The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-21 00:00:00

~••••61.
he hail kept his word—because he had done that which the
Han. Meinter had endeavoured to do, r,ot an'y 4he Hon.
Member, but many of those Han. M.smbers who' had suppor-
ted him on the occasion alluded to, 1-ad attar:l:yd him (the
Chancellor of thC Exchequer) in a most undisguised, in a
mac unremitting, he would say in a most cruel manner—
bad charged him with forgetting every promise, and disregard
of the public interest—although he had only done that which
he had a right to do, but had proposed a considerable re-
tiuction of the duty on paper.--( Hear, hear.) He had done
this, sot, he might without offence say, because they had
asked..him to tie it, but because he considered it just and right,
end calculated to promote the public advantage ; because he
effiasideted It due to the station he had the honour of filling ;
because, having pledged himself to the principle last year, he
felt it right to act ttvon his pledge this year, and that the fluan-
rid circumstances of the country were such as to admit of the
relief.—( Hear, hear.) The change which had taken place in
the political condition pf the country mad, it essential to com-
municate to the people sound political knowledge and infor-
mation —( Hear, hear.) The security to the House that it
Should live ip. the affections and confidence of the people, to
the Government that it should enjoy the confidence of the na-
tion, and to the Monarch that lie should reign in the hearts
of his subjects, depended on the diffusion throughout the
country of sound political knowledge.—( Hear, hear.) They
bad given to the 101. householders the right of enjoying
the Parliamentary franchise—they had given to the inha-
bitants of towns free municipal institutions—would they,
Could they, withhold from them the means of accurately
judging passing events? He would advert to the publica-
tion of the votes of that House : in the first instance,
powerful arguments had been used against such a proposi-
tion, and it was only by degrees that the Hon. Member
for St. Albans had succeeded in effecting such a change
from the old system. Now the name of every Hon. Mem-
ber was recorded with every vote which be gave, and the
useful principle was acknowledged that what was known in
the House should be known elsewhere—( Hear, hear)—that
what concerned the public in the proceedings of the Go-
vernment, should be promulgated and judged of by the
public through the medium of the press, of a stamped press,
responsible to public opinion.—( Hear, hear ) He conceived
that a penny duty was not more than might fairly be required
from Newspapers, in consideration of their free circulation
through the Government. There were many parties who,
when the duly was reduced to that amount, were prepared to
come forward, and provide for the moral and religious instruc-
tion of the people, as well as their political instruction, by
mssans of a stamped Press ; and he had received many pressing
applications from persons of the first respectability and
character, who were prepared and desirous so to supply these
wants of the community. He well knew that the taste of the
people of England was such, that they would never consent
to prey upon garbage if the means of attaining better food
were provided for them.—( Hear, hear.) It had been his fate
to reau much of the unstamped press, for from time to time
large packets of them had been forwarded to him ; and he
had observed, that just in proportion as the respective papers
bad increased in circulation, had their quality improved.—
(Hear, hear, hear.) Indeed nothing could be more strikingly
than the difference between the character of some of these
papers in their outset and their present quality. And what was
the cause of this improvement? Simply their increased cir-
culation,—(Hear, hoar.) A paper, while it was confined to a
particular and limited class of readers, might adapt itself to
pandering to the passions or bad feelings of its readers; but
when its circulation became more extended and general, its
character must change—just as a brook when confined to a
narrow channel, may be turgid and boisterous, but when en-
larged into the broad expanse of a river, it goes smoothly and
plaaidly on its course. To all those who wished to put an
end to contraband publications, he now appealed for sup-
port. Those. Hon. Members who had supported the Hon.
Member for Lincoln last year he relied upon for their co-
operation. It was true that he differed from some of them
as to the proposition of entirely repealing the stamp duties;
but he hoped he had convinced them that it was much
better to share the relief between Newspaper Stamps and
the paper duties, than to confine the relief solely to Newspa-
per stamps. He was sure that they would admit that the
reduction proposed on paper was a much more beneficial re-
lief than taking off the remaining penny of Newspaper Stamps.
The advancement of knowledge would eqnally be promoted by
the reduction of the paper duties, in aiding the promulga-
tion of books, the more permanent and higher class of the
literature of the country.--( Hear, bear.) On these grounds be
hoped the House would concur in the proposition with which
be bad set out. He trusted he had shown that the proposi-
tion advanced in opposition to his views would not produce
the good consequences talked of; as to that proposition being
one likely to give relief to the agriculturalists, it was altoge-
ther out of the question, and no gentleman in his senses
could accede to it as such. It was equally erroneous to sup-
pose that the suggested reduction on Soap would increase
the consumption on that commodity, or prevent the frauds
which the Excise were now unable to prevent in connection
wl;-.11 the article. He called upon all the defenders of the
interests of the Exchequer to support his proposition, and to
assist him in effecting a measure which would at once put an
end to all those flagrant violations of the law which were
now being daily committed before their eyes, and to those
prosecutions
and imprisonments which, instead of enforcing
the law, only served to cast an odium upon it in the eyes of
the people.—( Hear, hear.) He asked them to put an end to
a state of things under which the violators of the law, in-
stead of being disavowed by the people, were the objects of
their sympathy, were honoured with processions, and had
their fines paid by public subscriptions throughout the country.
Be again expressed his dissent from 'either of the two ca-
tivo,- „}„„,,,„. 1.-1 been broached, and he stated his
determination to adhere to his original proposition.—( Hear.)
