Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-02-12
CONGRESS-.
Proceedings Of the House OF Repre-
sentatiTes Yesterday.
The Bill to Amend the Postal Laws,
Making Letter.P POstage Two Cents.

lHc Dill " AucAu lu6 EOslAl LAWS
Making Letter-P Postage Two Cents.
WASHINGTON, February 1.-Mr
Sawyer, from the Committee OF
Commerce, reported the river and har.
Dor appropriation bill, which was made
a special order for Monday next. The
bill appropriates five million, five hun.
dred and seven thousand, four hundred
dollars.
The majority and minority report on
the subject of refunding distillers' money
paid for Tice meter, were made from
the Committee on Ways and Means foI
Messrs. Kerr and Beck, and ordered
printed.
A bill was passed authorizing the
President to negotiate the cession of 8
portion of the Creek reservation to the
Seminoles and Sac Indiana.
A bill was passed to pay the heirs of
George G. Bestar, of Peoria, Illinois, one
hundred and twenty-five thousand dol
lars for losses sustained in constructing
an irOn-clad steamer.
The bill authorizing the building of
the Montana and Wyoming railroad
was amended in some of its details and
passed.
A bill further amending the postal
laws, and making letter-postage after
the first of July two cents, was reported.
An amendment was adopted striking
out the words actually and wholly"
from the section relating to weekly
newspapers, so that it will not exclude
those country weekly newspapers hav-
inu norton of thar aTsffor,e
in large cities.
Mr.. Farnsworth explained the bill at
length. As to the prepayment of news
paper postage, he made the following
statement: The postage revenue last
year was, on letters, 81 9,354, 900; on
newspapers and periodicals, 1886, $40.
So revenue for letters was twenty times
as great as that for newspapers, while
newspapers were twenty times the
weight aud bulk of letters. In 1870,
there were, in round numbers, printed
of daily papers in the year, S0O.-
10000 copies, or an aveage of $500, 600
a day. of weekly papers, 900, 1000, 600
copies, or an average of over IL 500, 600
a week; of monthly periodicals, 100, OOO,-
600 copies, or an average of over $780,
900 month. The lowest rate of postage
on these publications was at present on
dailies, one dollar and twenty cents; on
weeklies, twenty cents, and on month
lies, twelve cents. He thought il not
too much to say that ten per cent. of
the dailies and eight per cent. of the
weeklies and monthlies passed through
the mails. If that were so, and postage
had been collected on it, il should have
yielded revenue from the daily papers of
S307, ,692; from weekly papers, ST.
S46, ,l53, and from mOnthlies, $780,
900, making a total of S2,953, ,S45,
while the actual receipts from
these sources were only 1886, $40. 1t
was therefore manifest that but q small
part of the postage was on that which
the great bulk OF the re-
ceipts of mails, and was over received
by the Department. He thought that
eventually Congress would require every
man who uses the mails to pay for their
use, but he admitted that there was now
a feeling of Difference to the country
weekly press to the extent of allowing
their circulation to pass free of postage in
the county of publication. As to the
effects of the proposed bill, it was his
opinion that, while the next
year might show a slight deficiency
In the postage received from letter
mail, within two years the present rev.
enue would be caught up with and
passed. As to the prepayment OF news
paper postage, that was not TO 60 into
operation until the first of January next,
Mr.. +. II. Roberts New York moved
10 amend by making the post
age or daily newspapers, not ex-
eeeding four ounces in weight,
fifteen cents per quarter. After some
discussion the amendment was agreed
10, and the amendments offered bv Gar
field and Hibbard, in respect to maga-
zine and newspaper manuscripts, were
agreed TO. The bill was then passed.
The bill as amended reads as follows:
Be 1t enacted, etc. That on and after
he first day of July next, on all mail
matter which is wholly or partly in
writing, except book, magazine and
newspaper; manuscript, and cor
'ected proof passing between authors
md publishers, and excepting also
or postal cards; |
IN all printed matter which |
5 so marked as to convey any other or
uTther information than is conveyed by |
he original print, except correction Of !
mere typographical errors; on all mat |
er which is sent in violation of law, or
he regulation of the Department re-
'pecting Enclosures, and on all matter
% which specific rates Of post !
ige is assigned, postage shall
)e charged at rate not over two cents
or each half ounce or fraction thereof; |
md this provision shall include all let
ers commonly known a. drop or local
etters, delivered at the postoffice or by
,aTriers, and magazines, manuscripts.
md newspaper manuscripts are hereby
declared to belong to third class mail
sble matter.
Section 2. That from and after the
inst day Of January next, under such
regulations and in such man
hall prescribe postage provided by
aw to be paid upon printed matter of
iecOnd class shall in all cases be prepaid
md collected at the offices respectively |
where such matter shall be mailed, aud |
postage on daily newspapers, |
rot exceeding four ounces each
,opy in weight, shall be charged |
md collected at the rate of fifteen cents
Der quarter, provided that the weekly 1
newspapers within the respective coun- |
It's Mubl6 luc same are printed i
md published, and none other, may
,ass through the mails free of postage, |
IS provided in the eighth clause of sec |
ion one hundred and eighty-four of the |
.ct to revise, consolidate and amend |
he statutes relating to the PostOfiice |
Section 3. That any person who shall |
axe any letter, postal card, or package, |
'ut of the postoffice OF branch /
or from the letter OF
or which has been |
u any pOstoffice or in the custody of |
my letter or mail carrier before it shall |
ave been delivered to the person to |
whom it is directed, with the design to
bsuuct correspondence OF to pry into |
he business or secrets of another |
r shall secrete, embezzle or destroy the |
anne, shall, on conviction thereof, for |
very such offense forfeit and pay pen |
lty not exceeding five hundred dollars, |
r be imprisoned at hard labor not ex-
eeding one year, or both, at the discre-
ion of the court.
THE PENN MONTHLY is a magazine |
devoted to literature, science, art and