The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-23
The Postage SvVindlo
washington Special March LAY Chicago Tri-
bune.

UUuS.l
A closer examination of the manner in
which the expressmen's job 10y which
postage on transient newspapers is doubl-
ed) became law shows that Hannibal
Hamlin was the instrument used in the
Senate to accomplish this purpose. It
does not afirmatively appear that Ham
lin knew the scope of his amendment.
The poor mans postage was doubled in
one Of the heated night sessions few
days after the franking priv.
lege was restored. vcrv
few Congressman evidently knew
that any change was made, and maav
who were advised of the increase of post
age supposed, and we're so told, that it
was only to apply to packages of mer:
chandise, and in no sense to transient
newspapers. When this amendment was
added, Postmaster.G General Jewell was
himself in the Senate chamber, and sup
posed, as did everybody who knew any.
thing about It, that the increase applied
only to merchandise.
HAMLIN TO BLAME.
The way it came about was this: Sena-
tor Hamlin, without previous notice, SAID
he had an amendment to offer, which was
this: ''That section 8 of the act approved
Jan. %, 1874, making appropriations for
the service Of the Postottice Department
for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1875,
and for other purposes, be and the same
is hereby amended as follows: Insert
the word ounce in lieu of the words two
ounces. Section was not read. The
impression among Senators who knew
anything about it was that this amend.
ment only doubled the postage on sam
pies and merchandise. Had the scctiea
been read the fact would have appeara
HArL1N's SPEECH. :S
Hamlin further SAID: M
This is an appropriation bill. Ths
amendment which is before the Senate
to retlenish your treasury, and tAiiiii
at this period of time, when the revcnud :
of your Postoffice Department are rJ
ming so low. the amendment which Offs
is one that should commend itself to TIL:
judgment of every Senator here. In
1872, we passed law fixing the rate of
postage upon what was called transient
matter of the third class. The question
has been submitted to the Postoffice De-
partment in relation to a change of that
law. and have here an express recon-
mendation Of the Postmaster-General in
favor of the amendment, which | submit.
| have full knowledge of this law.
was member of the postofice committee
when the plan of transmitting other
than mallable matter proper
through the mail was adopted.
1t fixed the rate of postage upon each
ounces. 1t has been carried up to 2
pounds. 1t was an experiment. | do
not seek to change that experiment, but
DO seek to place upon it a rate of postage
which, if the statements from the Post
office Department be correct, will give
you $2,0U0,0OO of revenue in the coming
year. 1t will operate as no hardship what
ever upon persons whom we design to ben
cit by allowing merchandise to go through
the mails. We support the mail depart.
ment proper upon postage at cents per
ounce. This will still allow merchandise
samples to go through our mails for l cent
an ounce-at such low rates that any per-
son who desires to avail himself of the
transmission of the mails for such pur-
pose will have no reason to complain of
our increasing the rate. The Postmaster
General tells us it should be done. Mr..
Bangs. whom regard as one Of the very
best officers in that department. (he is
careful; he understands his business,) has
made the statement that it will give to us
$2,OO0,0O0 of revenue if We adopt the
amendment.
BANGS LETTER
referred only to samples Of merchandise,
and stated simply that, if the Same
amount of merchandise should 60 through
the mails under the increased postage as
now, the amount of revenue would be in
creased $s2,000,O00. The only communal.
cation from the Postmaster General was
brief note calling attention to letters of
Bangs. The amendment was then
adopted in the Senate without further
explanation.
IN THE HOUSE.
The only proceedings in the House upon
the amendment were these: The clerk
read the text of the amendment, and Mr..
Garfield said: ''This is change of post.
age in regard to certain kind Of merchan-
disc, and meets the concurrence of the
committee on appropriations The
amendment was concurred in. Ramsey
subsequently tried to get further
amendment for the express companies re-
ducing the 4-pound limit to pounds, but
failed.
Cabrera, the Carlist General, Acknow-
ledges Alf0nzO as King.
PARIS, March 1911 Umiuerse publish
es the text of an address which General
Cabrera has issued to the Carlists and
which he will Immediately dispatch from
Paris. In the address Gen. Cabrera an.
nominees his recOunition If Alfonso