The New York herald., 1862-02-01
Newspaper Taxation.


1t is little surprising that those abolition
journals which have been all the while crying
"blood," "give us battles" "onward to Rich
mond" and the like are now the very first to
back down when they are asked to submit to
tax upon newspapers in order to help pay the
national piper for his military music. They
want all the pomp and circumstance, blood and
thunder, battles and sieges of war, but they do
not like to pay the shot. We are afraid this is
another indication of the fact that abolition
editors are as mean and unpatriotic as they are
unscrupulous.
The aboltiOnists themselves admit that they
have been the cause of this war, and, indeed,
made. Why, then, are they not willing to pay
for it? They have been all along urging the
most extreme haste and undue forwardness in
our military operations; and they know that
hasty movements are always expensive in
preparation, Qor there is no time for econo-
my,) and still more expensive in their exc
cution, or their lack Of it. Why, then, do the
abolition editors refuse to help pay this ex-
pense? They confess that they were wrong in
advocating that attack upon Manassas which
has added months to the duration and millions
to the cost Of the war. Why then, are they so
backward in assisting to pay the cost? They
know that the imprudent purchases made by
themselves, their relatives or friends for the
government, and the contract frauds in which
either they or their political favorites were in
tercsted, have increased largely the pecuniary
outlay necessary. Why, then, are they unwill-
ing to help pay that outlay? Their pockets
cannot be at fault; for the abolition journals
are always insisting that they are very sue
ccssful; that gold pen enterprises do not de-
note pecuniary weakness; that the Legislature
is not their resort because ofany lack of means;
that Cummings did not share his army ale with
them. What, then, is at fault? Is it their patri-
otism?
Why, one who read and believed the state
ments of the abolition newspapers about their
desire for war, and about their own prosperity,
would have imagined them standing ready and
eager to be taxed as, in certain countries, roast.
ducks are said to fly about carrying knives and
forks, and diligently quacking, "Come and eat
us" But, now that Secretary Chase seems dis
posed to avail himself of the kind invitation, the
abolition editors change their tune, and cry
loudly, "Dont tax knowledge!" Tax know
ledge! Why, if the newspaper tax were ap-
plied-as 1t ought, in strict justice, to be-only
to abolition newspapers, it would not be know
ledge, but ignorance, impudence, vice, immo-
rality, fanatcism and trash which would be
taxed. If this plea about taxing knowledge
is to be raised at all, for the sake of truth
and modesty let it be raised by some news
paper which imparts knowledge to the
people, and not by the quack doctors Of the
Times, the spouting financial wretches Of the
World or the crazy negro-worshippe of the
Tribune, whom tax upon knowledge would
never reach, unless, indeed, it were tax upon
knowledge of our army movements, reasonably
published forrebcl benefit.
No, a tax upon newspapers is just and right,
and should be Immediately imposed. No pa
triotic newspaper would refuse to pay quar-
ter or half cent tax, or more, if required,
upon every copy issued. For ourselves, we
are willing to pay, and to pay without grum-
bling, any tax the government may think ct to
levy upon our circulaton; for the knowledge
conveyed by newspapers must and ought to
be taxed, in this emergency, just as largely as
the knowledge employed in any other busi-
ness-and we hold that all sorts of business
should be taxed. Let the abolition journals toe
the same mark, or quietly dccease.