Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-31
The Proposed Tax on Newspapers


We commend to the attention Of Congress
the sensible and truthful article in this
mornings Baltimore Sun, upon the PROPOSE
ton of Mr.. Colfax to compel the publishers
OF newspapers to pay postage on their pa
pers sent to distant subscribers by other
means of conveyance than the mails, and
also to tax all VINO publish between one and
five thousand issues quarter of q 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,
this proposition, if it becomes law, will in
stantly compel their proprietors to suspend
their publication, and will therefore entirely
defeat the design of collecting that or any
other war tax whatever from that class of
business men.
For instance: The Philadelphia Ledger,
Washington Star, Baltimore Sun aud Clip
per, New York Sun and Boston Herald, all
journals of very large circulation, receive for
those papers furnished to regular subscrib.
ers but &C. 100 of a cent esch-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 the publishers of those
journals to pay into the Treasury of the
United States, for one year, half cent upon
every su66L Ju6y III luhG Llue, Will
surely be to exact from them not only their
whole income for the year, but very proba-
bly, all they have accumulated from business
| in years past.
So far as that class of journals-those of
| greatest circulation--is concerned, if the
| proposition of Mr.. Colfax becomes law,
they must instantly cease to exist.
To enact that every member of Congress
shall pay into the United States Treasury,
fOr ha nf ha bso bola ~,
and the proceeds Of the sale of his whole prop
erty Of eUery ciiption, would only be legis.
lating in reference to themselves, as Mr..
| Coltax proposes to legislate with reference
| to the penny press of the country. No mem-
Der of either House has come forward with
any such proposition bearing upon Congress,
| however.
AS a class, the press are willing, of course,
to bear their fair share of necessary taxation
for war purposes; but not to have their en-
tire business utterly destroyed, and their
ability to pay any revenue whatever into
the National Treasury destroyed with it.
The principle upon which such taxation is
| conceived = enormously disproportionate
taxation upon the most useful business Of
the times-is worse than foolish one. Tax.
alton, to be satisfactory to the country,
should be fair and equal upon all classes, in
proportion to their means -disproportion-
! dlely ldTBe OulV Oh SuCu UChuCubS Vi UuSlu6Ss
as should be discouraged, as it were, for the
public interest, and on such as furnish the
public with Injuries.
We do not propose to attempt to frame q
war tax BILL that not being our function
But we protest against the instant and
sweeping destruction OF our ability to pay
any war tax into the National Treasury OF
our property or on our income, by legisIa
tion nominally designed to make our bust
ness pay heavier tax than that of othel
business houses and other property holder
by whom we are surrounded.
N. B.-There is hardly penny paper il
the United States of ten thousand daily cir
culation, the clear profits of which amount
at most to more than five thousand dollar
per annum; and few of that circulation tn
net profits of which are more than two thou
sand dollars per annum. Yet, under the Ia
on newspapers proposed by Mr.. Colfax, tn
proprietor of such paper of that circulstio
would be compelled to pay an annual tax Q
$4,000 per annuml- Washington Star.