The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-19 00:00:00

-5

'~`~~~f~t_c.-'

4-

If he should libel anybody in his payer, het would
be liable to an action at law, would he not F--To two
actions, civil and criminal.
Then a newspaper publisher is not subject to any
liability more than other persons P—No more than
one starting a blacksmith's shop.
They do not presume, in the United States, that
because a man is going to print news in a paper he is
going to libel P—No, nor do they pre-sume that his
libelling would amount to much, unless he is a re-
sponsible character.
Mr. COI3DEN—Are there not many actions brought
in America for libel P—Very few indeed, unless
founded on police reports, such as the report of a man
being arrested on tho charge of swindling, or the like
of that.

I Are you not permitted by the law of America to
publish the police reports?—No, it is not regarded as
I lawful evcri to say that John Jones was arrested for
swindling ; it is not a privileged publication; he
might show a damage in that case and convict you,
even though it was the fact that ho was so arrested
for swindling, unless you could prove that he was
actually a swindler ; that rule is derived from your
courts.
Mr. Rica—Does that practically occur ?—Yes,
though it is very rare.
Mr. COBDEN—From what you have stated with
regard to the circulation of the daily press in New
York, it appears that a very large proportion of the
adult population must he customers for them there?
—Yes, I think three-fourths of all the families take
in a daily paper of some kind.
The purchasers of the daily papers must consist of
a different class from those in England, mechanics
must purchase them ?—Every mechanic takes a paper,
or nearly every one.
At what time does he buy his paper ?-11e sub-
scribes to an office. The carrier of a paper is the
owner of a certain ward of the city ; it is a property
of his own ; on the Sun I have known one sold for
700 dollars ; that is, the privilege of buying the pa-
pers at the office at 70 cents a hundred, and serving
them to subscribers, and getting one dollar a hundred
fur them. In every particular ward of the city the
carrier has a property in the right to receive the
journals for the ward, and to distribute them in that
ward.
Then the working class receive their papers regu-
larly through the carrier in the morning ?—Yes.
What time are they delivered in the morning ?
Between six and seven ae a rule.
Do those people generally get them before theY,'
leave home for their work ?—Yes, and you are coin-
plained of if you do not furnish a man with his news.
paper at his breakfast; he wants to read it between
six and seven usually.
Then a shipbuilder, or a cooper, or a joiner, takes
in his daily paper in the morning, and reads it at his
breakfast time ?—Yes, and he may take it with him
to read at his dinner, between twelve and one ; but
the rule is that he wants his paper at his breakfast.
After he has fininished his breakfast or dinner he
may be found reading the daily newspaper, just as
the people of the upper classes do in England ?—Yes,
if they do.
_ _

And that is quite common, is it not?—Almost uni-
versal, I think. There is a very poor class, a good
many foreigners, who do not know how to read, but
no native, I think.

Mr. EWART—To a working man, what is the cost
of a newspaper ?—lie may obtain one for Sd. a week,
or a halfpenny a day.
Mr. lticu—Do the agricultural labourers read
much ?—Yes, they take our weekly papers, which
they receive through the post generally.
CHAIRMAN— Is there any sending of" papers from
one person to another person ; a person having
bought a paper and read it, does he send it to a friend
by post ?—There has been a little of that. It is
often done when there is a marriage or a death, or
some piece of information that you want your friend
to know in another country.
It is not done for the purpose of economy, and to
share the expenses of the paper between different per-
sons ?—No, they are so cheap that it is not worth
while.

Mr. Rica—The transmission by post would be
nearly as expensive as the cost of the piper, would it
not ?—Quite so, as they send them in separately,
and the post-offices do not like to receive them in that
way.

Mr. EwAßT—When you can get them so easily,
you need not transmit them ?—No.

- Mr. COBDEN—The working people in New York
are not in the habit of resorting to public-houses to
read the newspapers, are they ?—Yes, they are, but
not to read the papers. .

They resort to public-houses to drink spirits, or
anything else ?—A good many of them do ; it is not
the general practice, but stiil there are quite a class
wbo do so.

The newspaper is not the attraction to the public-
house 0 ; I think a very small proportion of our
reading class gu there at all ; those that I hare seen
there are mainly the foreizu population, those who do
not read.

