The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-08
VATIOANISM,

VATIOANIsM,
'iIadtOne's BOOE.Rai.es n Row In France
The Paris correspondent of the Londol
Daily Telegraph writes TO that iourna
on August 20: NJ. Bullets explanation
of his reasons in refusing the stamps {,
Mr.. Gladstone's pamphlets is very deli
cately commented on here. 1t NAV b,
desirable to cite the words of this curiou,
| little speech. NJ. Buffet said that h,
could give no precise information on thi.
point. The affair took place under q
former ministry. He might state, no ".
ever, that no work of Mr.. Gladstonc's
had been, or is now, the object of excep-
tlonal proceedings All his writings may
enters freely, circulate freely, and he
freely offered for sale in the many IL
braries which are established, on a mere
| declaration. There cannot be question.
therefore, of measure directed against
the work of Mr.. Gladstone, but only of
the refusal to put on it the government
stamp, by virtue of which the lowest
| chapman is allowed to offer a book in
| streets and public places with the author
| ity of the administration. 1t is general
principle, firmly maintained, to refuse this
stamp for the sale of political and relig-
ious writings Of a certain tone. The
motives of such a general order are too
apparent for any need of insistance.
Moreover, to the best of his belief, no
demand for the stamp has been adj
dressed to the minister. An unknown
person, showing no credentials to repre-
sent author or editor, wrote letter on the
L. ,,-harn,f thn" could 10
clearly made out. NJ. Arago asked what
the government would do if, in the name
of the Catholic church, contrary ideas
were attacked? NJ. Buffet answered that
government would authorize no work
containing a religious controversy. NJ.
D'Aboville then said: You cannot
put on the same footing a religion pro-
fessed by 34,000,000 Frenchmen and re-
ligions like the Protestant and the Jewish,
which count but few hundred thouands
of adhsrents. You must not persecute
the majority Of Frenchmen." This eX
traordinary speech caused some excite
ment, NJ. Arago asking whether or no
the equrlity of all creeds was still recog-
nized. And the incident then dropped.
The Times finds courage to tell some
truths about this matter of the stamp
"M. Buffet" it says, "like all those of
his dogmatic school, believes that the
liberty of selling a book is not n natural !
right. 1t is nothing but a favor which !
government grants at pleasure for the !
profit of those works that please it. The |
stamp is not imposed. 1t is always solic- |
tied, and sometimes obtained, II man
has deserved it by a proper choice of |
subjects thought proper by the committee !
du cOLDOrtdqe, while that committee Obcys !
the lofty direction we know of, are doubt |
less flights of fancy, treated in an airy |
style. Some favorite authors may even /
hope that the minuteness and crudity of |
their studies of manners will serve them
as a recommendation. The predecessor
of NJ. Buffet, Gen. De Chabaud-Latour,
gave Nine. De Gasparin to understand
as much, with a frankness and a Candor
most instructive That lady asked the
stamp for her late husbands work.
II ERnemj de La F'dmiUc. NJ. Chaband-
Latour wrote 81 am sorry to tell you
that while admitting the vigorous
polemics of the book to be rs serious as
the delicacy of the subject demands,
those pOlemics seem to me of such a
nature as to cOmpOrt i'll with the eX-
Dosure of the book in railway stalls. 1t
even appears to me that this work, re-
markable for the elevation of the subject
it discusses, would not find itself i'm
worthy company among books always
frivolous, some licentious." The con-
,lusion of all writers who touch upon
.he matter is that government has once
more incurred the ridicule of thinking
non aSDppiallV of EupliShmpu