New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-07-04
The Letter List.

The Letter List.
The Daily Delta of yesterday morning con
tains statement of its proprietors, and also
another of Postmaster Kendall concerning the
list of uncalled-fo for letters, and the principle
upon which the publication of this list has been
awarded to the Delta instead Of the Picayune
We have been disinterested spectators of the
controversy which has, ever since the close Of
the last year, been waged between the Picayune
and Delta on this subject, and have derived nc
slight degree of amusement from their crimina-
tons and recriminations--the dignifed state
ments of the one and the repeated assertions OF
the other-the regular contradictions of Satur-
day evening and the weekly attacks of Sunday
morning, Amused and gratifed as we have
been with this contest, we little supposed that
any new phase in its varied history could make
us party or lead us to increase the startling
announcements of our contemporaries. The
cards Of yesterday morning, however, have
brought that to pass, and we now propose
stating to our readers the grounds on which we
claim that the letter list, during the year last
past, was properly due to the Crescent, and the
reasons why we shall petition the Post office
Department for the pay that is rightfully ours.
When the printing of the Post Office list for
the year 1858 was in allegiance we entered as a
competitor, feeling confident that the daily edi-
ton of the Crescent was superior to that of any
other paper in the city of New Orleans Our
exhibit at that time showed IN average circula-
tion of 1882 1924 copies per diem--morning
circulation only, The Picayune, which was our
only rival-showed daily circulation of
1917 4-24 copies, aggregating and counting in
both their morning AAD evening editions. The
unfairness of this arrangement can be seen BY
any one at a glance, and has been specially
ruled against by d recent decision of the Post
master General, allowing only ole edition per
day to count. The difference between the two
daily editions of the Picayune and the one of
the Crescent was only 235 copies, of which, un-
doubtedly, every one was duplicate; when
this was recognized, together with great deal
of other contested circulation, it left us inferior
to our competitor by some hundred daily copies
Had the rule obtained then which is now held
good, we should have been from 700 to 900
copies ahead of our competitor
The late Postmaster ruled our declarations
and opinions out-now sustained by the Post
master General-and gave the post-ofiee print
ing to the Picayune we nevertheless continued
the printing of the list during the year, and in
tend in day or two 10 present our bill for the
same to the department at Washington, with
full statement of facts and clear exhibit Of
the course pursued towards US Under the de-
cison Of the Post master General to which we
refer, there can be no doubt that the Crescent
was fully entitled to the printing for the last
year,
The value of the Government patronage in the
department to which we refer is directly very
slight-indeed little more than bare compen-
sation for composition. We're that all, we should
not trouble ourselves about it, But, indirectly,
it is of importanee--as an official and accredi-
ted insurance that the circulation of the Jour
nal which contains it is the largest of any in
the city. 1t influences patronage and adj
yertising, and conters on its possessor many
indirect advantages. We calculate a direct
loss, from the loss of this work to which we
were justly entitled--as the Postmaster Cen
erals decision proves and we shall endeavor
not only to make that loss good, but to prove to
our patrons that, in fact, their fayors were more
widely circulated through our columns than
they could have been through any others.
The Delta very appropriately exults over the
success it has obtained and the 6 backing out
of its rival. We wish, however, to inform the
successful contestant that, if we had not sup
posed that both the morning and evening ed-
lions would have been aggregated as before, we
should have entered the field and rendered the
result somewhat more problematical than it has
proved As it is, we lay in reserve for the IAN
nary ensuing, and watch our chances for some
Partisan who can teach the pariez- uous in as
many weeks as Prof. Brette needs months
Until that time, we shall favor the community
by publishing the letter list gratuitousy,
although without the self-g Qualification of either
the Delta or Picayune
We ask our readers to peruse the card of Mr..
Postmaster, Kendall below, and then Judge for
themselves. It has the merit of being strictly
impartial statement so far as it relates to u.s. as
we are not aware of any reason why he should
have published the circumstances at all, except
to defend himself against the attack of the
Pieayune:
Mem ORLEANS Posr-orFtcE July o 1854
70 TIE Publishers u The Detal regret that the printing
OF the list unraied-tor letters 50 y4ry small mat
ter not TO allow the Picayune state the incidents
connected with it correctly The facts ara as follows
Last about this time my attention was called to
the fact that the printing Of tie for letters had
been awarded to the picayane under mslpprehensiop
OF the pootce Law governing the mode acertaining
the extent ot circulation The point in dispute was
whether o editions of the paper the same day
could be counted y predecessor decided that two pdi
tlons Of the day should be counted considered
this decision erroneous Under provision Of the Post
office law requested to ascertain whether the fact
did net constitute good cause for changing the decision
could do less under the circumstances than submit
tine facts to the General the printing was
being executed under the present incnmbentthe law
giving him the privilege Of reviewing and changing the