Mr. Courtenaypresented a petition, signed by certain dealers and venders of newspapers. The petitioners complained that in consequence of the great increase of the Sunday newspapers, and their being exposed for sale on that day, much injury had been 600 done to the public morals, and the breach of the Sabbath was thereby occasioned to an alarming extent. The petitioners said, that many of them had made great sacrifices in their opposition to this practice, whilst others of them were not able, in consequence of their limited circumstances, to reject the business, which would only have the effect of throwing it into the hands of others who had not such scruples. They said that the increase of the Sunday newspapers, and the principles they contained, had a direct and alarming tendency to the destruction of public morals; that their having been sold and read on Sundays kept numbers of persons from attending divine service. The petitioners prayed that the House would adopt such measures as might suppress so great an evil. The hon. and learned gentleman, in presenting the petition, said, he ever felt that the true liberty of the press was most endangered by the abuse of it, and that maxim was illustrated in the conduct of some of those publications. He felt it to be his duty to present the petition, at the same time that he had declared to the petitioners that he could not promise to found any measure upon it. He therefore simply moved, that the petition do lie on the table.
§ Mr. Lambtonsaid, that he would not object to any set of men approaching that House in a constitutional way. At the same time he could not help expressing his extreme disgust at the hypocritical cant of the petitioners. That the circulation of Sunday newspapers was injurious to public morals, was a doctrine to which lie could not subscribe. He thought that wherever the press laboured to oppose the advances of slavery and corruption, the circulation of newspapers on any day was a moral as well as a constitutional act; but if those dealers and venders thought otherwise, if they felt those conscientious scruples, they might easily retire from a pursuit, which they considered immoral. He could not but condemn the language of the petition; he could not sit silent and hear so gross a charge brought against the Sunday newspapers. Where, he asked, was to be found an immoral of indecent, or seditious Sunday newspaper? He did not know of one. He thought, on the contrary, that the newspapers conveyed instruction, political as well as moral, to the people of England. He thought that the peti- 601 tioners, instead of coming forward to attack the Sunday newspapers, would have done well to remain at home, and endeavour to amend their own lives. This would be more agreeable to the true principles of Christianity.
§ Ordered to lie on the table.