CifAilisfAsi—Are there any papers published in
New York or in other parts, which may be 94id to
he of an obsc4ne or immoral character?—We call the
New Fork Herald a very bad paper—those who do
not like it ; but that is LIM the chestiest.
Have you heard of a paper called the Town pub-
lished in this country, with pictures of a certain cha-
racter in it, an unstamped publication—have you any
publications in the United States of that character ?
—Nut daily papers. There are weekly pliers got
up from tittle to time, called the Scorpion, the Flash,
the Whip, and so OD, whose purpose is to extort
money from parties who can ho threatened with ex-
posure of immoral practices, or fur risiting infamous
houses.

Mr. EWART--- Will you look at that paper—(the
Town being handed to the witnsss)?—There was a
class of weekly papers got up there that were printed
for two or three months. Ido not know of any one
being continued any considerable time : if one dies
another is got up, and that goes down.
They do not last, do they ?—No, and I suppose
they do not here; but the cheap daily pipers, the
very cheapest, are as a whole, I think, quite as dis-
creet in their conduct and conversation as other joal-
nals. They do not embody the same amount of talent,
they devote themselves mainly to news. They are
not party journals, they are nominally independent—
that is, of no party. They are not given to harsh
language with regard to public men, they are very
moderate.

Is scurrility or personality common to the publics-
tions in the United States P—lt is not common, it is
much less frequent than it was, but it is not abso-
lutely unknown.
CuAIRMAN—In the transmission of papers by post
is a distinction made between newspapers and other
printed matter ?—There is a distinction. Other
printed matter goes by weight, 2i cents. being
charged for the first ounce, and I cent for every suc-
ceeding ounce. I believe that is the rate of postage
there ; but it is reduced by the new law.
There is a less rate of postage applied to news-
papers than other printed matter P--Yes.
What do you call a newspaper—where do you
draw the line between what comes under the postage
rate and what is liable to a higher rate?—The rule
has been that everything printed as often as once a
week was a newspaper; the others are generally re-
garded as magazines and periodicals.
If it is only printed once—for instance, suppos-
irg that you printed any particular fact in a paper
published to distribute all through the country, would
that come under the printed-matter rate, or under the
newspaper rate P—lt it had the appearance of a news-
paper and was said to be published weekly, of course
it would come under the newspaper rate ; but if not,
or was not to be published as a periodical, it would
be regarded as other printed matter. There is no
carefulness about these matters. One postmaster
would call a thing a newspaper, and another would
not ; and they often refer to the postmaster-
general, and he decides.

Has there ever been any proposition made in the
United States with a view to control the press; for
instance, that it should he liable to a stamp duty, and
give security in the same manner as is required in
France ?—I have heard a suggestion that it might be
well to charge one cent on a copy, and let it go free
through the post, but not by any number of persons.
Some have said that it would improve the character
of the press, but it was never seriously taken up. I
have seen it in newspapers as a suggestion.
Mr. COBDEN—W hat is the circulation of the etc,
York Herald r—l think 25,000,
Has its circulation been increased during the last
few years, or other% ?—I think it has rather in-
creased, not diminished.

Is that an influential paper in America ?—I
think not.

It has a higher reputation, probably, in Europe
than at home ?—A certain class of journals in thus
country find it their interest or pleasure to quote it ft
good (it-al. . _

CHAIRMAN—Ai the demand is extensive, is the re-
muneration for the services of literary men who are
employed on the press good ?—The prices of literary
labour are snore moderate than in this country. The
highest salary, I think, that would be commanded by
any one connected with the press would be 1,0001.,
the highest that could be thought of; I have notheard
of higher than 6001.
Mr. Rich—What would be about the orclT naryz-
numeration ? is
In our own concern it , besides
principal editor, 3001. down to 1001. I thin
that is
the usual range.
tAimmeetroictaimine
point ?—lt is beginning to
the custom. There bav4
but it has not been CHAIRMAN
—ryAurbei 1 yourity, elmneapdloinygedEn fernomi
connected with the press, but the
bueposioyhe press as an occupationbn
been leading men
press has not been usually conducted by the most
powerful men. With a few exceptions, the leading
political journals are conducted ably, sad this it bay