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    £ touching * , the definition of % what constitutes ^ -newspaper , were-agreed . to .-rA clause , enabling ^ the registered proprietor of a . newspaper to sue iand' . be ' . sued , which was objected , to by Mr- G . Butt ; on the f ground that , as in other ; joiiilhstoek companies , all 4 the proprietors should be equally ; Jiable , was postponed to the third reading . —The Cua . vcei . vob . of the Exchequer then moved the introduction of a iclause giving the . protection of a copyright of twenty-• four hours to certain articles in oaewspapers . He j thought this protection > necessary considering they » were about to expose the established daily papers , . which , are produced at a very large outlay , to an

    excessive competition with cheap journals , which would live upon pirating their more honest contemporaries . He , therefore , moved the insertion of a clause , enacting that the proprietors of every newspaper should / for the purpose of protection against -piracy , be entitled to a twenty-four hours' copyright in every original article , letter , paragraph , communication , and composition which should be for the 'first time published in such newspaper in this country ; that a penalty , not less than 51 . nor more than 30 / ., should be imposed upon offenders , and that a power of summons should be given to ^ stipendiary magistrates and justices , who should be -. entitled to adjudicate at once .

    Mr . Whitesidk observed that this clause proposed to place a check upon printing , and to limit the benefit of the electric telegraph . It was satisfactory , however , to know that . the clause was wholly impracticable . He admitted that original articles should be protected ; ibut there , ought not to be a copyright in bare facts . —Mr . Phinn spoke in favour of the clause , and said that the London , papers publish at half-past six in the morning ,-and that by half-past eight or nine a newspaper might be circulated through the town , containing all the leading articles , all the chief items of news , and all the miswould

    cellaneous contents . He contended that this be a great grievance and wrong . He thought , nevertheless , that a copyright of twenty-four hours' duration was too long , and that six or eight hours would be sufficient . Further , he thought distance should -be considered as well as time . —Mr . J . G . PmLLimobe believed it was impossible to establish any right of property in news . It would puzzle the most acute literary powers to define the nature of the copyright granted by the clause . —Mr . Bentingk thought there should be no copyright in anonymous articles , and held that the proposed clause would ruin the

    whole country press . Mr . Milner Gibson recognised the question of abstract justice involved in the clause ; but he looked upon it as utterly impracticable . Piracy exists already , and he did not see that it would increase under the new state of things . The question was entirely apart from the question of the penny stamp ; and he was disposed to wait and see if the evil was one to require legislation . His friend , the member for Stoke ( Mr . Ricardo ) , had been charged by the Times with piracy for sending , in his capacity as chairman of the Electric Telegraph Company , news

    to the country papers which had been derived from the Times ; but he would leave it to Mr . Ricardo to explain the precise course of . proceeding . He believed that all the telegraphs arc worded in this way : " The Times says so and so . " These things could not be stopped . The editor of a country paper has a collector of news in London , just as the Times has a oollector of news at Vienna or elsewhere . . The collector of news in London sends down what news he bears , and it would be monstrous to make him responsible for a piece of news which ho might have > obtained from un independent source , and which might also have appeared in a London

    paper . The SoLicrron-GjENEitAL , in defending the clause , acknowledged that there was force in some of the objections urged . aguiust it : still , it should be recollected that there is nothing about " news" in it , and that therefore the oppugners of the proposal had beon arguing against what did not exist . The clause endeavoured to establish notliing more than mere justice to authors in newspapers . Two or three

    years ago , a paper was published called the / outictan , which appeared about half-past nine in tho morning , and which consisted of all the loading articles of tho morning papers and their most important announcements . Tho principal newspapers combined in an endeavour to put it down ; but from the state of the law it was found difficult ami hardly possible to accomplish this by legal proceedings . Tho Solicitor-General admitted that the remedy for this stato ot things involves difUcultiea ; but they might be

    overcome . Mr . Monohton Mii . nuh hoped the Solicitor-General would pause to consider the subject before pressing it on the Committee ; and Lord { Stanley held that it ia impotable , by tho utmost le ^ al ingenuity , to diHtinpfuiah between lnetn and comments , and that it would bo absurd to regard u colourable abridgment of matter as piracy , since two writers might . accidentally titriko out the name , lino of argument and only differ in words , and in that case tho one might lie accused of pirating from the other .

