Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/69



Two important phases of Cassell's life fell in the 'fifties. One was his share in the great fight to rid the country of the "Taxes on Knowledge." The other was his exploration of social life and business possibilities in the United States.

Cassell had made his appearance as a campaigner against the newspaper advertisement duty as early as 1849, when John Francis formed his London Committee for the repeal of that odious impost. Cassell, representing his Standard of Freedom on the committee, was associated with Peter Borthwick, of the Morning Post; Herbert Ingram, of the Illustrated London News, who afterwards became M.P. for Boston; and the celebrated Edward Miall, of the Nonconformist. They won their battle, after four years' fighting, in 1853. But before that date Cassell had earnestly taken up two other causes, which were of far greater professional and financial consequence to him—the repeal of the Newspaper Stamp Duty and the abolition of the Paper Tax. He gave evidence before the Government Committee on the stamp duty in 1851, and joined Milner Gibson's Association for Repealing the Taxes on Knowledge, in company with Cobden, Bright, Joseph Hume, Holyoake, and Passmore Edwards. Seven years later he was chairman of the committee of a new association which took over the organization of the final attack on these taxes, the Newspaper and Periodical Press Association for Obtaining the Repeal of the Paper Duty.

Cassell's eagerness to free paper and periodical publications from the burden that oppressed them can easily be understood. They interfered with his ideal—the