, 1862-01-27

STAMP TAX ON NEWSPAPERS.
The New York dailies set up loud cry
against the ILL preventing newspapers
from being c. rried outside Of the mails, ea;
cept upon paying full postage; but With q
singular Inconsistency, they are now advo-
eating the imposition Of stamp taz, which
the enemies Of q free press will be only too
elat1 tn enact The Committee Of Ways
and Mcans-Thad Stevens Chairman
propose to levy stamp tax Of half cent
on each printed sheet, and the New York
<'ailies endorse the scheme. Frank P. Blair,
whose public reputation consists as largely |
Of printers ink as any man in Congress, i
advocated this oppressive imposition in
three speeches on Colfax's bill. What his i
particular reason is for taking this course !
We are not advised But the motive that j
actuates the New York Tribune, Herald, I
1ines and WVr7d to advocate q stamp tax !
On the issues Of newspapers, is not difficult /
TO divine. Under the reign Of stamp |
taxes they have seen how the London
Times and few other concerns atrangled ;
nearly all the provincial papers and enjoy
ed q monopoly Of the publishing business.
The New York dai1ics propose TO secure
similar monopoly TO the,nse}es. One of
thc1n-the WorEd-lets the cat out Of the
bag. It says that, 1.-THE effect Of this tax
"would be public a benefit, in raising tie
"priee Of journals, and concentrating the
business in the hands Of the really able
"and worthy large city (New York; news
papers. Few papers, and better ones,
would be the result The selfish, grasp
ing New York concerns, favor the stamp
tax for the purpose Of killing of the coun-
try press, and crippling every paper pub
]ished outside Of Gotham. For the same
reason they urged Congress to repeal the
right Of free exchanges, and Of free cireu-
lation within the county Of publication.
The more burdens they can get imposed
| on the country press, the larger
| field it leaves for themselves 1t is from
| this disinterested stand point that they ex-
hort Congress to lay on special taxes For
! q long time they have been wanting to
| raise their own prices, but have held back
fearing cut-under competition. Their
| wholesale pricesis $3.50 per hundred sheets.
| # the stamp were Oh, they would increase
the price to 81 so per 100 sheets, and the
/. carriers in the city and news-dcalers within
two or three hundred miles, would charge
Is to 20 cents per week, instead Of II to
is as now. One cent and half is barely
cost Of white paper, press-work and hand,
ling. But two cents and half leaves a
considerable margin Of profit, often paying
the proposed stamp. They calculate thai
the loss Of circulation by the increase
Of price will be recovered, as ths
country papers, one after another
succumb, under the stamp stran
gu]ation. The places thus made va
cant the New York papers expect TO fill
How "the public will be benefited b,
having the price Of their paper
doubled On them, will puzzle th
dear public to comprehend; or hoV
it would be benefit to the commu
nifty, to have the local papers killed o.
is equally difficult to understand. An
, it will be hard to convince commo
sense people, that it is sound policy q
wise craftsmanship to impose on an
useful branch Of productive industry S
, ! heavy burden, On the pretext Of raj
a ing revenue, as to break down an
, slIpwrcck onc-half Of those who have en-
! barked their capital, skill and labor in sue
4 business. We can understand why tlos
! Congressman, who fear and hate q .fr
e press, will favor this scheme; but that an
i friend Of q free press should support sue
r u ill is cause for astonish1nent. It cost
a struggle Of fifty years to iberatc the EN-
5 1ish press from odious stamps and speci
G taxes fastened on them by the aristocrac
a Is our Republican Congress going to gaths
h up those thrown away fetters. and riv
c them on the American press. With IL
"a tional debt Of four thousand millions of de
t lars to carry, a standing army Of 5000
st men and navy Of thousand vessels
,e war to support; with an expensive Royalt
oe State Church and Civil Service to mai
~ tain, and an immense pauper service
IN support-the British Government,
n. the face Of all these, deliberately !
"a pea1s the stamp tax on newspape
r and sets The press free. The groun
-. on which this measure OF emancipation #
m carried against the ar1stocracy were fir;
that tax on the diffusion ofpublic inform
"a ton was contrary to the spirit ofthe age, "
~ injurious alike to the community and
- publishers; second, that special and onerc
- taxes On useful production, damaged lab
- checked the accumulation of capital; dep
ha ciated the value Of property; depressed a
-, crippled business, and that the revenue P
80 cured from such special exactions On CT
vn tive industry, IS more than counterbala
,of ed by the loss Of revenue from direct ta:
.h On capital, on income and on custol
a. Therefore. while such stamp taxes
~ newspapers are public nuisance an
1,o g4ieyous burden On the business Of ma
a featuring newspapers, they are 8 folly !:
br- blunder as scheme Of revenue. Wo
q, j. hurt our theoretical statesmen to tai
~ lesson from their British compeers2 Y
the British Government don't know al
,or. the art Of raising revenue is not wt
,;no knowing.
aM' B 4 curious conspiracy case is be
was the courts in Philadelphia. It dates back
o years. One Mrs. Bowen, it seems, WIS lie
lin widow With five grown daughtcrs), vi
; he properly in Cumberland Co. !, NJ, ,worths5
.itb- Four Philadelphia sharpers set upon the
Nd ladies to swind1c them out Of the prop,
49, Finding they could not coax them to sell,
'se' got them involved in 4 trihing debt
was cast them into prison; got some Of their
9uo- lederatcs to bcfriend them, who took the
ace Philadelphia, boarded them, and introdu'
hers lawyer to he their counsel. The lawyer 10
n in money 10 pay the debt-only SO. He
dol the parties, in the name Of the ladies, for
Il IN imprisonment, ard under pretencc that
g. ages would be recovered, took their VT
agreement to fec Of fifty per cent, ?
~ fifty per cent, as it afterwards appeared,