The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-03-06
From the Benton Harbor Palladium.
Postage on .NS,c si1apers.

discussing the propriety of returning to
the old method of granting the favor
to newspapers of the privilege of receiv.
ing their exchanges free of postage, and
also Of circulating free Of postage within
the county where published. We have
done this for several reasons which need
not here be enumerated.
We may assume at the outset, that
the notion of granting special farors to
any one interest, however important, at
the expense of the rest is fast becom.
ing obsolete and the sooner the press,
as a body, plants itself upon that plat
form, the better This, of course i'm
plies paying postage on exchanges-a
burden which need not be very heavy.
When we come, however, to the cues.
ton of free circulation within the county
where published, we may well look a
little deeper into the nature of the pres
ent postal regulation, and their opera
ton and effect.
1t may startle some Of our readers
when We make the statement that moth
ing now is paid for the transportation
of newspapers in the mails. The amount
collected for postage is wholly for recep-
tion and delivery. In proof Of this we
cite the fact that no matter how long or
short the distance, the rate of postage is
the same For copy of the Pditdd-
ium, delivered to its subscribers at the
Post Office in Benton Harbor, the
Government receives twenty cents
lyear-although the only service per.
formed is its reception in the post-office
and delivery therefrom-while the De.
troit Tribune, which is doing its utmost
to perpetuate the system which works so
much to its advantage, is brought here
for nothing and delivered alongside of
the Palladium at the same rate of pos
tage-which is, as We see, simply the
fee for reception and delivery. The
same is true, of course, Of the New
\ ork papers, and all others.
1t is scarcely necessary to point out
what an immense advantage this gives
the city press, Already overshadowing
their more humble, but perhaps not less
worthy contemporaries, by the magnitude
of their business, the extent of their
facilities, the consequent cheapness with
which their sheets are purchased, and
the resulting vast advantages they pos
sess in the way of advertising, etc., the
city papers have used to the utmost the
means at their command to monopolize
the ground. Swarms of canvassers
tempted by offers of premiums,
"chromos and endless quantities Of
D trash, are annually let loose upon the
} land, aud many = heard.earned dollar
i. lured by smooth words, goes to foster
. interests hostile to the man from who's,
/. pocket it comes And this, under tn,
present system, is still further tostereC
c by what is a virtual bounty upon tn,
J.. city press, at the expense of their les
= fortunate compeers.
q Again, the transportation Of county
o papers is mainly over routes where i
!. does not add to the expense of mai
e carriage namely, the short routes t
S small hamlets and villages; while tina
y of the city papers is mainly ever tn
i long, heavily burdened, larger routes
where the government pays by the tot
|, for the service.
}. 1t should not be forgotten that, sine
y postmasters are paid by salaries the re
!. ception and delivery of papers entail
no additional cost upon the govern
ment-so that postage, under the pres
ent system, is exacted for services whic
:. do not add to postal expenses, Will
a that which does add to those expenses
,e is rendered for nothing.
: This all enures to the benefit Of tn
It city press; and We find, accordingly
r. that the city papers are all anxious t
v have it continued That is "strang
% coincidence most "hextraordlnar
r. coincidence" to use the words of the in
}. mortal Sam. Weller; but of course tn
of position of the city press is only dictate
l. By the purest and most uuselfsh dew
ton to justice and the public welfare
,e They wouldn't do thing to furthe
Ia their own interests at somebody else
N expense not they! Butter would nc
" melt in their mouths" one would thinl
]; to read their articles, SO full of loft
2. scorn for US "beggars" of the rur;
a. press
d In the case of letters-a drop lettt
D. is delivered for one cent, but if carrie
.. in the mail the postage is three-shat i
1t the transportation of the letter is put ;
Or twice the reception and delivery. |
II that case there is no great and powerfl
e, interest to lobby to arrange it differen
If ly-no Congressman Palmer to surrel
to titiously squeeze in an amendment to a
ii appropriation bill that will benefit h
y own newspaper thousands of dollars
So we see the postage arragned upo
Of equitable basis. So our coincidence
n. is completed in all particulars.
ne We think, on the whole that the re
le toration Of the privilege Of free circuli
le ton within the county where published