ure in the National Assembly, explained that it
would serve a double purpose: on the one hand it would give an increase
of revenue of some six millions a year; and on the other it would
safeguard society against detestable doctrines, because it would fall
specially on those evil newspapers and books[363] which were circulated
at a low price in town and country, propagating prejudices and error,
exciting the passions and corrupting the conscience of the public.[364]

Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1852, desirous that there should be no
obstacle in the way of his ultimate assumption of absolute power and the
Imperial crown, issued a decree further restricting the Press in France.
The publication of newspapers or periodicals dealing with political or
economic questions, unless authorized by the Government, was forbidden;
and the rates of postage in force prior to the law of 1850 were imposed
on newspapers, in addition to the tax imposed by that law.[365] The same
principles led to the discrimination introduced in 1856 between
political and non-political papers. The former were subjected to a
higher rate of postage than newspapers of a non-political character,
because the Government felt it to be necessary that there should be some
moderating influence to check the effect of political journals in times
of intense political excitement, and adopted this expedient.[366]

The rates for printed matter had for a long period caused considerable
confusion, and given rise to many complaints from members of the public.
They were still determined according to the linear surface of the
sheets, a method which was found to cause considerable embarrassment and
difficulty in its practical application. To all other classes of postal
traffic the more logical and more convenient principle of charge
according to weight had already been applied, and in 1856 this
principle was applied also to printed matter of all descriptions. Weight
was made the basis of the charge, without reference to superficies or to
distance, except that for political reasons the privilege of half-rates
for newspapers circulating in the department in which they were
published was continued.[367] The reduction of the actual rates made by
this law was slight, and was estimated not to have any appreciable
effect on the total revenue. In any case the question was "regarded less
from the financial point of view than from the point of view of the
satisfaction which it would give