Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1847-05-27

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Postmaster at St. CtfS'' =, - NAV b
OF interest as we'll as imp ,,once 10 man
Of our readers:
Posr OFFCE DEPART
Appointment Office, April "a lsAi
SIR:-Yoours of the 3lst ultimo relative To n
prepayment fpostage on transient newspaperl
circulars, &c, was received in due course of m
but in consequence of similar communicate
having been received, an answer was deIay|
until the law, as published, could be compaI
with the manuscript in the State department.
There is an error in the punctuation in the II
section Of the law rs published, which has led
some difficulty in its construction. The sente|
should read as follows 'And newspapers not 81
from the office of publication, and all hand b
and circulars printed or autographed, not excel
ing one sheet shall be subj ect to three cents post
each, TO be prepaid when deposited in any h
Office, TO be conveyed in the mails
By the adoption of this provision, Congress
tended 10 remedy an evil which had been md
complained or-lhat of crowding the mails VI
newspapers, other than those sent from publ
els to subscribers, which were often not called
by The persons TO whom they were addressed,
II called Tor they refused to take them, and
postage was not paid; increasing unnecessarily
labor Of postmasters, und superseding much of
correspondence which would otherwise have b
kept up by letters-but did not intend to inter-
with the intercourse between regular publisher
newspapers and their subscribers. The Obj
was to favor publishers and subscribers, and
encourage the general dissemination of inIelgeE
among the people, and at the same time SEQ
the moderate postage charged on them
BY the use Of the words newspapers not 4
from the office of publication Congress cd
scarcely have intended to secure TO publishers
right Of sending their papers 10 any n,whI
subscriber OF not, at half the price paid by all
or persons who might wish to send the same
pers, Such ii construction would not remedy
evil, but would Indirectly sanction the praCtiCd
sending papers 10 individuals not ordering Ii
who nigh! take them out Of the Office and pa
them or not; whereas subscribers to newspa
required by the 3Olh section of the act of 1925
pay to posImaslerS one quarters postage in
rance.
If this be the true construction of the M
which do not doubt, the difficulty still pres
itself to the postmaster, how is he TO asce
who are o. are not subscribers? What pal
are to be sent without prepayment, and
which the payment is to be exacted! | do
see that YOU can do otherwise than receive
forward by the mails all papers sent TO your
by the publishers, prcsuming that they are Sc
regular subscribers. It would be impossible d
large Offices to spare the time even if the post IN
ters had the power, TO enter upon such an NV
cation, and send olfby the. mails regularly
immense mass Of printed matter passing thr
their Offices If it shall be found that the libd
" Of Congress 10 publishers is abused, by ser
Off pupers to third persons, or making the
of publication places Of deposit for others, ID
sent through the mails under the privilege all
publishers, it may afford a satisfactory reaso
Congress for the prepayment OfaH printed
ter before it is admitted into the mails.
The other words: 'and all hand bills and G
lars, printed or Autographed not exceeding
sheet, shall be subject to three cents post
were designed to cover every species OF pr
matter, on sheet or less than sheet, whc
been rated with two cents under the act
March, 1915 This class Of printed matter
suming generally the shape OF hand bills or
lars, had been sent through the mails in
numbers, addressed to postmasIers and
VINO Ndu not OIuCICu tlIchi, anu "N'N 'o'
from the office or paid for. Congress mtg
this matter 10 be excluded from the mails or
paid. Whatever form this species of public
may assume, whether headed and called Il g
or extra newspaper, or folded in pamphlet
not exceeding one sheet in size, II
are in fact, circulars or handbllIs, they ma
pre-psid-.such us notices Of auction sales,
ricaI exhibitions, lottery schemes, shipping
prices current, catalogues of medicines, boO
plants, SC.
The following are the rates of postage
newspapers sent by publishers to subscribers
any distance within the state where publish
cent; and for any distance over 100 mlIesr
the state where published, one and half ce
be paid quarterly in advance at the Office OF
cry.
The Postmaster General is not aulhoriz
to increase the compensation of
Poslmasters beyond the commissions allow
the new laws. and made known 10 you unde
or the 18th Of March last.
am, very respectfully, your obedcnt sc
w. J. BROWN,
81 .Assistant p. M. Gene
WILmoru JoHEs, ESQ,
p. NJ, St. Clarsylle, Ohio.