The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-22
NEW SPAPER POSTAGE

NEWSPAPERS POSTAGE.
A number of bills are pending before Con-
gress to ameliorate or entirely do away with
what must be confessed is an unnecessary and
onerous burden upon the metropolitan and
class newspapers of the country About ten
years ago the law and the custom were
changed, compelling newspaper publishers to
prepay the postage on all papers sent outside
Of the county of publication, which, to papers
having general circulation, has proved to be
most burdensome expense, amounting to an
average of million and half of dollars
year, or about fifteen millions of dollars during
the time the law has been in oper-
alton. A fair consideration of the mat
ter must show the injustice Of this tax.
The great bulk of the newspaper publications
CT the country are the county weeklies. Out
of total periodical list of II, 3l4 given by the
census of 1880 there we're 1858 weeklies,
nearly all of which, by the terms of the law,
are permitted to be circulated free in the
counties in which they are published, tanta-
mount to absolutely free circulation for most
of them, as they have few or no subscribers
outside of their counties. The relief asked
for does not, therefore, touch this vast and
valuable body Of weekly papers, which are
very properly accorded the free privilege of
the mails. The burden falls upon the
city papers with general circulations all
over the country, upon class journals
which are devoted to special trades and pro-
fessions, and upon the entire religious press
of the country, none Of which come into any
lies, and whose interests cannot therefore, be
in any sense antagonistic to the proposed mod
ifcation or entire abolition of the present rate
OF pound newspaper postage.
The justice of this proposition is recognized
by the number of bills which have been intro
duced into Congress. Among others who
have interested themselves in the matter is
Senator Voorhees, who introduced q resolution
instructing ''the committee on postoffices and
post roads to inquire into the propriety
and expediency of admitting all newspapers,
periodicals and other printed matter to the
United States mails free of postage" Post
master general Howe, in special letter ad-
dressed to Speaker Keifer, argued the justice
nd Of of+ bo frao of
pers. He said:
eff the public is to be taxed for the trans
portation of either class Of mail matter, un-
questionably it should be not for the fourth
class but for the second. Intelligence rather
than trade should be fostered by the govern
ment. 1t does not much concern the whole
people what it costs the merchant of Montana
to transport his teas or shoes from New York
or Boston. On the contrary, the diffusion of
intelligence is a matter of public and of gen
eral concern. IL is hardly an extravaganza to
say that the circulation of newspapers and
magazines in Texas is a benefit to Vermont
and vice versa This fact is recognized by ex-
isting laws. To spread information among
the people the government not only sends
free Of postage hundreds of thousands Of vol
umes through the mails, but actually prints
them for free distribution"
This argument is unanswerable. The post
age on newspapers is tax on intelligence.
There is no agency so helpful to the govern
ment as the press it is vastly more valuable
than the tons of official documents that are
passed through the mails unchalenged, and
upon which the idea of levying a rate of post
age has never been preached. In 1880 the
periodicals published in the United States was
in the ratio of one to every 4, 433 inhabitants,
larger ratio than anywhere else in the world
In the older countries the ratio runs all the
way from 1924 in Denmark to 971, 428 in
Turkey. These figures show that periodicals
are peculiarly the literature Of the people of
the United States, and they should not be
burdened unfairly by the government for
which they do so much.
The memorial of the newspaper publishers
of the country is again before Congress, and
we believe, if it be justly considered, It's
prayer will be promptly granted. 1t does not
ask entire exemption from postage, but merely
a reduction in the rate to correspond with the
reduction made in the rate of letter postage,
which was in answer to a popular demand,
and which has met the approval of all the
people, In the language Of the memorial,
eve hope you will add nothing to the bur-
dens of the publishers now free, but ask that
you viii diminish the burdens Of those for
whom we speak"
GENERAL RosECRANs does not mean to let
shrinking modesty stand in the way Of his po-