The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-04-01
TAs EnglasA ana American NswspaPsr
Preaa
From the London Times, March 81


Last night public meeting was held in st. Mar.
tinshall, Long Acre, to promote the repeal Of all
the taxes ON knowledge and in particular Of the
penny stamp on newspapers. The large hall was
caused ut the commencement of the proceedings by
the "pressure from without" Pofessor L. IL.
Key took the chair at halfpast o'clock. Among
the members Of Parliament present were Mr.: Cob
den, MIR. M. Gibson, Mr.. +. OConnor, and Mr..
Stamford
The CHAIRMAN, who stated that he presided in
the absence Of Mr. Grote, said that he had been for
thirty years an advocate for the repeal of the taxes
on knowledge He thought the present suitable
opportunity Of expressing the gratitude he felt to
Mr.. Rowland Hill, as laborer In this cause, whom
regarded as one of the greatest benefactors this
for the people. (Chcers.) We had obtained cheap
food for the bodies Of the people, and it now be-
hoved us to gain cheap food for their minds.
(Cheers.) No one could object to the diffusion of
knowledge but those whose power or whose wealth
| was founded upon fraud; and with them he had no
sympathy. What was wanted was, not only the
advancement of knowledge, but the diffusion Of
knowledge. (Hear, hear.) 1t was not enough that
one class Of the community should be educated and
| the other half ignorant, because then the people
would make only occasional advances, to be fol-
lowed by subsequent reaction. (Iiear) This was
the case in Spain, where the intelligence Of the
towns was counteracted by the ignorance Of the
country. 1t was also the case to some extent in
France, and in England too. (Cheers.) The
minister Of the crown had admitted although reluc-
tdHtly, tuut the IrducQlSe OuSnC 10 DC eAteuueU
He would only be consistent if he also attended to
the spread OF knowledge among the class whom
be proposed to enfranchise. (Hear) The chair
man concluded by reading a letter from Mr.. Hume,
M r., whose absence, he regretted to state, was
caused by indisposition.
Mr.. j. CAssELL said that France and America had
their penny periodicals and penny newspapers, but
in England it was exceedingly difficult to maintain
penny periodical, in consequence OF the tax upon
paper The Messrs. Chambers weekly tracts had
a circulation of $1,000, yet they did not pay, and
were obliged to be givenup. They had since started
I'D publication, but it had not obtained half the
circulation Of the Others and they would be obliged
TO give up that also. The reduction of the taxes
upon knowledge would lead to the employment of
thousands of persons in the paper and printing bu-
sinesses, and all classes would be benefited The
working man would have his daily paper for Id,
and instead of being obliged to 60 to the alehouse
and pay I'D. for beer in order to get sight of the
paper, he would be able to take it home to read by
his own firesde. (Hear, hear) Where we had
newspaper at present should have ten, if the pa
per and advertisement duties and the stamp duty
were repealed The government gave fl00,000 to-
wards education; but it ought to be forgotten
that they took FL 900 600 year from the people by
the taxes on knowledge. CLEAR, hear). He moved
That all taxes which impede the diffusion Of know
ledge are highly injurious TO the public interest and
most mpotic Of revenue and that their reten
ton by the legislature is utterly inconsistent with the
opinion universally professed in favor Of popular
education
MIR. Z. MALL, in seconding the resolution, con-
graduated the meeting upon the auspicions time at
which they were assembled. Events had reduced
the budget to state of liquefaction in which it
to be cast in new mould. While the Chancellor
OF the Exchequer was bordering, he hoped the pre-
sent meeting would be able to set the stamp OF its
purpose upon his new budget. (Cheers.)
A gentleman upon the platform here produced
copy Of the Mac York Tribune daily paper pub
lished at two cents Zone penny. There were, he
said, from fifteen to twenty newspapers published
in New York every day. Almost every village had
its newspaper; and the consequence was, that the
people Of the United States were well educated and
Instructed. (Chcers.)
Mr.. G.. III. LEwEs seconded the resolution. II
was said, that to remove the stamp duty upon
newspapers would be to make that class of litcra-
ture SLOW" But the objection seemed to him to
be founded upon that eternal "snobism" of the
English character that made everything :" low"
that was not exclusive. (Cheers). They
told that good case might be made out against
every tax; but the taxes on knowledge struck at
the root of all other taxes for the removal OF these
taxes would far difiuse political knowledge, and
would 50 democratze the House of Commons, that
the people would take care they not more
taxed than was necessary for the wants Of the
nation. (Cheers)
Mr.. Golden, who received with great APP
plause, next addres the meeting The part he
had to take on this subject, in another place, would
render II unnecessary that be should trouble them
Mt any length. lie believed that Nc other tax would
have called together so large assemblage; but
this was tax on knowledge, and when they com
the government LOT continuing III. IL
IN point OF fact, laying an indictment against the
government for deprivng the people Of mental food.
(Cheers) lie was, and always had been, advo-
cate for the advancement of knowledge. and these
three taxes were in point OF fact impediments to
knowledge. OF these taxes, perhaps the most OBJ
jectiOLablc was that of the penny stamp news
papers II was, in the first place, so trfng in its
proceeds, that It laid itself open TO the superstition
that IL imposed not for the sake Of the amount
it yielded to the revenue, but for some sinister pur
pose. The annual receipt from the tax about
I35O,0OO. Not less than from 90 100000 to s0,000-
GOO newspapers passed through the post office every
year. Now, what they proposed was, that every
newspaper that went through the post office should
have Queens head upon It; aud that, their friend
Mr. Hume would tell them, would produce as large
revenue as was derived from the present system;
but, whether IL did no, the loss Of a small on
such commodity bore no proportion to the benefit
TO result from the repeal. lie fully believed If we
had no stamp duty, and no duty ON advertisements
or paper, that we might have penny daily news
papers with large circulations. paper had been
produced called the New York Tribune, which was
published at n penny. There were others ~ cheap.
The ual cost Of producing paper in this country
was AZ low n in New lork-literary labor was rs
cheaI-all the adjuncts were accessble-why,
then, wa not the newspaper cheap in London
there Ii would be, but that the Chancellor Of the
Exehequer interviewed. (Cheers) The fact was,
that this country had no daily press. The daily
press only existed in London. II was scarcely
known in the country, and it not the exponent
If the wants and interests Of the working class.
tChcers) Let them look at the " leaders Of the
daily press and their politics. and compare them
with the leaders Of the weekly press and he asked
which were the betterl (Cheers) Why, no weekly
paper could live upon the politics Of the Mortag
IfoaH the Morning Post (Laughter) lie
did not wish to constitute himself Judge in these
matters, but he did say, that those who patron
lied the weekly press, ought TO have the oppor-
tunty Of supporting a similarly cheap daily press.
At the same time let it not be supposed that he
would say anything to nurc any portion Of the dali
ly He cOmpaiugI not that the daily
existed at the price Of 3D., as II did. lie would
leave that press to its present customers; but STILL
be said that they should have press that the rest
Of the community could patronse also. (Cheers.)
What curious exception the daily press was TO
every other article Of consumption II they wanted
a dictionary, for example, they could have one at
any price, varying from shilling to a guinea but
ifthey wanted a newspaper, 5d.-neithcr more nor
lcss-was the magical price At which il was to be
purchased. They were told that cheap article
must necessarily be Of low character Lie denied