The New York herald., 1862-03-15


In time of war; 1t partakes of the nature of
treason, inasmuch as it gives aid and comfort to
the enemy.
The Proposed Tax Upon Newspapers.
The proprietors of the abolition journals OF
this city, anxious to escape paying the expenses
OF war which they have brought upon us, are
organizing strong lobby to effect the reduc-
ton OF the proposed tax upon newspapers By
combining with disafected persons of other pro-
fessions, who also think themselves too greatly
taxed, these journalists have succeeded in ar
ranging very formidable opposition. The pa
pers mean to keep very quiet about this matter, in
orderto avoid the public obloquy and contempt
which will result from the initiation of such
movement; and we therefore warn members Of
Congress to be on their guard against these tax
reduction lobbyists, who are striving to accom-
plish secretly what the papers they represent
dare not advocate openly 1t is very natural
that the abolition journals should desire to
escape the Nemesis of taxation; but, upon
the general principle of impartiality and the
special fact that they have caused the war,
the country insists that these papers shall be
taxed
We find it currently reported that Secretary
Chase is preparing tax bill in lieu of that
offered by Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania. We
have no doubt that Secretary Chase's bill will
be very good; and, for our own part, we see
nothing decidedly Objectionable in that now
before the country. The really vital point is
the immediate passage of a tax bill in some
form or other, and the question of the accepta-
bility of the bills offered can better be settled
by discussions in Congress and by the press
than by perpetually framing new schedules of
taxation to be objected to by interested parties
as soon as completed, and then followed by
other new bills equally Objectionable. Lot
some tax bill or other be put upon its passage,
and it will soon be corrected and amended,
whether it be originally drawn up by Mr..
Stevens or Mr.. Chase It is perfectly nonsensi-
cal to suppose that all parties will be satisfied
by any bill for the best legislator never can
arrange tax of which every man pays nothing
and every mans neighbor or rival pays all.
But if q tax bill is impartial it will satisfy the
country at large, and that is the only thing re-
quired. Listening to every grumbler never
yet enabled man to 60 right. If Secretary
Chase or any other framer of tax bills designs
to satisfy everybody, he will find himself in the
same condition as the man who took so much
contradictory advice about riding to market
that, towards the end of the journey, be made .
donkey of himself and carried the very beast
he should have been comfortably straddling.
We believe that heavy tax upon news
papers is necessity of the war, and one of the
best, most feasible and least Objectionable
means of raising revenue. But, besides this,
there is no other tax possible which will so
greatly and so permanently benefit the country.
The advocates of reduction of the tax say
it is shameful that the press of the United States
should have to submit to taxation, just as the
press of aristocratic England is to be relieved
from this burthcn. Fine words these, but they
butter no parsnips for us. England is not now
engaged in costly war; and, what is much more
to the point, England is not about to abrogate
newspaper taxes. If she did, the swarm Of
Jacobin journals which such measure would
breed would involve England in a revolution
in less than twenty years. What has caused
this civil war but the pernicious utterances and
revolutionary agitations of the demoralized
abolition press? Are there no peculiar social
or political institutions in England which are as
easily vulnerable and as susceptible Of revolu.
tionary agitation as our slavery question, or
that other question Of agrarianism, or the equal
distribution of property, which the abolitionists
threaten to agitate as soon as that of slavery is
settled? With such an example as this
country before them, does any one suppose
the English statesmen are about to put
their heads into the same trap which now
gals and wounds uss By no means. Hitherto
we have allowed every agitator to rush into
print and propagate his ideas at the smallest
possible expense. and we are now reaping the
fruits of our folly in civil war, which appro.
priately crowns, and must forever end the long
line of destestable isms advocated by a de-
moralized press. England is too wise to
allow her chartists the same dangerous privi-
leges we have given to our abolitionists, and
her reward is loyal peace. We must be wise
enough to learn from our own mistakes, and
while we can never consent to make our press
government toy, like that of France, we must
consent to purify journalism by taxation. With
heavy taxes to pay, it would require large
capital to start and maintain newspaper, and
capital is always conservative and loyal. Thus,
without government censorship, and without
in any way interfering with the liberty of the
press, we should at once quietly, legally and
effectually suppress all revolutionary organs.
The government would be better supported.
The morals of the people would be improved.
Politicians would become respectable. A
thousand burthensome expenditures for such
jobs as Corporation advertising would be
retrenchsd Newspapers would then become
the means Of educating the public wisely, and
the press would adopt and sustain higher and