Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-12-27
THE DAILY NEWSPAPER
AND ITS DEVELOPMENT
London cofresPondent Writes Enter.
tsining Article on the Subject
Worthy of Consideration

A London correspondent writes:
To ask any one what a newspaper
is seems ridiculous in these days
when they are sold daily by the mil
lion. and yet there was a time when
this country from end to end, and 10
certain extent covered a Govern.
ment with ridicule. This remarkable
episode in the history of journalism Is
recalled by the war Of today, for It
really arose out of the Crimean cam
paign, when England, France and
Turkey fought side by side against
Russia.
For legal purposes a newspaper is
described as a sheet of paper, printed
at short, regular intervals, for con.
veying intelligence of passing events.
Fifty-eight years ago, however. when
the Crimean war broke out, news
papers were a luxury for the well-to-
do. In England the stamp duty on
newspapers was still in force II had
risen from a halfpenny, imposed in
1912, to do 4d. 100 years later, bring
ing up the price of newspapers to I'd.
each--a condition of things which last
ed till 1896, when the duty was reduc-
ed from 4d to Id. to be finally abol-
ished in 1856, as a result Of the his
toric campaign.
Dodsna the Stamp Duty.
In happened in this wise. During
the Crimean war poor people were
naturally anxious to know how their
relatives were faring at the front;
and the only means by which they
could gather such news was through
the newspapers, which the majority
of them could not afford to buy. The
consequence was that the agitation
which had been going on for some
time to repeal the stamp duty was re-
newed with great vigor in the House
of Commons. The Government was
asked TO state definitely what actually
constituted newspaper and why
news should be taxed.
At first the Government was some
what nonplused. Then the solicitor
for the Board of Inland Revenue sug-
gested that il they could not define eX-
actly what a newspaper was, they
could, at any rate, say what it was
not, and thus it came about that
statement was made in the Commons
to the effect that Il newspaper is not
a publication treating OF only one sub
ject."
As at that time there was only one
subject in which the majority of peo-
pie were overwhelmingly, the war
the consequence was that. directly
this definition was officially pronounc-
ed, out came host of unstamped pub
lications giving full details from the
seat of war, but taking good care 10
treat Of one subject only" There
were Hollis Army and Navy Dispatch,
Strange's Army and Navy Dispatch,
the War Times. the War Telegraph.
the War Fly Sheet, and SO on-selling
merrily and contributing not one farth-
ing to the revenue.
The position was a somewhat ride
ulous one, for the Government, by
their definition of a newspaper, had
really given permission for the publ
cation of various newspapers, which
we're printed and sold at a great prof
it, and actually protected them against
other papers which were contributing
largely to the revenue, simply be-
cause the latter contained other news
besides that concerning the war, And
it was this untenable position of the
Government which led to the abolition
of the stamp duty.