The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-04-03
THE PRESS THE BULwAKK OF LIBERTY
speech Of Senator Davis OF Illinois IN the
senate ON March 10.
From the Congregational Recon

From the Congressional Record
Nh. PRESIDENT am charged with the du
ty of presenting IA memorial from Tie publish
crs of the principal newspapers OF Chicago
respectfully asking that the present duty "l
twenty per cent on the valuation of foreign I'M
sized paper be repealed. THIS tax produces
little revenue, and serves only to enlarge the
profit OF manufacturers, who, enjoying mo
nopoly, are able 10 dictate their own terms IL
consumers
These mcmOrialists also ask that the duty
on sodaaSh, principally made abroad, ana iho
duty ON wood straw, and all other pup, he
abolished so that the American manufacturer
of paper will stand on an equal footing WIN
his foreign competitor at the start, with the al
vantage of freight, insurance, ready market
and charges attending importation ON his side,
as against the paper maker abroad. Ana last
", they ask that the duty on type, which Is
virtually prohlbitory, be wiped out, because
like that on paper, it exclusively dement's Il
combination and serves rs prcltNt lor I'M
reasonable prices,
These propositions seem to he so plain and
so lust az to require no argument in their bt-
half What is true of Chicago applies with
equal force to the press of the whole United
States, and especially to that portion OF 1t Ia.
military known as the country papers The
great metropolitan journals take care OF thCm.
selves under almost any condition Of things,
but that fact furnishes no good reason why
they should be subjected 10 imposition or to
wrong. The nam burden Of these taxes falls
heaviest on the papers OF the interior, Deepen
dent on local circulation, and unabl" to com
pete with those of the large cities. After all, 1t
is struggling labor that has to carry the load
of taxation, in whatever form II may be impos
ed The press is one of the wonders attending
the growth of our institutions. In The history
of the human race there is nothing comparab q
TO tins development. 1t is not only the hul-
wark of liberty but il Is the mighty popular
instructor, more bencticcnt and wide reaching
than any other agency but the Christian rellg
ion, OF which it is one OF the main props.
Complaint is made that this power Is some.
times abused, and that we in public life are too
often consciously criticised. IL will be sad
day for the republic when criticism upon the
acts and the speech of Senators and Represen.
tatives shall be curbed, and a stIll sadler day
when those acts and that speech cannot invite
the sternest criticism. What food is to the
body the press is to the mind. 1t has become
a daily necessity and nourishment from the
home of the rich to the cabin of the pioneer on
the plains, whose brain and muscle are lteg-
raj parts of the empire in the West To make
the press wholly independent and to widen It's
influence every restriction OF UNJUST or unWlSc
laws ought to be removed.
The time has come, Mr.. President, when the
mass of inCon gruitics and of huge monopolles,
commonly called the tariff, should be revised
and adapted to the spirit of progressive aye.
\ young people like ours become FESTIVE under
the shackles of old legislation passed IN the
confusion of civil strife or under the persua-
sion of selfish politics. |. may not be practical
bic this session TO reform the revenue system.
Indeed, reputed action elsewhere torbids any
hope of that kind. But there should be no diff.
ticulty in an exceptional case like that present
ed in this memorial. Only few months ago
Congress very properly swept away the obnoX-
lous duty on quininc that had long been main
tanned for the profit of a few manufacturers in
a single city That remedy had at best only a
local application. In this instance the news
papers of the entire country are oppressed by
taxes which are a delusOn and n snare. They
bring nothing of importance INTO the Treasury,
and they only stand, as the duty on quinine
did, as an excuse for increasing the dividends
of what may be described as close corpora
ton of special interests.
beg leave to present the petition, being the
petition of the following named papers in the
city of Chicago: The Chicago Times, Chicago
EreniRg JOurRdl, the Chicago Tribune, IN
nOiS SaatS-/GituHg, Chicago Freie PreSSe, CHI.
cago V0lkS- FreaHd, Chicago DaiLy Telegraph,
and UtutscAo Warte, praying that the present
duty of 20 per cent. on the valuation of foreign
unszcd paper is repealed also that the duty on
sodaash, wood, straw, and other pulp he aboI
ished, and that the duty on type be also abo-
ished | move the reference of the petition to
the Committee on Finance.