    -Mr . W , rJ .. Foxcontended , * hatj ** he London ( daily newspapers should have an internet in that < ib » . which they have , paid , and tlmt . the country journals ought to give aa money : consideration for the news which they derive . from their'metropolitan contemporaries . Some persons seemed to despise = newspaper writing 'because it istanonymous . Bukwhy . is it anonymous ? It is - so for the convenience of those i arrangements by which ; several writers are made to co-operate < as one body . Their , joint action in the production > of a newspaper i » analogous to -a . cabinet council , for the individual minister

    conclusions of -which no . «« responsible . Why , anonymous contributions to the newspapers -became some of . the classics of the country . The " Letters of Jumns" were anonymous contributions to a newspaper , . jmd the " Letters of Bunny mede" produced considerable effect , and would have their importance in the ^ polUiaalt history of the times . ( Hear , Aear , t and laug&ter *) It is .-owing to the . feeling created by communications of . this , kind that . that inquiry is now : going on , , without which theywould tnot have known the real pauses that reduced our Army in the Crimea to such a forlorn

    condition . . Mr . tRiofcBoo opposed the clause , and . said . that when the list of the killed and woundedat the battles of Alma and Inkecman -arrived , before half-an Jurar that list , was transmitted to all the-principal towns in the United Kingdom—rto AbeBdeen . and Glasgow on the one hand , and to Plymouth and Exeter on the other . He must say that he . 6 hould loofc with ., great alarm to . a » y law ! that - should prevent . intelligence of that kind , which was *> f public and-universal interest ,, from ¦ being transmitted through the country . as soon > as . possible . He . had no fetus of cheap newspapers corrupting the morals . of the people . On the contrary , he thought . nothing would tend more to improve their morals . At any rate , it- was for them to say whether or not they would buy- of

    Mr . . Bright said , in answer to charges piracy which had been brought against a Manchester threepenny daily / paper , that that very paper published in Manchester the news of the battle of Alma just one day before it was published in London . The newspapers in Manchester ( be asserted ) are published by persons having large capital . Some of them have able correspondents in continental cities ^ and he asked if , when these correspondents transmit messages by telegraph , -which may - be * nearly the same , or quite the same , as . those transmitted to the London newspapers , is that to be-held to be a piracy ; and if the proprietors of the London journals might go down to Manchester and summon these respectable men , the editors of the Manchester papers , before two justices of the peace ?

    Mr . Disraeli was opposed to a copyright in news because he did not think that it was possible , or , if possible , that it would be vexatious . But he held that it was but fair to give every available protection to the costly productions of the Loudon daily press ; and therefore , making an especial reference to the Times , he should support the amendment that would be proposed , that newspapers should circulate through the post without any limitation of weight . He believed that there was no fear for the honest paper would

    even without a copyright ; for the public always have tho best article and the earliest intelligence . With respect to anonymous writing , he observed that some of the noblest books in the world had been published anonymously . —Lord . LovAiNE was of opinion that the press should not be protected because it deals in " all sorts of calumnies" and is " a libeller of private character ; " and the Chancellor of the Exchequer , after the expression of the House's feeling upon the subject , withdrew the

    clause . Mr . Milnes then moved the insertion of a clause , giving tho privilege of transmission and retransmission by the post to every periodical publication published at intervals not exceeding seven days , and the superficies of which shall not exceed 3500 inches of printed matter , for a penny stamp . Mr . Milnes passed a very high eulogy on tho character of the press , and said of some members of it that they neither natter tho vanity , heighten tho prejudices , nor defend tho errors of any political clique , but hold tho balance between the fluctuating opinions of society , and are so conducted , that ho could not lay them down without the impression that ho had been conversing with the wisest and most liberal minds of the time . When

    confident , their confidence is justified by events ; when doubtful , it is because the evidence is imperfct . (; . —Mr . Cowan said that , at the request of his friends , he would-abandon his amendment in favour of an unrestricted size . —Lord Stanley called attention to the discrepancy between charging a penny for tho half ounce of a letter , and allowing a newspaper , weighing six ounces , transmission and retransmission for the same sum . —Mr . Lowe , in answer to this , said that if they took the letters ns their guide , and put the same rato on newspapers , they would exclude newspapers from the post ; if they took the newspaper for their guide , they would rnako an immense invasion on the Post-officorevonue , and the result would bo that an immense number of letters would be sent in one largo envelope to a person who

