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

had been already reduced, and ethers must take their turn ;
therefore he now proposed to relieve the Newspapers. It
was true that in 1833 there was repealed half the duty on
Soap, but was nothing done for Newspapers on that occa-
sion? Was not the duty en advertisements reduced in the
same year from 3s. 61. to ls. Gd. ? That was a great advan-
tage to the Newspaper editors. Bearing in mind the reduction
of the duty on advertisements, he would ask, was the Right
Hon. Gentleman justified in saying that Newspapers had had
no indulgence shown to them ? Had all the indulgence been
shown to the manufacturers of Soap? tie viewed the two
questions as standing equally before them, and he would ask
the House which duty they ought to repeal ? He approved
of the principle that they should reduce first the taxes on the
necessaries (AMC ; but Newspapers, in his opinion, came more
properly under the head of luxuries. His Right Hon. Friend
said he wished to see the Newspapers in the poorest cottage,
and he was himself one of those who would not withhold from
the humbler classes the instruction which they might derive
from Newspapers. But did his Right Hon. Friend imagine
that the reduction of the price of the Newspaper from 7d. to
sd.- would have the effect he desired? When they bore in
mind the amount of the labourer's was es, did they believe that
he would afford even a weekly Newspaper, though the price
should be reduced to 4d. ? That class of individuals were in
the habit of associating for the purpose of reading. the News-
papers in common.—( Hear.) The greater part of the com-
munity, then would derive no benefit of the reduction of
the duty on Newspapers. His Right Hon. Friend said
that his proposition had the recommendation that it would
have the effect of putting an end to a species of smugg-Eng.
On the part of the subject he would appeal to the report of
the excise commissioners. "Non meus hic sermo." Speaking
of the reduction -of the duty on Soap, they said they had no
doubt it would materially affect the smuggling that went on
in that article. His Right Hon. Friend applied the principle
to the reduction of the Duty on Newspaper Stamps as a cure
for the smuggling, but he must dispute that position. His
Right Hon. Friend said there were parties who managed to
under-sell the daily press by evading the Stamp Duty, and he
proposed to give some additional advantage to the daily press
by reducing the amount of the duty. The duty, however, in
this case, -did not operate as it did in the case of spirits, where,
if they repealed the duty, they put an end to the illicit dealing
which resulted from the power of the smuggler to under-sell
the fair trader. He maintained that the power to under-sell
would continue even when his Right Hon. Friend had repealed
his twopences on the Stamps. What was the nature of
the contest carried on with the daily press? It was the con-
test of men who went to no expense against men who went to
great expense in providing the article which they offered to
the public. The editor of a London journal went to an enor-
mous expense to procure intelligence. He incurred a very
great expense, if he might say so without being out of order,
to obtain accurate reports of what occurred in this House.—
( Hear, hear, hear, and- cheers.) He went to a still greater
expense for foreign intelligence; he had to establish foreign
correspondents—expresses anticipating the arrival of the post
brought him intelligence from abroad. These were amongst
the expensive arrangements made to secure early information
to meet the wishes of those who took in his paper. Such,
then, constituted the real tax which the Morning Papers had to
pay. Talk of the twopenny stamp in comparison with these
cxpences, why, it was as nothing. Would he be able to pro-
tect that press which paid for information, against that press
which did not? Would he be able to prevent information ob-
tained by the Morning Chronicle or the Times, at a great ex-
pense, from being made available by the publishers of the
penny Newspapers, while the others were published at 4d. or
sd. ? And what would be the result if he could prevent it ?
He would not say that the daily Newspapers would be ruined
by the curtailment of their profits, but he would call the at-
tention of the House to the more fatal consequences that would ;
ensue to the general interests of the country. The editors
of the present respectable papers, not able to compete with
their antagonists, would be compelled to forego obtaining
that information, which was now so accurately given. The
press generally would be reduced to this—they would no
longer be aisle to give accurate, information of what fell
from Honourable Members in this House, or of
other events of great interest with the public. He feared that
they would in this way lower the general tone of the press of
the country—( Hear, hear)—and prevent it from being the
channel for the dissemination of useful information. He
begged to warn the friends to the dissemination of knowledge
amongst the people, against lowerir's the tone of the press of
this country. When he compared the daily press of this
country with the Newspapers of other countries that came be-
fore him, he confessed he was proud of the superiority. He
saw that-subjects were discussed in it on one side and the
other with the greatest ability. Sometimes, it must be ad-
mitted, the daily papers yielded too much to the excitement
which existed, but, generally speaking, they were distin-
guished by great judgment and temper. When he looked at
the Newspapers of America, which were referred to a model
of what Newspapers ought to be, he must confess he saw in
the Newspapers of England a superiority in the character, the
style, and the manner of discussing political questions, which
convinced him that if they had not the advantage of a low
amount of duty, they had, nevertheless, some other advan-
tages of a most important nature, which they derived from
the amount of duty, and their other press regulations.—
(Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances, he had no hesi-
tation in preferring the repeal of the duty on Soap to the ree
peal of the duty on Newspapers.
