New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-09
euted. fined and imprisoned the misdemeansnss.

heads. cir Il. Denmhn was tircu o"~ e''e~'s''
with his task, and his Government OF last con-
sented so to amend the law as to make II practi-
cable. On the motion OF Sir Edward Bul~er,
then an ardent Liberal, the Commons reduced
the I'D. stamp on newspapers to Id, and contia-
ued to them the privilege Of free postage. The
size of the sheet was, however, restricted with
in certain limits. This crest and memoir
able change became operative on September
18th. 1896. On that day the fiscal accumulations
of century were wiped off from the newsPa-
per sheet, the penny stamp alone surviving.
The daily journals then reduced their price
from I'd to 3D., and the weekIies with the
exception of The SPECTATOR from Cd. to Cd. The
press of the British Isles has incOntestibly -four
ished under this arrangement. In 1855 the ag-
gregate number of stamps issued was 81 millions;
in 1854 il was more than / | millions. The pres
ent body of newspaper proprietors, so far from
regarding il as burden, have coveted the stamp
as a monopoly. The next alteration of the las was
made in 1853. We have seen the pamphlet duty
swept away, the advertisement duty reduced
from Be-. Sd. to Is. Cd, and the stamp from I'd.
IN Id. In 1853 the remains Of the advertisement
duty were repealed and the size OF the sheet
was enlarged-that is single sheet Supplement-
was allowed to pass free of stamp duty and a
double sheet burdened with the duty of id. only.
Meantime the House of Commons, ratifying the
report of its committee, had declared that the
law relating to the stamp duty on newspapers
was in an unsatisfactory state. The Board of H.
kkAh ah Of uariiu M
"class newspapers, that is musical, legal, lit
erary, horticultural and such professional pub
locations, as free from the operation of the Act,
although these papers were in the habit OF CIV
ing incidentally to their main object certain
amount of political intelligence; and the
Board was also defeated in most of its prosecu-
tions.
Last wear came the war, and along with
il new Battle of the Unstamped at home.
The popular thirst for news was intense; TO
satisfy it unstamped papers, called The var
T,I,oraph. Var Ners, and the like sprsp5
Nm in rorcon Manchester, Glasgow, Ediu-
burg and many of the large towns They
were devoted solely to intelligence ''V~
the seat of war, and their courageous publishers
insisted that they were therefore "class" news.
papers and outside the scope of the Stamp Act.
They defed the Government. The Attorney
General, Sir Alexander Cockburn, was 10 the
same fix as Sir Thomas Denman twenty years
before; they were both above their business,
a.d for the sake of both an impressible Wing
Government gave way. Although the Govern
ment was in great want of money, and the repeal
of the Stamp duty put in peril f45O, 600 OF an
nual revenue, bill to give effect to this resolu'
ton was introduced by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer this session. The measures OF 80
and '55, be il observed, are due entirely to the
people; it was they who, taking the law into
their own hands, by rendering it imperative ne
cesstated its amendment. Sir Edward Bulwer
speaking now as Conservative, put this point
well in an GRAFTON copied at the time by large
portion of the American Press: "While we dis
"cuss. the law for all good purposes is virtually
dead. see only an Attorney-General who
"does not prosecute and a Jury who won't con-
"vict. You may adopt this amendment; you
"may postpone the question:; you may retain
"the sword for time in your neryeless hand.
Al defy you to reanimate the muscle. L defy
"you to strike the blow"
The bulk of the Tory party in the Commons
opposed the measure on the ground that at such
a time no sacrifice of revenue should be made;
but they were beaten by considerable MAORI
ties. In the Lords the Opposition let the bill
pass in moody and sullen silonce at such a
time and on such question the Lords felt they
could not afford to put themselves in antagOnism
with the Commons and the Ministry. The last
arrival conveys to us the news that on the
18th of June il received the Royal assent. On
the 1st instant, by the terms of the new law,
the Newspaper Stamp Tax ceased to exist.
Thus from I'LL to 1850 period of l4i years
we have traced the origin, gradual growth,
elimination, gradual decay, and death ofa insti-
tuition. This chapter of events presents beau
tiful example of those attributes of unbrOken
continuity and steady progressive development
of which the history of British civilization is so
richly illustrative. The Newspaper Stamp con-
meets the names and times of Addison and
Steele with those of Bulwer and Dickens.
Were Addison now on the earth, he might con-
tinue his Spectator with fair prospect Of profit;
if the shade of Swift do still correspond with
that of Stella, it may now write: ado you not
know that Grub-street has been made happy
"againl"
ANOTHER SHOT IN THE LOCKER.