The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-01-28


The mammoth newspaper establishments
Of the eastern cities are bowling and
bounding down Mr.. Colfax and his bill
TO regulate postage. Under the present
Law those mammoth establishments have
well nigh wiped out the local press of the
country, and the interests of all the rural
populations Of the Union are At the mercy
of these metropolitan sheets. They pay
no more postage on their papers sent in the
mails three Thousand miles than is charged
upon the GATE CRY to the town of Ham
ilton. in Illinois, one mile from our Office.
This not fair nor sensible. They should
pay Uncle Sam in proportion to weight
and distance. And. moreover if il is
right to require postage to be paid on let
tiers carried over the mail routes, whether
In the mail or out Of it, it is not wrong to
require some remuneration for carrying
newspapers. The burdens of taxation to
sustain the expenses of the Post Office
Department have to fall upon some class,
and We see no reason why those who reap
the chief benefits in the use of the mail
facilities should be exempted from sharing
these burdens. We insist that they ought
to pay, and We hope that the members of
Congress from the interior and the West
will not suffer themselves to be bamboozled
or bullied into subservience to the domi-
neerlng monopolies which are using facii-
ties furnished by the Government without
compensation. If the Government per-
sists in this kind Of favoritism, the Local
Press of the country will be eternally wiped
out.
We publish letter from Schuyler Col
FAX to the Tribune and commend il to the
attention of our readers and our delegation
in Congress
SIR; have just read your emphatic
dissent in yesterdays paper to the bill re-
ported from House Post Office Committee,
requiring postage to be paid on all news
papers and periodicals carried over post
route. whether inside of mail bag, or in
m express car. Yos say, at is step
away from the light war upon progress
De. Will you spare me room in your pa.
per 70 explain why think it is not
hs law how forbids any one carrying
letter on any post route outside Of the
mail, except in stamped envelope, which
cannot again be used; the Government
thus obtaining the postage. Though it
may be on matter of life or death. and
sent 1t time when the Government il
not running mail, (Which parallels your
illustration Of evening papers the Depart
ment says, "You shall not. under penalty,
unless we receive three cents" And the
whole country acquiesces.
But the law allows merspopers to be sen,
outside Of the mail, and the Post Office
Department is every year losing more and
more revenue by this permission, and the
express companies gaining what it thu.
!c-cs. Nearly tho Whole of the immense
circulation Of the New York Ledger is tim.
carried, and large portion Of yours, a,
veil - other widely-circulated papers; anl
this, too, % great extent, 10 the yer,
same railroad trains which the Depart
ment Is paying 50 heavily for carrying tn,
mails. Itmay b equitable to require PEG
pie y pay postage on letters carried, ..
- accommodation, outside of the mails
Q : mail train, without the Departmen
rscssying postage on them, but | confess
- Asrsssast seodition ofour finances