The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-04-17
THE PAPER-PULP MONOPOLY.

The most interesting question before Con
xress at the present time is that of the tariff on
the raw material from which the education OF
this great people is derived, and on the medl'
um through which large proportion OF the
business of the country is conducted Dear
paper makes dear newspapers, dear books, dear
writing material, dear envelopes. 1t handicapS
the intellectual, commercial, aud social life OF
the most active and progressive people IN Inc
world That Legislators should favor this mo-
popoly or hesitate for a moment to strike il
down is too monstrous to believe. II is acrime
against the child at school, against the laborer
bv his evening lamp, against the age and
against posterity that the intelligence of the
future, upon which our political and social
welfare SO largely depends, shall be restricted
and diminished that few coarse men may
grow rich 1t Is important that bread shall be
cheap, for without 1t the body will die, 1t is
supremacy important that intelligence shall be
cheap, for it is the food Of the mind. Where one
man is employed in making paper or wood
pulp hundred are employed in the art OF
printing. II may be said that just As many
will find employment on newspapers for ex-
ample, whep paper is dear rs whcnit il cheap.
This is not true. The newspaper cannot safely
reduce its size. But the necessity for rctrcnch.
ment mus, be met and will fall at once on the
labor the publisher employs, since it can fall
nowhere else, BY employing larger type and
reducing the composition bills IN the ways pub.
fishers so easily understand they can lop of
the wages Of composltors to make up for the
increased cost of white paper. They will also
reduce the pay of numbers of reporters and cor.
respondents, and thus diminish the pay roll
while the quality of the news and comment
furnished will he deteriorated. The business
of printing is OF such vastly greater impor-
lance than that of making paper, that il IL sim
ply monstrous to tax the greater industry to
enrich few wealthy manufacturers The in.
telligence OF the American people comes one
hundredfold more from the general reading of
newspapers by the people than from their com.
mon schools. The marvelously cheap form in
which the best of the standard English lltcra
ture is now furnished is another powerful edu.
Gator, and one, the effects of which will be felt
by future generations. The cost Of paper is a
most important element in this machinery for
the spread of Knowledge machinery that
has far outstripped the dreams of the Giraris
and Smithsons, who have sought to benefit
their fellow-men by cndowlng institutions to
serve the same end
As for the wood-pulp milionalres, who pros.
titute their seats in Congress to maintain their
monopoly, their course is just as corrupt as If
they sold their votes. As long as public opin.
ion will permit this sort of thing we may ex.
pect carnival Of rascality in public life. To
make orations about deficiency IN the Star
Service, and he silent about the fragrant i'm.
morality of members voting money directly
into their own banks or mills will not Justify
any talk in the House Of Representatives abos,
Reform.