Mr. C. BULL Elt thought the Hon. Gentleman - had
shown very little acquaintance with the press of other coun-
tries. He was as little inclined as any man to give the palm
of-superiority to any other nation, but he should blush for
our literarture if he thought it as much inferior as he con,
silered the daily press of this country was inferior to that of
France.--( Opposition cries of " Oh.") He would say that
and literary character connected with the press of this country,
who could at all compare in this respect with that distin-
guished writer M. Chateaubriand. The Hon. Gentleman
opposite feared the character of the press of this country would
be lon ered, and he contended that there would be the same
piracy as before. 'He said the question was not the amount of
duty, but the expense of acquiring information. Why, was
the Hon. Gentleman aware of the existence of Evening
Papers irs this country, and that those Evening Papers co-
pied almost entirely their information from the Morning.
Papers? Those who now dealt illicitly, after the reduc-
tion of the duty would no longer have the sympathies of
the whole country in their behalf. This was a question
to which the House should give its best attention. They
might enforce what Stamp Duty they pleased ; but
they would not be able to enforce it while the feelings of this
country were what- they were at present. He believed that
none had suffered more than Hon. Gentlemen opposite from
the ignorance of the people. Experience ought to have proved
to them that it was not their interest to keep the people in
darkness. The excitement of the people was owing frequently
to the exaggerations of falsehoods, which were only credible on
account of the ignorance of the people. That ignorance was
to be attributed to the people not having infOrmation afforded
to them on cheaper terms. One reason, for instance, for the
people thinking that Reform was necessary was, that in one
part of the country they believed that the Archbishop of Can-
terbury had 80,0001. a-year. In his own county it was believed
that the Dowager of a Peer's family, who had not even re-
ceived one farthing of the public -money, had a pension of
12,000/. a year. This was considered to be another reason for
reform. „These were the exaggerations that prevailed, and it
was Hon. Gentlemen opposite who produced the state of things.
Now, he should say for himself and others, that Radicals, or
Reformers, or whatever else they might be, they knew the fruits
to b. 3 otherwise; they read the Newspapers, and they knew how
absurd such tales were. Now, he must say, that those who
opposed the circulation of cheap knowledge, acted most in-
consistently ; for they trusted the poor man with the franchise,
and they would not give him the knowledge of how he ought
to exercise it-4 Hear, hear.) lie did not mean that Hon.
Gentlemen on the other side could gain much from the infor-
mation of the people. They might depend upon it, that the
power of public opinion would destroy all the abuses which
those Hon. Gentlemen sought to sustain. The Right lion.
Gentleman stated that Newspapers were a mere luxury. He
thought that when the Right lion. Gentleman said so he con-
nected them with all the agreeable associations connected with
the breakfast-table. The question now he believed to be this
_whether knowledge was a luxury or a necessary fur the
people? Bea, Gentlemen opposite insisted it was a luxury;
he, on the contrary, said there was no necessary equal to it—
( Hear, hear)—and any Government would find to its cost how
wrong it would act, when it sought to deprive the people of
that knowledge which they deemed to be their dearest and
most cherished necessary —( Hear, hear.) He wished now to
sty a few a words upon another tax, between which and the
Saintp-tax there was a competition. The mere question was at
present which of the taxes should be taken off? He never had.
been Chancellor of the Exchequer, and d:d not know how a
gentleman in that situation felt.—(Laughter.) Now, if he
ware chancellor of the Exchequer he should think that one
great merit in a tax would be, that you could be able to get
Thtit circumstance would be superior in
hid mind over many important, question's. Another thing was,
in whichcase was there the most smuggling Tee( Hear, bear,
from the Opposition Members.) In which case would the al,
teration be the most beneficial ?—( Hear.) In the very first
place, he did not see that there would be any great effect from
the reduction of the Soap Duty. Taking the statement of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer upon the Excise Report, It ap.
peered that the number of pounds of Soap used by each person
e a; s'x pounds and a bait 4 yeti', en that the Right lion. Gen-
tleman's proposition to reduce the ditty h4Vpia4hy s roams
would be to give aid. a year to each individual in the counter)*,
vc?y Session there was some new plan io relieve the agricul-
tural intereat ; what he found fault with in their plans was,
that each Member brought feeleseel plat; which would be
locally beneficial to him. He believed of this Wan, that the
goat benefit to be derived from the proposed reduction would
be eepsye,l hy the Russians. Upon the last reduction of his
low, die arsCeffeet be wee jefernmq was, that the holders of
Russia tallow were advised by their atieets ice ;.:epp it batpt, ay
the price would rise in the English market. Rodi, he would
s i.alr were to be taken off, let it he one which would
be beneficial to the agrieuitere of all England. In conclusion,
the Hon. Gentleman said, that it appeered hi 11111) it wql hard
to reduce the people to the political powerlessness in which
they ii,rl placed before the passing of the Retinin Bill.
Lorii !Is SiELT Next addressed the House, but he was
heard very indistinctly in the Ballet{; It was his opinion as
;Aiinion as to the Soap Duty, that its reduction sseuld bes
n'ehLiai 1:o the country at large. By repealing that uuty it
would get Via a w gmt matey vexatious Excise regulations.—
( Hear, hear, hear.) With tf-Y the press, he felt
leaund to say this, dial he was greatly susprise4 tit hear
°IC 11411, po Learned Gentleman say, that .lewspapers
which inee Ia price to Englisl.l9N,,:w,svphaopehrasd
superior to milthe a r:itttrri;.,,,i li;Crr; "terra°.
‘•vlkrd recently in America did not concur won hint in that
opinion, rot he declared that every vulgar fool who could
call names, might let himself up as a Newspaper editor, lii