The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-03-22
A Severe Blow ut the Country Press.

severe BLOW ~ the country PreSs.
Among the acts of the late Congress,
which covered itself with the infamy of
stealing 81, 900 from the public treas
ury, during the last hours of its existence,
none will be felt more severely than an
amendment that was slipped into the post
office appropriation bill, which repealed
the law allowing the free circulation of
country papers in the county where they
are published; Ito take effect the LIST of
july and abolished the free exchange of
newspapers among publishers. The free
exchange Of newspapers is no part of the
franking privilege which has grown into
such an intolerable abuse by mercenary
Congressman, but it serves in great meas
ure to diffuse the news transpiring in every
quarter of the country, rapidly and cheap
ly among the people, one of the fundiment-
al objects for which the postal system was
established. Publishers cannot afford to
pay postage on heavy exchange list Of
papers from all parts of the country and
furnish their papers to subscribers at the
low rates of subscription at present prevail
ing. The heaviest blow, however, from
this amendment to the post office law will
fall upon the local Or country press. The
privilege enjoyed by the country press to
circulate free in the county Of publication,
was great protection to that important
branch of the great newspaper system,
which constitutes the bulwark of the ma
ton. The city weeklies which are COM
posed of a hash of the dailies, are distrib
uted by tens of thousands broadcast over
the country at prices but little advanced
on the cost Of white paper, and where a
large circulation is established such week
lies become source of much profit to the
proprietor. They cost but little more than
the making up of forms composed almost
exclusively of matter selected, and set
aside from the daily editions. These
cheap weekly editions of the city dailies
prove most formidable competitors to the
country press, which is at heavy expense
in getting up comparatively small editions,
but which are vital to the interests of the
county where published. There can be no
excuse in extenuation Of proffigate Con-
gress in delivering this damaging blow at
the interests and future advancement of
the local press, except the mean efforts
shown on every opportunity to tack on
something to the post-office law that would
serve to make the change odious, in hopes
of restoring the fat and foul privilege of
an indscriminate use of the mail by Con-
gressmen, in session and out of session.
The local or country papers are no burth-
en- on the great mail lines, which provide
quick transit between distant and leading
commercial points of the country. They
are nearly all distributed by the way mails
which are comparatively light and which
are made up by the agents and put out at
each station on the road.
1t should be the business of the country
press to publish the vote which cuts
off the exchange of newspapers among
publishers and the right of free circula-
ton of county papers, and make it so
warm for the Hessians who took this mean
method of revenge for the loss of an abused
privilege, that no one of them who voted
for the measure, or was in any way answ-
cradle for its passage, shall ever dare show
his head again. Let the country press
order their Representatives in the next
Congress, to repeal this infamous clause, as
they commanded them to repeal the no less
infamous franking privilege, and they will
not dare disobey.
1t should be the duty of the different
editorial associations throughout the coun-
try to have consultation on the subject
and adopt measures which would secure
the speedy repeal of the Objectionable
clause. Let the black list of treasury
thieves be published as soon as it can be
had, and whip them through the country
to the tune of the Rogues' March, as a
warning to future political adventurers
who lie their way, and buy their way into
Congress.