Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-03-30

in the Post Office at the same time
From its very origin, the d" tax on news"
has been combated by the patrot.statesmen
of Great Brtain-hy Erskine, Macintosh,
Russell, Brougham, and the whole Reform
party. When the Penny Cyclopmdia was
published by the Society for the diffusion of
useful knowledge, Lord Brougham stated
that it failed to reach one large class of per-
sons for whom it was intended, the poorest |
agriculturists, because it contained no news.
The way to reach such people with agricul-
ural knowle1 &c, he said, was not by AL |
stract teachings on the subject. hut by en-
listing their interest in agricultural ne,cs, in |
details which would carry some personal in
terest with them as connected with neighbor |
or district, or some well known farm.
The last of these taxes on knowledgc-thc
advertisement duty--was repealed in July
1853. Previous to that time, every separate
advertisement, whether long or short,
whether announcing that plain cook wanted
situation, or that noble Lord wanted to
sell an estate, was subject to a tax of Is I'd.
At one time this tax was as high as S. Cd
| Up to 1853, the revenue annually from adj
vcrtisement taxes was Gl75,000
| Now notice one fact. During all the strug-
| giles for securing these successive reaxations
Of Government restrictions upon the Press,
the Press itself has always been the most
stubborn enemy to the reform At the first
hint of any Parliamentary agitatons on the
subject, Parliament has invariably been over
whelmed with circumstances from the Press
The reason is obvious. The long established
papers which have lived through these heavy
restrictions, and trived under them, have Sc
cured monopoly of patronage which they
could not retain under a freer system. 1t is
we'll known to you that n vast amount ofcap-
ital has been sunk in attempts to establish
now journals under the old oppressive system
Of newspaper taxes. Accordingly from the
very outset, the Press has resisted every
measure not only for the entire abolition but
even ior the reduction of these taxes, as an
outrage on its own vested rights :"
A few days ago, Mr.. Gladstone, (late Chan
ccllor of the Exchequer,) gave notice of his
, intention to introduce bill doing away with
the stamp duty and the security system, -
abolshing Castlereagh's "six acts and
making newspapers chargeablc with postage.
And now it is worth while to watch the mo-
tons of the Press How its porcupine bris-
ties rise How tiercey it attacks the 'ene-
, mics Of the Press" How Jealous for the
+ free transmission Of news, so long privilege
Of the poor
As sort Of salve for these martyred lour.
nails which have filed the kingdom with theil
, cries, the bill provides that for a period o.
ten years to come, any newspaper weighing
less than four ounces, may be sfampcd, anc
ring seven days after its publication. The
Times considers this as clause especially
intended for its overthrow, and pitcous ar,
its complaints against the ini1uitous meas
urc.
The favorite argument against the repca
:, OF the stamp duties the same winch wa
, originally used for justifying Government re
strictions, and the same which has Away
, been brought against any abatement Of thes
restriction, is that without such a restraint
the country will be flooded with cheap, low
and immoral publications; whereas now, til,
, penny stamp securing free retransmission o
:, the best journals, the poorest people may
, read them al second hand. The fnvoritc il
, lustration is the Newspaper Press of tn
= United States; by quoting recent extract
4 from the Herald, and making capital out o
=, the unsympatbzing tone of the American
Press with the fortunes of England in tn
war, the impression is conveyed that such
Press would be Il curse to the land. To sucl
: arguments you can easily reply for your
selves they need no comment from me
There are two things, however, which il
justice to the English Press, should not pas
: unmentioned. think have already ha,
y occasion to speak of tho wonderful abilit,
! displayed in tho conduct of the principa
morning papers. Indeed this is almost thu
', only wonder in London which has not become
familiar to me. can pass with cockney'
Indifference under the dome Of St. Paul's
have ceased to make a marvel of tho roof o
Westminster Hall, or Of Henry Wis Chapel
| have even become familiar with gas a noon
, time; but morning paper is still new won
der every day. An able speaker on an i'm
portant subject closes his speech after mid
night; the next morning at 5 o'clock, no
only every word of that speech is IN print
hut two or three long leaders besides, discus.
sing every point it contains, and in their ee
CANT and luminous style, apparently indica
ting as much elaboration as the famous
"Panegyric" Of antiquity
, An erroneous i'm preston as to the numbc,
of newspaper readers in England is deducec
y from the returns of the number of copies pull
lshed. The price of n London daily is Sd
f amounting to about $50 year. or cours,
, none but the really wealthy can afford sucl
: a sum for newspaper. Accordingly ont
I copy is made 10 do the service Of half doz
: en-. In the first place, every beer shop, cot
: fce-house and luncheon-ro room, in every yillag,
e OF town, is supplied with the dailies. Wher
} the workman steps into a cofee-ho to &c
, "chop and glass of ale," he orders tn,
d Time, or the Chronicle; even the carter wht
/ gives his dray a breathing time while h
. smokes pipe and drinks his beer from q pew
c ter mug, expects TO see the --latest news from
: the Crimea." And mind you, these English
, workmen don't swallow their glasses as j
they knew the strong arm Of the Maine Law
WIS over them; they take it leisurely, anc
] read between smacks Then again, dali,
Q paper is not an cphemeri,: it is not allowed
, to die for many days. In every News Ven
D dcrs shop, you see advertised Yesterday
} papers at half'price." A very large nun
Der of to-day's issue, including almost al
taken by publicans and victualers, many by
) merchants and private persons, will go by thu
J evening mail into tho country, to be read anC