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

DOUGLAS JERRoLp addressed the following
telling letter to the association for promoting
the repeal of all the taxes on knowledge, and par
ticularly the newspaper stamp, in reply to re-
invitation to be present at recent meeting:
WEST LODGE, PUrNEY LOWER COMMON,
February 18th, 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
paternal warnings for the education of people,
defies the argument of reason. Why not, to
help the lame, and to aid the short, sighted, lay
q tax upon cru'ches, and enforce duty upon
spectacles? am not aware of the number OF
professional writers-of men who live rom
pen to Notwithstanding this day in merry
England but it appears to me, and the notion
to a new chancellor of the exchequer-U am
happy to say one of "my orders" of the goose
quill not of the heron's plume Inlay have
some significance why not have a 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 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? noble lord makes a
speech his rays of intelligence, compressed
Ike Millions fallen angels, die in n few black
rows of type; and this is news! And is not
new book news? Let Ov'd first tell us how
Midas aid himself down, and-private and con-
fderkhl-whispered to the reeds, II have ears !"
and is not that news? 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 hardeSI
workers. Why should the exchequer way Ia
the errand-boy, and Cypress the maid Of aES
work? Wherefore should Mary Anne be mad9
to disburse her eighteen-pence at the stamp. Of
fice ere she can show her face in print, wanting
place, although to the discontinue of those
first created chancellors Of the exchequer-the
spiders.
In conclusion, must congratulate the meet
ing on the advent of the new chancellor of the
exchequer, the Right Honorable Benjamin Dis
raei, who is the successful man of letters. He
has ink in his veins The goosequill-let gold
and silverstcks twinkle as they may-lead the
House of Commons. Thus, feel confident
that the literary instincts of the right honora-
BILE gentleman will give new animation to the
GOODNESS of craftsmanship, apt to be numbed by
tightness of red tape. We are, | learn, early
taught to despair of the right hon. gentleman,
because he is allowed to be that smallest of
things, ga wit" Is arithmetic for ever to be
the monopoly of substantial respectable duf-
ness? Must it be that chancellor of the ex
chequer, like Portals port it, is only to be
found in lead? No sir; have cheerful faith
that our new fiscal minister will, to the conlu.
sion Of obese dullness, show his potency over
pounds, shlings, and pence. The exchequer
e. s. d. that have hitherto been as three witches
the Weird Sisters stopping us whether we
turned, the right hon. gentleman will ut the
least transform the Three Cruces, making them
in all their salutations at home and abroad, well
come and agreeable. But with respect to the
e. g. d. upon knowledge, he will, | feel conf.
dent, cause at once the weird sisterhood to
melt into thin air and thus--let the meeting
take heart with the assnrance-thus will fade
and be dissolved the penny news tax-the err
rand boys and maid Of all-works' tax-and the
tax on that innocent white thing, the tax or
paper.
With this hope, remain yours faithfully,
DOUGLAS JERROLD.