The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-12-18

IoiloWibg paragraph
Respecting newspapers, do not see the pro-
priety of marking any state lines. In our social
feelings, which newspapers promote we should
keep these out of view. But think there are
good ,ohy suery journal should circulate either
freely at the smallest possible cost IN its county
Of publication The county papers are the media Of
hOrnx Information, and the organs Of the county
courts. Many social interests require their dissent
nation. Their record Of every marriage and epery
death may be important testimony at some period Of
tms Estates are legally or illegally disposed Of by
bequest or apportonment, as these faithfully comply
Nth the regulations Of the laios, omit to do
g These and many other considerations demand the
distribution of news papers in the counties of their
issue at the lowest possible cost to the reader"
Republic, October %.
Is this the evidence of the fact that we are
inimcal to the interests of the country press =
that we wish to ''press il to the wall?" Our
correspondent is hardly charitable in his analy-
SEES of motives, if in this recommendation he
discerns only selfshness and ''greediness over
reaching itself" And we have at no time said
aught at variance with this
We find that, in the same article, we recon-
mend uniform rates, as to distance, on letters
and newspapers respectively, in these words:
"The adoption of uniform rate without refer
ence to distances, may at first appear incompati
bic with strict equity; yet, when it is remember
cd that the patriotic impulses of every true Anne
rican would lead him to bring closely together
possible, in kind intercourse, all the people of
our widespread doman--to enable our Govern
ment, in its just paternal relation TO gather them
even as q hen gathereth her chickens'-there
will be urged no objection to this measure
We still believe in the soundness of this ad-
vice; but we may err in judgment. We know,
however, that we did not err in yielding to the
impulse under which it was formed.
In another number of the Republic, (Oc-
tober 3Oth,) we reviewed the memorial of
thirty four publishing firms of the city of New
York, in which it was declared that "the only
just rule in fixing the rates periodicals is
to tax them according to their weight" Our
reply to this was, that it had our assent, if APP
piled to periodicals, (the common term for
monthlies and quarterlies, but that we objected
to it, if applied to newspapers, ''because the
use of good, thick paper should be encour-
aged, and because the necessary haste in their
despatch forbids this means of taxing them;"
and we might have alluded to the general bene
fits resulting from the of large, clear print.
This memorial embodied the following, viz;
That the privilege now allowed to the publish
ers of newspapers to send their bills to sub
scribers in the numbers may be granted to the
publishers of periodicals; and that free ex-
change between the publishers of periodicals,
and between them and the publishers of news
papers may be allowed, as is allowed between
the nuhliabers of newsnaners onlv
To these petitions we replied firstly, that
''we would tax the Department with no gratis
work, after the proposed reduction; and edi-
tors of newspapers and magazines, as well as
others, should pay the necessary expenses of
their business transactions in postage as well
as in other things" and, secondly, that "edi
tors can pay their postage as well as others,
and the necessity of doing so will prevent the
carriage of tons Of newspapers to points where
they are of no value. There are abuses, too,
under the free-exchange system that should
be corrected. Individuals cause papers to
be sent to editors with whom they are init
mate, and thus avoid paying the postage.
We have also known the publisher of mag
azine to cause his exchange papers to be sent
9 to a newspaper office through which he could
obtain them. Editors can thrive as well by
asking no favors."
If the charges of our correspondent were just,
we should not have written thus. Country edi-
tors see and converse with their subscribers on
''cOurt days" and at other seasons. At liberty
also to exchange only with such papers as they
need, their lists are small, while the editors of
city papers are constrained, by many considera-
tons, to exchange with hundreds upon hun
dreds more than they ever read The desire
"to crush copertly the home papers for the bene-
fit Of the large seaboard journals" would not
have impelled us to the utterance of these SEN
tments.
But our correspondent appears sensitive upon
the subject of square inches, and in this we
think he stands in his own light; for every
newspaper reader knows that large print, ra-
ther than small paper, is the peculiar charac-
teristc of the country journals. We have not
al hand copy Of the Columbus Republican,
but we know that there are few journals in Ohio
much smaller than our own, and that the su-
pericial measurement would not much enhance
our interests in competition with them.
| IL, dlteI Hc eAPldhdtlOH VIC mere Oliel, Oui
correspondent, or any one else, shall deem us
illibera, and entitled to censure, we shall re-
greet it. We should be proud to merit his
" thanks" and those of the " one thousand
FIVE hundred country presses" for whom he
has felt called upon to speak but, should we
be found unworthy thereof, we would make
many apologies, and ample atonement, rather
than be deemed worthy Of their cures" II
our correspondent desires a system Of cheap
postage, and TO facilitate, by every possible
means, the friendly intercourse of all the peo
pie Of our glorious Union, we shall be happy to
cooperate with him; and, as we know our liza
biity to err, we will beseech him at the out
start to bear with us, and to endesvor To put
the most charitable construction on our errors.
Agriculture.
| ~, all civili.o1 countries ia ba