The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-27

DOUGLAS JERRoLD addressed the following
telling letter to the association for promoting
the repeal of all the taxes on knowledge and par.
tcularly the newspaper stamp, in reply to an
invitation to be present at a recent meeting:
WEST LODGE, PUTSEY Lower COMMON,
February 25th, 1852.
Dear Sir,-Disabled by an accident from per-
sonal attendance at your meeting, trust may
herein be permitted to express my heartest
sympathy with its great social purpose. That
the fabric paper newspapers and advertisements,
should be taxed by any government protesting
paterDal warnings for the education of people,
defes the argument of reason. Why moi, TO
help the lame, and to aid the short.sighted, lay
a tax upon cruiches, and enforce duty upon
spectacles? ! am not aware Of the number OF
professional wrilers-of men who live from
pen to Notwithstanding this day in merry
England; but it appears TO me, and the notion
TO new chancellor of the exchequer-Q am
happy to say one of "my order !" of the goose
| quill, not OF the heron's plume)-may have
some significance; why not have literary poll
taxa duty upon books and articles" in their
rawest material Let every author pay for his
license, poetic or otherwise This would give
"a Wilderness of contradiction to n professed de
sire for knowledge, when existing with taxation
of its material elements.
Thus the exciseman, beginning with authors
brains, would descend through rags, and duly
end with paper The professed tax upon news
is captious and arbitrary; arbitrary, | say, for
what is not news! a noble lord makes a
speech his rays Of intelligence, compressed
Ike Millions fallen angels, die in few black
rows Of type; and this is newsi And is not a
new book newsl Let Ovid first tell us how
Midas laid himself down, and-priva,e and con.
fdential-whispered to the reeds, IL have ears y
and is not that newsl Do many noble lords.
even in parliament, tell US any thing newer
The tax on advertisements is--it is patent-a
tex even upon the industry of the very hardest
workers Why should the exchequer way lay
the errand.boy, and oppress the maid Of all
work. Wherefore should Mary Anne be made
TO disburse her eighteen-pence at the stamp.of-
fee. ere she can show her face in print, wanting
place, although 10 the discontinue Of those
first-created chancellors Of the exchequer-ihe
spiders.
| In conclusion, I must congratulate the meet.
| ing on the advent Of the new chancellor Of the
exchequer. the Right Honorable Benjamin Dis.
rael, who is the successful man Of letters lie
| has ink in hi- veins. The gooseauill--let gold
i auN shftis'NNo ~ lutl iUhl-ltaus bNt
House Of Commons Thus, feel confident
that the literary instincts Of the right honora.
bic gentleman will give new animation 70 the
GOODNESS Of craftsmanship, apt 10 be numbed by
| tightness Of red tape. We are, learn, early
taught 10 despair Of the right hon. gentleman,
because he is allowed TO be that smallest OF
things, "a wit" Is arithmetic for ever TO be
the monopoly Of substantial respectable dull.
nessl Must il be that chancellor Of the OK
ehequer, like Portals portrait, is only to be
found In Ieadl No sir; have cheerful faith
that our new fiscal minister will, 10 the confu.
sion Of obese dullness, show his potency over
| pounds, shillings, and pence. The exchequer
+. s. d. that have hitherto ON as three witches
the Weird Sisters STOPPING US whether We
turned, the right hon. gentleman will al the
least transform the Three Graces making them
in all their salutations at home and abroad, vel.
come and agreeable. Bot with respect 20 the
e. 9. d. upon knowledge, he will, feel conf.
dent, cause at once the weird sisterhood q
melt into thin air and thus-let the meeting
take heart with The assurance-thus will fade
and be dissolved the penny news tax-the or
rand boys and maid. Of al-works' tax-and IN.
tax on that innocent white thing, the tax or
/ paper.
/ With this hope, remain yours faithfully,
| DOUGLAS JERROID