    would . distribute them , and -a * aead&-of > that Jdnd would « oon spring np . The Pest-oflJee ** ras « a * a biiahed fon the purpose of carrying , letters ; if ifeidid jiot carry a single new&paperr it > would rbeiinpoarfble to deduct materially from , tbe ^ xpense of ^ tfierrestablishment . When Mr . -Rowland Hill > was asked wfcafc -deduction could be tmade , he said , " rVety little , * tadeed . " . The truth with regard to the newspapers'was this , that the Po 6 t-office , existing ibr carrying-letters aridJiaving a surplus ability-to carry other matter , and the House considering that , the- conveyance-jof newspapers - was a matter of public utility , thpy chose to carry newspapers at a , rate infinitely cheaper than letters . Mr . Lowe then entered in a variety ^ of details with respect to the Tones newspaper , 'and contended that , although he did not , desire- a

    copyright , it -was only , just that that publication vshosjld have the . power of transmitting nts full-sized sheet without the extra halfpenny . —Mr . Mi&nkr Gibbon opposed this view , thinking the profit of the extra advertisea 3 ents- ; quite < aufficient to compensate for the extra ! taoc . —Mr . E . Baxj * defended the motion . —Mr . Dj& 9 M « oki > said that , though he ^ objected altogether to the press , he must support the motion ; for the limitation of size he -looked : upon as a dishonest blow Aimed at one particular establishment , Tvbieh was certainly tb » cleverest . of any .-rrThe Chancellor eF THEiExcHEQUER observed that the object . of the bill then before * he House-wasftsimply to remove the compulsory - stamp ; and . be therefore deprecated entering into other . and . discrepant changes . —Upon a division , the motion \« as . lQ 8 t , by & majority of . 174 .

    - THE . ZXOA-TX 5 G ! . BATTERIES . € ra Tuesday , Lord rJ ?* mmmE , ; in ;< ieply to Lord Tai . bot , stated : that , ^ after inqmtry , he entertained a hope that r the "experiment labont -to be tried with regard to the floating batteries - would be found . to be successful . — Lord Harj > w * ckj 3 thought the answer very unsatisfactory , < and he might add , from personal examination , that : the experiment was likely to be Anything but successful . He stated : that the floating batteries : are- very ill constructed , and-will be -found too heavy . He had no doubt that a shell from a- mortar would go right through the deck- —After some further diseussion , in-which Lords Gbbi and Derby took part , the subject dropped .

    CAVALRY IX THE CRIMEA . Lord Habddsqe , in reply to Lord Viviak , stated that the cavalry force in the Crimea at the last advices amounted to X 300 men . In a very short time this number would be increased to 3000 sabres . THE SIEGE . In the House -of Commons , in reply to Mr . Wabnbr , Sir Charles Wood stated that a telegraphic despatch received that day from Lord Raglan mentioned that the Russian force stationed on the Belbek and at Mackenzie ' s Farm had been reinforced by two divisions . —In reply to Mr . French , Sir Churles said that the electric telegraph would remain under the control of the Government , but that he would not say it would be entirely confined to the Government service .

    ADMtKISTRATIOK OF THE ARMY . Mr . Frederick Peei ,, in reply to Mr . Duncombe , said the report of the commission of military men who had been sent out to Paris by the late War Secretary , for the purpose of examining the French system of military administration had been received , and he did not tbirik there would be any objection to produce it ; but he would answer the question on a future day . The Loan Bill was read a third time , and passed .

    MAYNOOTH . After a prodigious number of petitions had been presented upon the subject , Mr . Spooner moved a resolution pledging the House to resolve itself into a committee for the purpose of considering the acts for the endowment of the College of Maynooth , with a view to the withdrawal of any endowment out of the Consolidated Fund , due regard being bad to vested rights or interests . In a speech of great length , Mr . Spooner contended that the endowment is a gross national sin , and sanctions a systematic violation of the Protestant constitution of this country . The evidence contained in the recent report from the Maynooth inquiry Commissioners ho denounced aa little bettor than a sham , and a deceit ; and he

    strongly commented on tho criminal laxity which allowed certain portions of the evidence withheld by thecommiasioners to bo sent to Rome before publication . It was clear , ho said , upon the face of the report , that it must hnvo-been altered without the consent of the two Protestant commissioners , Lord Harrowby and l ) r Twiss- yofc , even under tlieso circumstances , it oontainod -onoiigh to show that tho teaching at tlio colloao is as objectionable aa ever . Ho then cited portions of the ovidenco to prove- that tho doctrines Biwctiouod at Maynooth are of tho most ultramontane nature , encouraging mental reservation ami equivocation , nnd presenting « ll tho worst features ot Popory . 1 le held that it / would be no . breach ot JfaitU to withdraw tho endowment , , since that had ; beon &

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• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 5, 1855, page 411, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2089/page/3/