The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-09-22
THE MONTHLY BULLETIN.

v .".."| -ts 't -
r The State of North Carolina has
an Agricultural Department, and
the A gricultural Department pub
fishes, at the expense of the tax
payers Of the State, what is called a
Monthly Bulletin Six months or
more ago, in these columns, we took
occasion to express the opinion that
the Bulletin Of the Agricultural De-
partment should be bulletin sim
ply, as it's name implies, and should
not aspire to be an agricultural jour
nal as we'll that if it was a bulletin,
published at the expense of the tax
payers Of the State, the Agricultural
Department had no right to put a
subscription price upon it and
charge for it, and that if it was not
a bulletin simply-but an agricul-
tural journal as well-then the State
had no right to use the money of
tax payers in that way, nor to enter
into competition with private enter
prises which it was doing by engag-
ing in the business of publisher. The
State has no more right to publish
an agricultural journal than it has
to publish any other kind Of jour
nal, or to set up grocery store and
sell coffee, sugar, salt, &c. We were
sustained in our position by nearly
every paper in the State that ex-
pressed any opinion on it. -.a
We have recently been favored
with some official information from
the Department, on the supposition
that we we're not posted as to the
true inwardness Of the management
of the Bulletin, the facts in which we
are allowed to use, and which we
here give substantially with the
comments which they elicit. 1t
was asserted that the Bulletin was
free to the farmers and citizens Of
the State. We asked if so why the
words transcription price 25 cents
per year" stands upon the title page,
and we are informed that this is put
on "to conform to a regulation Of the
Post Office Department. They (the
Post Office Department. further re-
quire the Department to charge and
collect this subscription from all per-
sons receiving the Bulletin except
exchanges and the residents of this
State, who, as taxpayers to the
State, are supposed an India rubber
word this is to have already paid
their subscription and to- be in the
nature Of partners in the enterprise
therefore," There is richness in this,
and as a genuine specimen of leger-
demain, hocus-pocus-whip-the-de devil
around the -stump-nOw-y -yOu-see-it-
and-now-don't articles it is unique.
The rules of the Post Office Depart
ment require that the paper must
have subscription price to get the
benefit Of newspaper rates on post
age, not only this, but it requires
that postage be not only charged
but collected and it is collected by
s'supposing" that every taxpayer in
the State is "partner in the enter
prise" and has paid his subscription
in advance, in the way Of taxes.
The richness of this is in the remark
able astuteness of it, which is only
equalled by the exceeding thinness.
IF they were going to take the tax
payers of the State in as partners in
that "enterprise why didn't they
take 'em all? Why issue only 10000
copies and send them out to some Of
the partners, ignoring the great ma
jority who paid their "subscription "
as we'll as these twenty thousand? =?
Why discriminate in favor Of these
as against the others and greater
number if all taxpayers are looked
upon in the light of partners in the
enterprise?" If one taxpayer is
entitled to it on this condition Of
partnership then all are and to favor
some at the expense of the others
is not fair nor just. And again, why
take the money of such farmers Of
the State and taxpayers who send
along the 25 cents after having
been supposed to have paid their
subscription in the way of taxes !?
Is it fair to make them pay twice
while others only pay once? These
little inquiries we leave for the De
partment to answer, if it sees fit,
for our further information as we'll
as for the information of the great
number of "partners who have