The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-05-19
From the North Ame lean.
NEWSPAPER POSTAGE TAX.


One of the very curious and inconsisten ut fea
lures of American legislation is exhibited il
the disposition to maintain high rates of post
age on newspapers passing through the Unitec
States mails,-and 10 tax TO the utmost, and By
taxation diminish as far as possible the spread
of, public intelligence.
II were superfluous to say that the Ameri
cans are q reading people; but this expression
means that they are q newspa per-reading PEG
pie. Newspapers are, indeed, in a great mea
sure, the books of the United States; in which
all classes seek and find, prepared for them Al
the lowest cost, instruction and informa ton o
every character-as II regards public affairs and
the interests Of private business-adapted &c
the general wants Of practical and self gov.
erning people.
Such vehicles of intelligence ought to be
supplied to the people of the United States
freely and cheaply; no difficulty o. discourage.
ment should be interposed from any quarter
every effort should be made by individuals and
BY government TO open the whole land to the
circulation of the press, and to fill every cabin
with the daily or weekly sheets of what may
be properly called the Freeman's Library. In.
dividuals have done, and are daily doing, their
part In this matter-the newspaper publishers
are not wanting in duty: they furnish to the
public Of the United States the chez pest, and
we may say, the best newspapers in the world
end nothing is wanting but a cooperative spi-
ii in the National Legislature, a willingness to
ADOPT proper system of mail transportation,
by which journals can be carried as chea ply as
they are printed, to remove the only obstacles
to circulation which now exist as burthen
and fetter upon the freedom of the press
Unfortunately, the National Legislature has
not yet shown any such spirit, or willingness.
to cooperate In the cause of public intelli.
gence. England has made the great advance
OF transporting newspapers in the mails with.
out charge: in the United States il is still the
system to make them principal source Of the
Post Office revenue,--to tax them, TO encum
Der them, indeed, With an impost which, con
sidered in reference to the ad palorem princi.
pie, might be pronounced more oppressive than
the weightiest custom duties imposed OH the
products Of foreign capital and industry.
ltdoes not need any figures to prove the in
equality between the subscription price and
the postage of newspapers. The latter, to
country understanding, say, at a distance
OF one hundred miles, constitutes a tax,
which, in the case of the large daily papers,
amounts TO about 40 per cent, in that of the
penny papers 100 per cent, on the subscrip-
tlon price,--an immense charge TO be made for
the simple service of carrying, as compared
with the low sum which is to remunerate the
journalist for the varied labors and expenses OF
publishing a newspaper, in business involv-
ing considerable capital and the employment
Of many hands.
If postage must continue TO be charged on
newspa pers in the United States, the rates
ought to be reduced TO the lowest possible
scale: justice and sound policy,--the interest
81 the citizen and the department-eaually re-
luire it. 1t is certain that, on the principal
mail routes, and in the vicinity of The large
titles, newspapers might be carried-and car
ried with profit to the transporter--at even
passenger rates;-that is, at price correspond
ing with the ordinary fare for travellers by the
usual modes Of conveyance by steamboat, rail-
road and post coach. The average charge for
transporting traveller and his baggage Ito
,ether about 200 lbs. is considerably under
but we will take il at,--five cents per mile; or
30 per 100 miles-equal to 50 so per 100 lbs.
per 100 miles. At such rates, the transporta-
lion OF newspapers would prove highly profit
,ble, on such routes, to private carriers, who
will always be tempted BY high rates to enter
into a competition with the department, which
ran only be injurious TO the latter. At such
passenger rates,-not to trouble the reader with
minute calculations, I'VE find that subscriber
to the North American residing at distance
Of 100 miles, would have TO paw for the deliv-
cry Of his paper only about so cents a wear:
the Post Office charges, under the pre-
sent arrangement, amount TO no less than SO
10 year, or nearly four times as much.
One little fact will give the reader lively
idea OF the extent and oppressiveness of the
post-otflce tax in the transportation of news
papers The weekly newspapers sustain post ;
age charge OF OF cents per copy per year-al-
though the average nett price to the publisher
is only about 70 to 80 cents. There are, we
understand, about 100000 copies of such pa
pers nailed every week in Pniladelphi the
postage on which, supposing they went only
lou miles, would be $1,000 week, or Sl64,-
)0O year; whereas, If carried by weight at the
above rates, for the above distance, the postage
would be only S4l5 week, or S2l 500 year.
l he whole annual value of these weeklies to-
The publishers is about Sl60.000; upon which
sum the government, not only modestly or
generously It may be thought, imposes mail
lax of sl04 900. Truly, the Government comes
N Tor the hons share of the profits, and great
y to the damage and wrong of the reader
In fact, the existing high rates of postage
have already had the effect TO divert from the
public mails great deal of business. on those
very routes where business is, or ought to be
most profitable. Immense packages of period
lcais, and to certain extent even of newpa-
pers, are transported by private carriers; and SO
much revenue is, In consequence, lost TO the
department.. This is an evil which can onIy
be abated by Congress adopting a system OF
low rates, under which there will be no in
tucernent left TO the publishers to send, or SUBJ
scribers TO receive, their journals through any
other conveyance than that Of the United States
mails.
We designed, but have not space, to COM
ment on the provisions of the new bill recent
y reported to the House by the Post Office
Committee. 1t appears to be framed on much
more liberal principles than any similar bill
which has yet been before Congress;-bnt il
night be made still more liberal, without in,
ury to the public or the Post Office revenue