The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-22
Cheap Literature.

WE have spoken of the cost of newspa pers,
and yet have something more to say upon
the subject. Why should the price of sim
gle copy Of a daily journal be so high-why
should the public be required to pay two or
three cents for it? This is question which
many put to themselves, but which they are
not competent to answer. We may as well
throw some light on the matter, if for no bet
ter reason than to crafty an unintelligent
curiosity. II the first place, the wages of
labor in this country have greatly advanced
since the civil war began, and they have not
yet declined, though the war is closed. The
cost of all materials, also, has increased in
like proportion. But that increase has been
most felt in the rise that has taken place in
the price OF the blank paper on which the
daily journal is printed. The very same arli-
Gle which but six years ago cost only SIX or
seven cents pound, now costs from eighteen
to twenty-five cents. That is a very serious
difference, when it is considered that the
blank sheet costs more than the printed
sheet is sold for.
We are in favor of protection to LONE in
Federal Government exercise, judiciolsly, all
its power in the encouragement and defense
OF home labor and home manufactures. But
there is limit beyond which the protective
policy should pot pass, and cannot pass with
out injurious consequences. In word, there
are some branches of industry in our country
which an iniudcious tariff will either utterly
o1 -
course which must defeat entirely the object
of protective tariff. This is especially true
of the business Of those who print newspapers
and books. The price of paper in this country,
and the wages of labor are so high, that 1t is
found to be actually cheaper to have Ameri-
can books published in Great Britain aud inn
ported into the United States, than to print
them here. An exchange paper says:-
"On account OF the eXorbitant price of paper
in this country, the APPLEroNs have found it
necessary to send the plates of 'WeSser's
Spelling Book 10 England, and TO order one
hundred thousand copies. On the same account,
LIPPINCoTT, OF Philadelphia, has sent the plates
of the fine Prayer Books and B bles published
by him to Great Britain, where the books will
be printed, and afterwards imported to this
country"
We are not prepared to say whether the
above statement is true or false. But if it be
true, it is full of significance for those who
favor protective system that is so extrava-
CANT in its provisions as to compel American
publishers to get their work done in foreign
lands in order to save expense. We should be
sorry to have our national tariff so arranged
as to drive employment away from our own
printers to those OF Europe. And yet it would
seem that, under the present law regulating
this matter, it is cheaper to have American
works published in England and imported
into this country, than to print them at home.
This can only be explained by the fact that
the wages of labor and the price Of paper in
the United States are so much greater than
they are in England, that our publishers can
have their printing done abroad, and their
books imported afterwards, cheaper than they
Y can print them in Philadelphia or New York.
This is not a very agreeable revelation. 1t
should startle and alarm those who advocate
a protective tariff that is so eXtravagantly
high as to protect foreign rather than do
nestle labor. And yet that would appear to
be already the effect OF the protective system,
as applied to foreign paper and foreign print
ing.
But there is another fact in this connection
that is worth the serious consideration OF
Congress. However high, or prohibitOry
even the tariff on foreign fabrics may be- the
tax on literature should be kept as low as
possible. Not only should the least practica-
BILE restriction be placed on the importation
of foreign books, but it would be highly bene-
| flcial to admit free of duty imprinted foreign
paper, which would cheaper the price of Anne
rican books by materially reducing the cost
of their publication. And this is especially
desirable in this country, in which the intelli
| gence and virtue of the people are the basis
of government, and where good editions OF
the works of the best native and foreign au-
thors should be cheap enough to be within
the means of all, instead of the rich only.
Wherever the masses generally are enlght-
ened by reading and reflection, there liberty
and loyalty are usually found to co-exist in
the highest degree of perfection. "In Eng
land" says GoLpsnTR, "where there are as
many new books published as in all the rest
OF Europe together spirit of freedom and
reason reigns among the people; they have
been often known to act like fools-they are
generally found to think like men,"