ABSTRACT
The campaign against ‘the taxes on knowledge’ is generally portrayed as a triumphant struggle for press freedom, sustained by special interests but motivated largely by libertarian ideals in opposition to the authoritarian legacy of the past. 1 The only discordant note in this inspiring legend comes from the parliamentary campaigners it celebrates. Their aims and, indeed, their public utterances are difficult to reconcile with how they have been depicted in Whig history.
