving ; and
this bad been brought about without doing any harm or
causing loss to the great newspapers. The servant could
now advertise and get a place without paying an enor-
mous tax to the Government. The liberal party had
gained a great victory, and his experience enabled him
to say that the independent liberal party, which was
sometimes called the radical party—he had no objection
to the name—(hear, hear)—wasp composed of men who
were not to be driven from their course, when fighting
for any object which was for the material welfare of the
people. As to the security which publishers were re-
quired to give, he believed the effect of it was that it
enabled scandal to be published in any paper which was
not unstamped with impunity. It was objected that
this was not the time fnr paessing these questions, as we
were on the eve of war ; but, on the contrary, he be-
lieved that if ever there was a time when it was the duty
of independent members of the House of Commons to
endeavour to remove great social impositions, it was
when the people were about to be called upon to bear
increased taxation, in order to defend the honour of the
country. He hoped and trusted that this association,
which had done so much, would pursue that course
which the victory of last year so much encouraged them
to pursue. He could only add, that as he was the
representative of one of the great constituencies of the
country, and one in which the interests of the people
had found so many advocates, in comparison with whom
its present representative must appear somewhat unwor-
thy, he would always do all in his power to advance
every matter which tended to promote the morality and
happiness of the people.
Apologies were offered for the absence of Mr. G. Daw-
son, Mr. Miall, and Mr. W. J. Fox.
Mr. SAMUEL Lucas spoke at some length to a senti-
ment—" The right of free speech a primary right, and
a means of obtaining all others." He addressed himself
principally, howover, to the question of national edu-
cation ; and vindicated " stump oratory," as a means of
reaching large classes unable to read, and deprived of
other means of education,
Mr. HICKSON proposed " Mr. Gibson and his sup-
porters in the House of Commons." (Cheers.) The Liberal
party had sometimes been reproached with a misplaced
jeolousy and distrust of our public men, and there had
perhaps been too many instances of political time-serving
to warrant that want of confidence but the more nume-
rous such instances had been, the greater should be their
anxiety to give full recognition to those public men who
were actuated by higher and purer motives. They had
the opportunity of doing so
that evening. (Cheers.)
The first public meeting on this question was held 24
years ago, on the 20th of April, 18:30. Since then, how
numerous had been the public questions carried to a
successful issue—the Reform Bill, municipal reform, the
Dissenters Marriage Act, free trade, repeal of the win-
dow duties, and many others ; but this had not been car-
ried, and that it had not was owing to the apathy and
lukevsarmness of the press (Hear, hear.) Lord Brougham
and the most distinguished men could not find any report
in the most Liberal journals, When, in those days, they
spoke in favour of it. In_those days, the utmost notice
o
they could get in some the most Liberal papers was
but the corner of an obscure
column, printed in their
most invisible type. (Laughter,) It was not till upwards
of thirty persons had been immured in prison for the
infringement of the stamp ditties that the public began
to take any notice. The newspapers themselves talked
of the blessings of a free press
; but if a dear free press
was a good thing, would not s cheap
ter ? Yet, even now, when there free press be a bet-
was not so much heard
of "opening the flood-gates of democracy," and "poi-
soning the poor with cheap sedition,. they did not get
very extravagant eulogies in the daily papers—(laughter)
—though they did occasionally get some admission of
what they were doing. The Speaker concluded, amid
symptoms of impatience, with some complimentary ex-
pressions regarding Mr. Gibson and his colleagues.
Mr. MILNER GIBSON, M.P., was received with the
most enthusiastic cheers. He could assure them, with
perfect sincerity, that he had accepted with great plea-
sure and satisfaction the very complimentary invitation
which he bad received to be present on this occasion.
(Hear.) His hon. friend who had preceded him had
spoken in too flattering terms of the exertions made in
Parliament up to the present time in order to carry the
repeal of the taxes on knowledge. For himiolf, he could
only say that the course which he had taken he believed
to be consistent with his duty as a representative of
popular interests. And, with respect to the other gen-
tlemen with whom he had had the honour of acting, he
felt confident that they would bear him out, when he
said that they had upon this question not only expressed
their own conscientious convictions in Parliament, but
had also let the House of Commons know what were
the feelings of the Liberal portion of ther constitutents.
(Hear, hear.) It must not be forgotten, indeed, that
members of Parliament were frail reeds to rest upon
unless they were backed up by the public voice, and
unless intelligent public opinion in the country should
sustain them, and carry them through in the course
which they had chalked out for themselves. (Hear,
hear.) Their strength consisted in the pressure from
without ; and a speech from a member of Parliament
—be his talents what they might—be his energy and
zeal what they might—would be but like the idle wind,
which men regarded not, unless it were felt that his
words were echoed by large numbers of people without
the walls of the house, and were backed by intelligent
public opinion. (Hear, hear.) This question had not
been dealt with altogether as a party question. It had
had support from both sides of the house. (Hear.)
They had had votes from gentlemen whose votes they
did not expect, and they had a right to presume that
those gentlemen had probably received an intimation
from sortie of their influential friends that such
votes would be acceptable. (Hear, hear.) He was no
advocate of an absence of deliberation or of a want of
knowledge of the subjects upon which they were to vote
upon the part of membera of Parliament ; but what he
upon the meeting was
wished to impress emphatically