The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-10-07

ItNokS.
CHAIRMAN-Your meaning Il, with regard to the
stamp, that the scamp wars against the advertise
ment duty, and that the advertisement duty wars
against the stsmpa-I say that the stamp duty wsrs
against greater circulation Of newspapers, and
the advertisement wars against all others in favor
Of one.
Does not it appear 10 you inconsistent that if .
government Is disposed to tax the press, IT should
impose two ssrts Of tax; the one tending to iesst
the amount received from the other 81 should
think that it tends that way.
Both combine in keeping down the press, though
one lessons the amount Of revenue receivable from
the other Yes.
ence of leviathan paper, to that extent ~ wonid
not tend to keep down the press, would 1.-THE
one tends to throw all the business on one concern
But the other stamp duty mas not Una. enSss nA'
Then by that means 1t would not nave SO tDJ9,
rious an effect as advertisement duty!-lt would
not have as unequal and as monopoizing an enect
80 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN. it is admitted that the
government has right to tax the press, and there
are three kinds of taxes ON the press-drse on the
paper, then on the stamp, and then on the adver'
tss ments that are Inserted in the paper-does not
IL appear to you that the operation of these taxes
must be hostile to another; IL the hrs; place.
by lessening the circulation OF the papers by means
Of the stamp duty, you diminish the consumption
duty; and secondly, by diminishing the oumber of
papers sold through the stamp you lessen the mum.
Der of advertisements in the papers, and therefore
the receipts from the advertise ment duty-l should
say, that if the government we're simply, as mat
ter Of revenue, to fix duty, say OF hafpenny per
pound, or something like that, on paper, 1t would
be easily collected, and produce more money; and
then law which is equal in its operation does not
lect the duty, and it would require 10 particular
vigilance, and the duty on paper alone would be
most equal and most efficient as a revenue duty. :,
IL is clear the n that the effect of the stamp and
advertisement duty is to lessen the amount of the
receipt from the duty or paper!-Enormousy. see
that the circulation in London is bus 90 600 against
more to concentrate on London than on New York.
Not tenth part Of the daily papers in the United
States are printed in New Yock city.
Mr. CoBDEN-Do you consider that there are up
daily press in the United Ssatesl-I should say
about million; ! cannot say upwards ! think
there are about 25O daily journal published In the
United States.
daily papers issuing from the press Of the United
States!-l think very nearly that.
You stated that there fifteen daily papers in
New York; how many are there in Boston!-
Twelve, think,
What is the population of Boston! Boston con-
tains but about 900 inhabitants, but Massachu-
sets is much more compactly peopled and better
supplied with railways All the towns in Massa-
chusetts and New England take more or less Of the
Boston daily papers.
What number of daily papers are published in
Phila Observation-Disclosures has ten think they
are rot so many in number, but one or two have
much larger circulation
How many in BaltimoTe!-Six.
How many in New Orleans, should you think
Ten or twelve | think.
AT what amount Of population of town in Anne
they first Of all begin with weekly paper, do tdey
notl-Yes. With regard to ne wspapers, the gene
raj rule is this, that each county will have one In
all the free States, if county has population Of
.Nof &c oh Hhar al
average is about one local journal in the agricutu
raj counties for 200 inhabitants. county con-
tanning so coo has five journals, which are generally
weekly papers and when town grows to have as
many az Is coo nhabtants, or thereabouts then 1t
has daily paper. Sometimes that Is the case when
it has as few as 10000 1t depends more on the
business Of the place out 10 900 may be stated as
the average at which daily paper commences. AT
like Buffalo, Rochester, Troy and such towns, they
have from three to five daily journals each Of which
prints a semi-weekly or weeklyjournal.
Mr.. RIcn-Have those papers much circulation
outside the towns in which they are published
The county is the general limit, though some per-
wade judicial district including Eve six counties
They do not penetrate into coupties and towns in
which other papers arc published!--Not as rule,
but the Buffalo papers will have circulation round
Lake Erie, which il a country easily reached by
them.
Would the New York papers, for instance, have
much circulation at Charleston The NEW YORK
most friendly to Southern interests, has con-
siderable circulation there.
Independently Of peculiar reasons, they would
not Circulate IN the more distant States TO a
certain extent, the leading political journal OF one
party would be taken by the leading politicians in
other States: and, IL il is business Journal there
is one know particularly that has a very large
circulation among the pork buyers and the grain
buyers throughout the free Western States, having
relations with New York; they want fuller reports
Of the markets than those the telegraph brings
them.
Substantially the newspaper Of any of those
States finds the bulk Of its readers within its own
States Yes; the Washington papers are an ex-
eePtion.,
cir sulation in New York, for instance mo.
MIR. EwART-The circulation Is more local than
in this country, is it not Yes.
CHAIRMAN-When a person proposes to publish
q paper at New York, is he required to go to any
office to register himselil-N not at all.
he will not insert hbels sedtious matter mo.
He merely publishes paper ut his own will and
pleasure, without consulting any public authority
Yes.
If be should libel any body in his paper, he would
be liable to an action at law, would he not TO
two actions, civil and criminal.
Then q newspaper publisher is not subject TO any
liability more than other persons No more han
one starting blacksmith's shop.
They do not presume, in the United States, that
because q man IL going to print news in paper be
is goir & 20 libel mo, nor do they presume that
bis litelling would amount TO much, unless he is
responsible character.
MIR. CoBDEs-Are there not many actions brought
in America for loell-Very few indeed, unless
founded on police reports, such as the report OF
man being arrested on the charge Of swinding, or
the Ike OF that
Are you not permitted by the law Of A ncriea to
publish the police re portsl-No; il Is not regarded
as lawful even to say that John Jones was arrested
for swir ding; IL is not privileged publication; lie
might show a damage in that case and convict you,
even though IL was the fact tina. he 10 arrested
for swindliDg. unless you could prove that he was
actually swirdler; that rule Is derived from your
courts.
MIR. RioH-Dots that practically occurl-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 n very large proportion ofthe
adult population must be customers for them
theiei-Ies, think three-fsurtbs OF all the fami.
lies take in a daily paper Of so ne kind.
The purchasers Of the daily papers must consis.
Of different class from those in EDglaad!-me-
- .hav,,T L. ar-sa