The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-04

It sounds almost laughable to talk about
the censorship of the press" in the United
States, and any one who asserted that Con-
gress meditated such an outrage on the press
as q supervision over it would be deemed a
mailman. Many members Of the present Con-
gress, however, have shown a most unfriendly
disposition towards the papers Of this coun-
try, and have been trying to worry them in
hundred different ways.
A few days ago law was proposed In Con-
gress which compelled the proprietors of
newspapers to employ the mails exclu-
sively for their distribution. Dry goods,
books, every other kind Of merchandise could
be sent by express, but newspapers must be
sent by mail alone. under heavy penalty for
any violation OF this law. OF course such a
provision was designed to cripple and iniure
the press. It was very well thought Of in
Congress and would probably have passed,
had not the papers discovered the law and
its purpose and exposed its absurdities.
A still more serious attack, however. on the
freedom OF the press has been discovered In
the bill now before Congress for the dassifi-
cation Of mail matter. To the bill on this
sahject originally offered by the Committee
on Postoflices has been added an amendment
by which all regular publications are per-
mitted to be registered and sent through the
mails at the rate of two cents a pound. This
proyision makes the Postmaster General,
with his subordinates, virtually censors of the
American press. The act declares that any
person desiring to send his publications
through the mails "shall submit the same to
the postmaster at the place Of publication for
examination, under such regulations as the
Postmaster General may prescribe; and the
said publication shall be examined to discover
its true character and whether IL is in &C
cordance with section of this act" That is,
every postmaster shall examine the newspa-
pers submitted to him for transmission
through the mails, to ascertain If there Is any
thing contained in them he considers inn
proper or unjust. If he discovers nothing
Injurious or improper in the papers he Is
authorized to issue a certificate OF registra-
ton to the publisher, who shall then have
the right to send his publications registered
through the mails. He must, however, have
his certificate or permit renewed every year,
and for this purpose must annually submit
his paper to the postmaster for examination.
This law thus practically makes every post
master q censor OF the press. Once year
every publisher must submit his paper to a
person, often illiterate, ignorant and preju-
diced, for examination The postmaster is to
be the Judge, and the right to send a news
Daper thr ough the mail is to bepossessed and
exercised only by virtue OF a permit from an
officeholder at Washington.
tits not quite certain that the gentlemen who
offered this amendment really meant by it an
attack on the freedom of the press, or desired
to nut the journals of this country under the
control and domination of petty ofice-hold-
ana. 1t is exceedingly doubtful whether any
postmaster, however Ignorant, would be fool
al enough to attempt to enforce censorship
81 the press in this country, or to prohibit
,,.r,ars from being sent through the mails.