The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-01-31
the Tax ON NewspaPers.

The Tax On Newspapers
The Solons of the present Congress are
determined to tax newspapers, and the dis
cussion of the subject has ELECTED various
opinions as to its practicability One paper
in New York says that "the press will make
no outcry, because the import will not affect
the circulation in the least, every man
who reads in America being perfectly
willing to pay one cent more for daily
qualification that has proven more necessary
to him than many petty, and not always
harmless indulgencies, on which the poorest
man lavishes dozens" The editor takes it
for granted that the tax will be one cent
upon each copy of a newspaper. Let US see
what would be the effect. For example,
the JOURNAL is furnished to subscribers at
S. per annum. There are 312 publish
ing days in the twelvemoath. Here,
then, would be an addition to the snbscrip-
ton price of So IL, making the price per
year So IL. This is a pocket-pieking impost
which the public would not long submit to.
To say that such a tax would not decrease
the circulation of the Journal, is absurd
Again, it is proposed to tax advertisements.
This, o. course, would be added to the price
of advertising, and the effect would be to
Danish advertisements from the columns of
our newspapers, and thus in a short time
every printing concern in the West would
fail, and the people would be deprived of
local papers and compelled to sustain the
wealthy metropolitan journals. And this
is the reason why the New York papers ia
vor the tax. They know it would break
down establishments of limited means, and
give them the monopoly of supplying news
to the whole country.
The proposition is, to begin in this matter
where the English have left off They tried
the system. At first the tax was fourteen
cents on a single sheet. This was reduced
il 1886 to two cents, and in 1855 it was
wholly abolished. Advertisements were
formerly taxed in England eighty-four cents
each, but this was abolished in 1853, and for
the first time in one hundred and fifty years
the people of England had free press.
The result at once was the establishment
of newspapers all over the United Kingdom
of newspapers at once cheap and good.
Twenty-Five years ago every London paper
cost fourteen cents at least STAMP duty in
cluded) }, and some sold at more; but now
there are numerous coed journals in Lon
don and other places at two cents
The present Congress seek to fasten upon
the country a system of taxation which even
England repudiated as nuisance. They
propose tax upon Knowledge; to fetter
the press and place the newspapers of the
country, the great eivilizers of the age,
beyond the reach of the laboring man, and
the mechanic. This would be the inevisa-
BILE consequence of the proposed tax, be-
cause it would so diminish the circulation
of newspapers that the former prices o.
subscription would be largely augmented
and papers now furnished for five dollars per
annum would be compelled to double their
subscription price. Let us as nation take
no step backward 'or revive in this free
land, system which England has repudia-
ted and shaken off forever. If there is one
blessing of our government to be thankful
for more than for any other, it is the free
dom of the press not only the freedom
OF opinion in the columns of our news
papers, but that freedom from tax
alton and government surveillance where
reby the people are furnished with pa
pers at such trifiing cost, enabling the
poorest man to read each day, the record of
events and political condition of the country.
Let orr Legislators apply themselves to
search out other sources of revenue. An
uniform stamp-duty on all receipts and
bank-checks would be productive. In
England, stamp-receipt must be given for
all sums over forty shillings (Ss,) and this
stamp costs two cents. It is the same for
checks, drafts, or orders on demand. Agree.
ments, letters or powers of attorney, bills of
exchange or promissory notes, protests,
bonds and mortgages, bills of lading, APP
prentiees' indentures, legacies, male SER
wants, dogs, horses for private use, carriages.
Except omnibuses and eabs,) and ouaek
medicines, are all taxed in England. and
might be made productive hare, now that
public purposes require large public rev.
enue. Would it not be well to try these,
or some of them, before imposing taxes on
Knowledge