Mr. GOULI3URN said the simple tidestion
they should not substitute for the Right Hon. Gentleman's
preposition to reduce the Stamp Duty on Newspapers, the
Hon. Gentleman's proposition to reduce that on soap. He
must give his opinion in favour of the proposition of his Hon.
Friend near him.—(Hear.) Before he proceeded to discuss
the particular question before them, he would just advert to a
point touched upon by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite.
'The Right Hon. Gentleman bad stated that the revenue was
competent to bear the charge of the reduction of the Stamp
Duties on Newspapers, but not competent to bear the charge
of a reduction of the duties on Soap, because, as he said, he
did not anticipate from a reduction of the duty on Soap that
corresponding increased consumption of the article which was
essential to make up for the loss derived to the revenue from
the decreased duty. Now the report of the Excise Commission-
er,: gave quite a contrary opinion, for they distinctly stated that
any Additional decrease in the duty on Soap would lead to a
correspending increase in the consumption of the article, put-
ting Ireland out of the question. The Hon. Member for
Surrey hall actually stated, that the former reduction in the
Soap Duties had not been sufficient to enable the fair dealer to
cope with the contraband dealer, but this object would be fully
effected by the additional reduction now proposed. The con-
sumption of Soap bad only increased since that reduction, in
what he would call the rural districts of England. In Lon-
don: it had decreased. The year before the reduction took
place, the quantity of Soap brought to charge in the metro-
polis was 3,t290,0001b5. The quantity brought to charge the
year after the reduction had so far diminished as to show a
decrease of half a million. In Scotland, the year before the
reduction took place, the quantity of Soap brought to charge
Wa3 11,300,0001b5. The year after the reduction the quantity
was only 10,400,00011)5.: thus, in both eases, clearly showing,
that the reduction had by no means been sufficient to defeat
the smuggler. In the rural districts of England, where there
were not the same facilities to the smuggler to obtain improved
material, some slight increase had taken place. An additional
reduction of the duty was absolutely necessary, in order to put
the fair trader on terms at least of equality with the frau-
dulent trader. The first argument used by his Right Ho-
nourable Friend was, that the duty on Soap was an in-
creasing duty, and the Stamp Duty on Newspapers was a
decreasing duty ; and his Right Honourable Friend coittended
that he was pursuing what was an admitted principle of
finance, when he proposed to reduce the ditty which teas de-
croasing, rather than that which showed an increase as com-
pared with the last year. With respect to the decreasing duty
on jsfe.,vspaper stamps, his [tight lion. Friend said that the
duty in 1831 was 483,000/., and in 11335 it was only 455,0001.,
and he considered that that reduction in the amount of the
Newspaper duty entitled him to call it a decreasing duty.
His Right Iron. Friend most give him leave to say, that as
to that fact he could not agree with him. If they looked at
the returns of the amount of the stamp duty for five succesive
years, the conclusion to which they would come would be the
very opposite of that which his Right Hon. Friend derived
from Lis account. The average of the five years ending 1830,
was 413,000/., and the average of the five years ending in 1835,
was 464,000/. Taking the produce then of the five years, it
would be found that they Lad an increasing duty in the stamps
eu Newspapers. But when his Right lion. Friend selected
1831 as the test of his comparison, did he not recollect that at
the period in question there was in this country an extraordi-
nary degree of political excitement, and a proportionato anxiety
to be informed of all the proceedings in Parliament, which
continued during a far greater portion of the year than had
ever before been consumed in discussion in that House ?
(Hear, hew%) At the same time also, in foreign countries,
events were 6ccurring of immense importance, which excited
feelings of great anxiety. There was then, in 1831, that de-
gree of political excitement which raised the Newspaper
Stamp Duty to such a height that it must recede. He said
it must recede, because his Right Hon. Friend would observe,
that in periods of great political excitement the Stamp Duty
received a great addition, and then it declined till some other
cause of excitement arose. la 1831 the Stamp Duty on
Newspapers rose to an amount such as they had never before
reached. They fell in the subsequent year, not what was
the cause? Last year, instead of decreasing, as AqMplrOd
With 1834, there was an increase. Every reduction of the
duty on Snap contributed-to die increas4xel „. the
of. the9r ctohernf'ort,
health, and Ole enjoyment of every rn,o
commu-
nity. Now cculd they say the same of the Moa,,l):lppr Stamp
Duty ? Were not Newspapers limited to a certain eiria-;,-; ?
He found by the returns of the number of stamps issued, that
there were not more than about 000,000 persons who took
in Newspapers. The number then who wocp the takers in
of Newspapers, were the numbers who would be 4;;;Rdy
affected by the relief resulting from a reduction of' the duty,
and thus the relief was to be to the 300,000. The
Soap Duty he had said affected every itterst.4 g the com-
munity ; a reduction in shat therefore, instead of reticsititi
onlx 300,000, would give relief to fourteen millions of the
Population. He dill jot mean to say- that not more than
300,000 persons read lkfewapapers—be only spoap of those
who took them in, and he contended that only they w 0441
be materially affected by the reductior, He knew very well
that every Newspaper that was taken seas real; by a con-
sideratle number, and viewfaig the subject in that way; the
relief would be equivalent to a twentieth part of the likote.
The difference was between the twentieth pert of a Wnny
And 41- cid ad, His fie)), Friend said the duty An Soap