Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-01-25
The Propo.ed Tax ON Neyspapers.


We commend to the attention Of Congress thu
sensible and truthful article in this morning.
Baltimore SHn, upon the proposition Of Mr.. Col
fax to compel the publishers Of newspapers to pay
postage on their papers sent to distant subscri
bers by other means Of conveyance than the mails
and also TO tax all who publish between one and
five thousand Issues quarter Of cent on each
paper they print, and all who publish over five
thousand copies half cent on each.
So far as the penny journals are concerned, TIL:
proposition, II 1t becomes law, will instantly
compel their proprietors to suspend their publ.
cation, and will therefore entirely defeat the de
sign Of collecting that or any other war tax what
ever from that class OF business men.
For instance: the Philadelphia Ledger, Wash
ington Star, Baltimore San and Clipper, New
YORK San, and Boston Herald, all journals Of very
Experimentation receive for those papers furnished
to regular subscribers, but 66-IO0 Of cent each;
a price barely paying for the white paper on
which and the ink with which they are printed,
after deducting the loss from spoiled sheets and
other Incidental wastage.
Now, to compel tine publishers Of those journals
to PAY into the Treasury OF the United States for
one year, half cent upon every sheet they print
In that time, will surely be to exact from them
not only their whole income for the year, but very
probably all they have accumulated from business
In years past.
SO fs- that class Of journals-those Of greatest
c!rculation-is concerned, If the proposition of
MIR COlfax becomes a law, they must instantly
cease 10 exist.
To enact that every member Of Congress shall
pay into the United States Treasury, for the sup
port Of the war; AIS ghOEs salary and the proceeds
Of the sale Of hiS tcho!s property of ersTy dsserp
fIoH, would only be legisating with reference to
themselves, as Mr. Colfax proposes to legislate
with reference 20 the penny press of the country.
No member of either House has come forward
with any such proposition bearing upon Congress
however.
AS class, the press are willing, Of course, to
bear their fair share of necessary taxation for wal
purposes; but not to have their entire business ut
tsrly destroyed, and their ability to pay any
nue. whatever into the National Treasury DESTROYED
with It. The principle upon which such taxation
Is conceived-enormously disproportionate taxa
zion upon the m ost useful business Of the times
is worse than foolish one. Taxation, to be sat-
isfactory to the country, should be fair and equal
uIon all classes, in proportion TO their means
disProportionately large only on such branches of
business az should be discouraged, as 1t were for
the public interest, and on such as furnish the
public with luxuries.
We do not propose to attempt to frame war
tar bin; that, not being our function. But we
protest against the instant and sweeping destroc-
ton Of our ability to pay any war tax into the Ma
tional Treasury on our property or on our income,
BY legislation nominally designed to make our
business pay a heavier tax than that Of other bu.
siness houses and other property holders by whom
we are surrounded
N. b. There Is hardly penny paper In the
nited states Of ten thousand daily circulation,
the clear profits of which amount, at most, to
more than five thousand dollars per annum; and
few Characterization the net profits of which are
mere than two thousand dcllsrs per annum Ye.,
under the tax on newspapers proposed by M
Colfax, the proprietor Of such paper of that cir
culation, would be compelled to pay an annual
az OF SIS, 800 per annum!