The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-02-22
PEOPLES PRESS
Mlddlebury, Feb. %, 1913.
THE POST OFFICE Ru1

The press and the people are begiD,;,,
10 awaken to a consideration of the Pos
Office Bill Introduced into the senate ' g.
Mr. Myrick. 1t is full time that it sbon',
be so. To our utter establishment il l..
passed the Senate by large majority, ~
greater outrage upon popular rights with
so little excuse of expediency never W.,
attempted to be perpetrated in this couptrv
It's most prominent provision is, prohibitjno
Inc carrying ofnewspapers m a5azines. per.
ooic'!S &c, beyond the towns and yiIlac,.
Wnere they are published by any otbe,
conveyance than the mail. .n ,r,,
expresses from city to city, are p7Oh..s::.
the carriers Of country papers are So.
and our subscribers must travel mi
post office for the Peoples Press wh;ct
now receive on better terms of : cc~r7.
their doors. That the government sa,u5
forbid transportation of bundles or boye.
OF maIlabie matter bv their contractors and
agents might have been expected. But
to prohibit citizens from employing whom
they please, TO carry their letters and "a.
pers where they please, and assume 10
themselves the exclusive privilege of doing
1t for them upon their own terms, Isl mo.
nopoly as odious as the old British c'ar-
Act. We would ask whether congress
any constitutional right to compel OF. q,
zens to employ the agency of the DOS.
flee, or TO render it harrassing moh-.
rather than benefit.
For ourselves we have never been atia
admit the plea of necessity which mces
that the post office department should sun
port itself. The expenses of other depart.
mentS of the government are paid out Of
the general income, and we see no reason
why the deficiencies of the post Office
nigh. not be supplied from the treasury
rather than to resort to the means of rails.
ing 4 revenue which savors so strong OF
despotism, and so obviously wars with The
public interest and convenience.
A law moro detrimental to the spread Of
general intelligence among the people,
which i, was the deep object Of the post.
Office department 10 promote. could no, eas.
lily be devised.
knowledge must come vastly dear to the
people, or not come at all. Postage mus.
be paid twice where il is now paid once,
as nearly halfof the periodicals and paPen
circulated go in bundles or by carriers 70
their subscribers. Country papers whic'
now sustain themselves with grent difficult,
against city competition, by sending iAom
10 Ike Subscribers free of postage must bs
ruined The mammoth city papers WI
obtain n complete monopoly of the dimin-
ishcd circulation without any addition 10
,heir incomes.
The majority of the Senate WHY have vo-
ted for this bill seem 10 have forgotten what
is due to the convenience, intelligence and
sacred rights of the people, in their anxiety
to make the post Office support itself Thsre
are obviously other means of sustaining this
department, and those which add 10 The
stock Of public virtue as well as conven'
lence. Retrench It's expenses, prevent lie
executive form converting into an engine
Of party, by squaDdering its incomes III
paying for advertisements over aud over a
5ain IN different pet pagers of narrow cir.
,ulation, in which thousands upon thousands
Ire lavished to subsidize the press. Then
increase tie expedition and facilities of tie
department so rs to successfully compete
with the efforts Of private enterprise and
above all reduce the rates of postage o. le!.
ers. In our apprehension the increase q.
,pistolary nte.communica,ion in so wide
county, and with so migratory pops -...-
consequent upon reduction Of pos,
would be much more certain her. .l--
England, where the experiment "a. .-ai
crowned with complete success. H.. las'
remedies do not fully accomplish the o!1',
hen draw upon the iieaslry rather !a'- re-
sort 10 project as odious and OPpress'.'
Is it is unprecedented in the history OF o.
legislation. 1t can hardly be that ihIs ~
IF denominations will meet with the aPProh1'
loo Of the house. We shall see who is bod
enough TO vote for H.
Weybridge, Feby. II, ls41
Harvey BELL EsaUIRE
DEAR SIR;--I noticed in your lls; pa