, 1862-01-20

oA0 H1A AVe
Their bill Will enable 1hc Department to
levy tribute on the present circulation Of
daily papers, they are greatly mistaken
THIRD. The great circulation Of daily
papers is attributable to the cheapness,
quicEness and punctuality With which they
can be delivered in all the surrounding
country. Take for example the hundreds
Of towns that Chicago papers Gail reach
within twcnty-four hours after issue. At
all these places are news-dealers WHO sell
daily papers and other current reading. In
the larger towns, those dealers employ car
riers to deliver papers at the residences of |
the citizens, Immediately after the arrival !
Of the trains. No time is lost. When the
train stops at station, the expressman, !
aaggage-master, or =" train boy,'' filings out |
the bundles Of daihes. The village carrier
rips them open, and proceeds to deliver |
them among his patrons Immediately. |
The residue arc disposed of at the stand Of |
the news~dealer during the day and night.
Meanwhile the train-boy jumps on the plat |
form and improves the few seconds before
starting, in selling 10 the crowd who flock
around him-being mostly transient per-
sons, from the country, who want to see
the news. The bill proposed by Dir. Col
fa1s committee puts stop to all this free
competition, and confines the business to
licensed persons who pay tribute to the
Post-officc Department for the privilege of
vending information. Of course they will
charge back two or three-foli this ex-
pcnse to the purchaser. The business of
delivering city papers BY carriers, in towns
and villages, will cease, because the price
must be put up, and people will consequent
y refuse to take them, So long as people
in country towns can get city dailics at
something like the city prices they viii take
those papers in large numbers. But when
it comes to cost IS cents per
week for Chicago, St. Louis or
Cincinnati daily, they will discontinue it,
The retail price Of Eastern daily papers
sent west of the Ohio river will go up to
a dime, and their circulation will fall of to
| q fourth or tenth Of what it is now. If people
are obliged to pay more than so much for
newspaper, they simply stop it. Whether
! food or drinks increase or decrease
in price, the consumption remains pretty
uniform. Fluctuations have no marked
effect on the quantity purchased. But
+! when family begin to economic, the first
thing dispensed with is the newspaper L
| slight increase Of price is sufficient provo
cation to discontinue it.
| FOURTH. But If publishers abandon the
express agents, and resort exclusively to the
mails for conveyance and delivery, these
consequences follow: 1st. The route
agent will run past" many Of the nearer
stations before he can get done asserting.
This often happens, aud if the quantity Of
matter to handle be materially increased this
cause Of complaint will become more ire
qucnt, and there is no remedy for it.. I'd.
When the train reaches a station after
nightfal, the postmaster will not deliver the
papers until the next day. And from trains
that leave city at night lie will not re-
ceive them at all-{there arc a few
exceptions TO this rule, al the larger towns)
Evening papers and evening editions
Of morning papers would be practically
excluded from circulating beyond the city
in which they are printed. Sd. Undcr
the most favorable circumstances, there is
8 long delay from The time the train
ar7iyts Until tho papers can be delivered
from the Post Office, depending considera-
bly, on the activity and obliging spirit Of
the functionary- The more mails he may
have 10 assort, distribute, and deliver, the
longer it will take him to do the work.
But without pursuing this branch Of the
subject farther, VIC ask whether the bene-
fits 10 be derived from Mr.. Colfax' bill will
not be far more than lost to the National
, Treasury in consequence Of cripplng news
r papers? The falling off in circulation
will dcpreciate the value Of news
paper property, the value Of paper mills
, | Of type foundrics, Of press building shops
, and ink manufactures, and as value depre.
ciatcs, taxes must fall off in proportion
. Tho loss Of employment TO worlzmen will
tell on the income tax and other sources
r of revenue. We submit, that tht
n loss Of revenue from these causes
q will more than balance all thai
/ can he derived from the license an6
c coercion scheme Of the postal committee
d 1t may also be stated with entire truth that
It for every dollar the Post Office Department
It will gain by the proposed bill, publishers
it paper, ink, type and press makers ant
Il | their worImcn, conjointly will lose fifty
s Cut down the circulation Of newspaper
Il | and thereby reduce its income, and tA
y effect is, that the publisher is compelled t
!. insert less matter, take fewer special dis
,c patches, shorten up his editorial help, an,
: curt.l expenses in every way in order /,
make income cover outlay; consequent,
not o1ay is the whole business damaged
!. with Ill its collateral and dependan
e branches, but the reading public are fur
nishcd poorer paper ut IN enhanced price
st 4 little study Of politic,I economy vii
~ ~ convince any candid man, that impost
g levied Oh useful production, are the mos
+ damaging and least remuncratiyc of al
:; kinds Of taxes. Lay taxes on property
h | real and personal; on accumulated capital
il on Incomes; o. imports, bu. do not strik
+o at industry. Impose not burdens tha
n throw men out Of work, decrease produc
of ton, and diminish the value of inves
u ments in business. It is to be hoped tha
ID the popular Chairman of tile Postal Con
r. mittce will reconsider the subject, and at
=. in accordance with the principles of SCUM
= political economy and the inlmutable Law
- of trade.
ID E8 Washington dispatch to the Ne
N York Times of the 18th, eays it is undcrstoo
:, that the contracts let out by Secretary Came
on, for over million Springfield musket
aud over quarter of a million rifles and ca
10 bincs, will be ordered to be annulled by Co,
.ir grcss, They will not be available in the pr