Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-01-29


The express companies charge, or to oonhne
their circulation to the mails. When the
bill was under discussion in the House, Hon.
A. G. Riddle, member from this district
made the following sensible remarks upon
IT.
Mr. Riddle. wish 10 say a word or two |
only In reference to one or two principles |
which seem TO be directly involved in the
proposition before the House. do not care |
anything about this contest between the |
leading newspapers Of the country and the |
distinguished gentleman at the head Of the |
Post Office Committee, That gentleman is |
abundantly able to take care of himself, land |
those great journals are certainly capable Of |
looking 10 their own interests. / do not |
know the conductors Of them personally, but
buy Of them as buy my boots and shoes.
This Post Office machinery Is no depart
ment Of the Government, in any legal, con-
stltutional, or other sense of that term. 1t
has nothing whatever 10 do with politics
It has nothing to do with the Judiciary; 1t
is no part Of the Legislature; and it has
nothing whatever to do with the executive
department. It is bad use OF language,
which has several times obtained on thN
6oor, to call this department Of the Gov
ernment
Very early, and for very sufficient reasons,
unquestionably, the Government undertook
to perform purely the functions of dealer;
undertook 70 do fer the people the transfer
ence Of their correspondence. The wisdom
Of that Is not now directly, perhaps, in
volved in this proposition. And for the
purpose of enabling the Government the
better to do it, they passed laws by which
they monopolized this entire business, and
the purpose of it was the transmission of
the private correspondence of one individual,
or of departments of the Government with
persons with whom they had business COM
munications. The department was designed
and established upon the theory that those
who employed it should pay for that employ
ment. Hence, in strict accordance with
that principle, the House decided the other
day that those classes of persons who had
been favored in this matter heretofore should
be favored no longer. That is exceedingly
proper, in my judgment; but sir, it was
not originally the design or the purpose to
make printed matter mailable matter, at
least not to any such extent as that the Post
/ OAAIG OGNuANuuOuh M61 O4kouAACA A1A NAo
transmission of printed matter.
Now, sir, what is the relation of these news
paper manufacturers to this government agen-
lcy3 insist that these large leading dailies,
OF small leading dsilies, or no leading week
lies, sustain exactly the same relation to this
governmental agency that everybody else in
the land sustains to it, to-wit: when they
wish to communicate by private correspond
ence, over their own hands or by clerks, they
must use the Postofice organization; bui
sir, when they manufacture, as it is their bust
ness to do, their journals, they manufacture
them for the purpose of sale, Just pretis iY as
any other manufacturer furnishes his articles
to the market They use ink, to be sure,
and paper, but it is purely and simply man.
ufscture. They occupy simply that position
and they occupy none other in relation tC
this governmental agency. What right upor
, principle have you to say that the mauufac
turers of newspapers shall be compelled tC
make use of your governmental agency
which is but usurpation of private enter
} prise-to convey or dispose of their manuiac
, tured articles to their customers any NOR
than you have the right to compel the man
ufacturers of silk and cotton thread goods, o
pig iron, even, or of any other article, to US
It is not enough to say that the Govern
ment wants money. We know that the Gov
ernment wants money; but does that author
ize the Committee on the Postof1ce and Pos
{ Roads to say that to supply this psrticula
: deficit they have right to tax this particula
branch of business for they admit that it j
q taxi Why should you tax this particuls
D -
o than any and all others Itseems to me ths
e upon principle the measure so eloquently an
ably advocated by the gentleman from Indi
ana is wholly and entirely indeieasible.
As has been very properly remarked, thi
d is revenue measure; it is put upon tbs
y ground; and it does Lot follow that becaus
:. exceptionally you carry printed matter i
the mails, that gives you the right to seiz
:. upon this special and peculiar article of pro
, duction, and tax it specially and peeuliarl
: to supply this particular deficit. Not g
all, in my judgement. Yet that seems to b
} the principle involved here.
e desire to remark one single thing furth
n er. should have been very glad if th
! principle which was involved in the fourtl
;. section of the bill which was offered as
substitute for the bill a5olishing the frank
n ing privilege by one of the gentlemen fror
6 New York Mr.. Duel, looking towards
t remission of the governmental rights in fs
vor of the country press, had been adopted
as think it is entirely consistent with tn
. principle involved; but did not rise for tn
Ie purpose of discussing that question. l di
I not rise for the purpose of discussing the de
II tails of this measure at all. l only pre-
posed to call the attention of the House
. and I presume it was hardly necessary
= the principle which is directly involved i
ie this bill We are called upon to supply
,s particular deficit in the governmental reven
ues by tax upon particular branch of in
~ dustry, which sustsins no more intimai
y and necessary relation to that branch of tn
public service than do all others. I al
therefore constrained to oppose the bill; an
l now move to lay the whole subject on th
4 table.
e This motion was lost but a subsequer
motion to lay on the table prevailed.
I strong Language from Rebel journal
l. The Memphis Argus is not PARTICULAR
o choice in its use of words to characterize Il
s inaction and ineficiency of the rebel govern
I ment. 1t protests against the defensive pol
q cy which the leaders of the rebellion hay
acted upon, and shouts "on to Washington
b as the only hope of salvation. The artic
n gives such an insight into the condition
'e the rebel States, that we copy the closin
paragraphs;
Cabined, cribbed, confined as we were, an
evidently would be, our shortest, clearest an
le most noble policy was to find in the rapi
n use of our early revolutionary enthusiasm a
e overmatCh for the slower and less spirited
> but more enduring North. We speak plain