The Ottawa free trader., 1849-04-13
The Pos, Office Advertising.


There are a hundred ways Of Dragging
more decent and becoming than the way
adopted by the editor of the Constituiional-
ist to brag over getting the post Office adver-
tising. There can be no excuse tor Perver-
thug truth about so small matter. The
article IN the last Consttutionalist leaves
the reader to infer that ever sine . that paper
has been in existence its circulation has
been larger than that Of the Free Trader;
tina: nevertheless the post office advertising
had been unjustly withheld from it /; and that
no opportunity had ever been given the pro-
prietors Of that paper by the post master to
prove that they were entitled 10 the adver-
.i.ins, until MIR Gibson was appointed.
Now this is mean and unfair. The facts Of
the case, as well known to MesSrs. Lowry
s. Gedney as to MS, are simply these. When
the law was first passed requiring the post
master to give the advertising TO the paper
having the largest circulation, Mr.. Wood
ruff, then postmaster, required OF us and
MesSrs. L. s G. afiidavits to our circn!atcns
respectively. They were given, AMI we
were awarded the advertising, having by
considerable number the larger circulation.
Finding themselves TINS beaten, the propri-
tors of that paper wanted second trial,
when, instead of the aggregate, the mere
village, or unmailed circulation Of the papers
should be counted. The postmaster decid
ed that such was not the circulation con,em-
plated by the law, and refused TO comply
with their wishes. Ever since then the
matter has remained in this posiiion-sach
succeeding postmaster acquiescing in the
the original decision Of Mr.. Woodruff, and
offering Messrs. L. s G. the advertising
whenever, under that decision they should
show themselves entitled TO il; and Messrs,
L. s. G.. claiming the advertising on the
ground Of larger unmaild oirculaiion;-
until, at length, Mr.. Gibson, as they Affirm,
has done them some thing like ''jus,ice" in
the matter.
Now instead Of 'justice" to them, we
contend that the decision Of Mr.. G. is injUs-
tice tot US, and that the decision Of Mr.. Wood
ruff was correct. A few words will show
this. The law says sin the vicinity Of the
post Office" III New York City the P. NJ.
General decided this to mean not mailed 10
any office out Ct the city. AT Bnilalc he de
cided It to mean within the county Of Erie.
Would he here decide il 10 mean within the
corporation limits Of Ottawa, or even with
in the county Of La Sale? Letters are fire.
quen;ly addressed TO man residing in Erie
county, n. y, the writer has forgotten the
local Office, aud the letter goes TO Buffalo.
tis advertised, and the man residing 90
miles perhaps from the city gets his letter
So here letters come frequently, backed to
La Sale county, FOR men " no now reside in
Grundy or Kendall counties, which a few
years ago were a part Of La Sale county.
How is the man to get his letter il is never
advertised ont Of the corporation? No, the
word "vicinity" was stuck into the law to
prevent your Saturday Couriers, which cir
culate but little in or near the "viciuity"
Of where they are printed, fioln taking the
advertising away from your "Ledgers," OF
"Ileralds," whose circulation is heayicst at
home; but it was never intended to confine
country papers, whose circulation is always
purely local, to their own corporation limits.
fsven such papers do occasionally get a
subscriber out Of their "vicinity," it is most
likely some man who has moved away from
the plate-generally the very man for
whose benefit the letters are advertised.
We have made these remark in justice to
ourselves.-We care little abou, the post oi-
fce prihting-itis is a triAe-but we want the
public to understand hop the Constitution.
alist has come BY the p. o. advertising, and
~ho has suffered injustice in the matter.