Mr. Lowtherpresented a petition from printers, &c, of York, praying that the whole of the duty on newspapers might not be reduced. The petition spoke in strong terms of the favourable condition in which the newspaper press of this country now was.
§ Mr. Roebucksaid, this petition contained extraordinary and self-contradictory statements. The petitioners talked of the high character of the newspaper press of this country. Now there never was a press so degraded, so thoroughly immoral, as the newspaper press of this country; a despotism of the basest and most cowardly description was exercised by the persons connected with newspapers, who were ready on every occasion to ruin the public reputation of individuals in articles to which they did not dare to put their names: any thing so perfectly cowardly in feeling, and so despotic in execution, could not be instanced as the conduct of the newspaper press in this country, and they were told, forsooth, of the high character, of that press! If the stamp duties were taken off, it would not then have the power with impunity to ruin the reputation of individuals, for its attacks would be answered and its slanders exposed—that alone 785 would be a great benefit. He would assert with confidence, that from the highest to the lowest of the newspaper press, the most paltry corruption, the basest cowardice, and the blackest immorality, were the governing principles of the newspaper press of this country.
Mr. Lowther, who had presented the petition, said that although he had suffered like many other individuals in some respects, from portions of the press, he should be sorry to express himself in the manner that the hon. Member had done.
§ Mr. Humesaid, that though the hon. Member for Bath had so characterised some portion of the press, he was not disposed to join with him in those remarks as applicable to the whole, because some portion of it was conducted with as much honour as other portions of it were with disgrace. He was not, therefore, disposed to join in such a sweeping censure, though the condemnation might well apply to some of the conductors of the newspaper press. He, however, hailed many of them as the benefactors of the human race, and the protectors of liberty and freedom; the majority of them had come forward to defend the people's rights and to oppose corruption. He wished the House to observe, that this was a petition for the benefit of the few, because they were engaged in a monopoly which the repeal of the Stamp-duties would destroy. The petitioners objected to competition, which they alleged to be ruinous, but which had always been beneficial to the public—nor did he conceive it likely to be productive of injury in the present case. He held that if the press were once opened and freed from the present tax, there would be an opportunity of meeting slanderous accusations, which could not now be done. He therefore thought that the prayer of this petition was not deserving of the attention of the House.
§ Petition to lie on the Table.