New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-09
THE CENSOR OF THE PRESS.
ARBITRARY RULINGS OF HENRY r. HARRIS.
HE THINKS THERE'S Tso MUCH PRINTED MATTER
HOW HE PROPOSES TO STOP 1T.

HE THINKS THERE'S Tso MUCH PRINTED MATTER
HOW HE PROPOSES TO STOP 1T.
There's now official In Washington called tho
Censor OF the Press He wasn't created by law. He
Just grew. Since November he has taken a prominent
plare in the heat OF all publ hers. and his name has
en- promsou hs he'd Up wi expressive phrases
unknown 10 the cultured The man Is Georgian
m ex- Congressmsn. and when not playing Censor
occupies the Office OF Tn I'd Assistant Postmaster
General. lie is CHARGED Ly la with the consdera-
ton OF questions relating to The classification OF mail
matter and the rates OF postage the entry OF second
cas publications and correspondence reslnR
the eto.
In tho case of new publications Mr. Harrs's meth
DDS mari AXE OF Do secuon. "The Amer can Book
seller" ha. called attention to the recent Controversy
between this alleged servant Of tho people and Tho
New.York Gsz"tte,' publ 7hod In this city by Bill
APPS sors Frank and Victor Smith. Certain state
men n AIDE are so amazing that TRIBUNE reporter
called on tho Messs. Smith al No. 154 Nassau-st'
for rsrticuars OF their stugel' with ito Censor The
brothers a. first were exceedingly cautious
1--WE don't ca-r TO tocln another conf ct,' they
said HI,s too expensive . business-thls hghting
the Government
"Whai is the cause OF your trouble with Mr.
Harrs's Department. tho reporter injured
aYou'd better ssh Sunset Cox. Mr. Harris told
him more than he told u.s.
"was Mr. Cox interesedf'
1--WE ende vvorod, urf unatey. to use his pull
We were told by certain Post oflce official that Mr.
Cox could fix It with Harris OF course We ap-
preached tho Congressman only as . last resource
"You wore trying to enter 'The Gazette at the
secOnd-class rate Of pOsiage1"
"Yos-one cont q pound. Mr. Harris insisted tnas
we should pay cents pound"
"On what sroundsf"
ITO US he wrote that tho Gazette was excluded
from the sccond-cass pv lesr' because OF It's NOM
insl subscription prce To- ny. Cox no sad, Inc
New-Yok Gazette belongs to tho class primarily
for advertising purpo O., and II has M suDscrpuoh
list Mr. Cox was good enough to send US Mr.
Harris's letter. else might never have learned why
wo were excluded from the pound rates"
WHAT IS A sUBsCRIPII3N LIsTf
"What was meant by nominal rate Of subscrlptlonT
aHcavcn and Harris only know. Is g. year
cents a copy-a nominal price'
"And tho statement to Mr. Cox -"
GWas positively untrue. We made oath that "o
did have subscription list, and the Censor VIII ho'
dare to deny It, The evidence IS on Ale in his onloo
his clerks have 1t. We admit that the Hs' was
small but It was honest. And, ocss you, Is person
going TO subscribe for magazine that he mas
never Scent And would this mighty Censor give us
moro than an eighth OF chance 10 circulate inc
Gazette in order that people might sec ltf VIM
shall say how many names constitute suDscnPuo"
list? The postal laws and regulations do not tel us
whether # shall contain ten ten times ten'
believe that wo had subscription list. we 'oiu
Mr. Harris that his rulings placed premium on us
honesty What besides conscience was 10 prevent 10
from swearing that We had 1000 subscribersf Inc
department never goes behind the returns.
Another point. The postal laws and regulations
state most positively that the number OF sample copies
sent out by publisher Is not limited In this matter
Mr. Harris was entirely above The postal laws ana re-
gulailons lie limited ~" purI MI ~. nsL ncr
York Gazette mighty quick We moccstV ASH pr pr
tn sendo
proportion IS too great said the Censor Detweeh your
eub-cl1pton lis; and IN number o. san pc Cotrs.
sBnt General we argued, the law doesn't limit US.
Besides, our subscriptions Will soon run, up ,iI
and new publications can't expect the GoyerhEen1i
TO advertise them They should be compelled TO seha
oyt sample copies a. third class maticr.eght cents
did we do Came down 10 $50 sample copies"
powN on THt PREMIUM BusIN 50.
"Wbat was your trouble about premiumsP
"Well, this being the age Of premiums we patterned
after our contemporaries and offered town lou In
Florida worth 20 cents all nducement TO SUD
scrlbers Tho Censor declared It was land specu-
lation. We swoIe was not. lie fo-
fused to bceve US. 1t was drop tho lana
premium stay out OF the mails. Wo argued In
vain General we pleaded, you exclude rs from
tho mails on account of this premium You know
that nlnety-nlne out OF q hundred periodicals offer
promlums TO subscribers Certain magazines are
regular variety stores. 1t IS an age OF premiums
and chrOmos. Why, wo can mention dozens OF
periodicals now enjoying tho Seeond-caSs privilege
which profess to give subscribers premiums worth
more than the price of subscription We offer no
such Inducements. We've got TO mako a profit or
quit Mark we'll his reply. II you know any pub
locations doing you say will be glad II you VIII
let me know Of thom.' And he added in no uncertain
voice that all suCh should be stopped
Did you send him such magazines y
"Yes. From list of several hundred We selected
carefully married. with blio pencil their astounding
ofers to subscribers, In Order that they might no,
escauo the eye Of the Censor. We made a table OF
comparisons between one OF these publications and
'The ewYorl Gazette which VIC were sure wonld
far publication was concerned. II required
telegram TO get reply to this dose but IL came al
last containing these words rho papers to which at
bona fde subscribers and in most Il not all cases
cited Is EST abshed that tho success OF the periodicals
such and not any collateral ~ distinctly separate
enterprise IS the principal object Of their publication
] am Obliged TO decline TO reopen the case so de-
pvpR~ss CHr.PER THAN THE NAILS
"what did you do'0
"WecOntInued to mall Tho Gazette > at cents
pound to regular subscribers. Ten thousand copies
each week were sent out by Adams Express Mr..
Harris took particular pains to leave us no !oophoe
OF escape For the first time in its history tho Am
erlcan News Company, which handles The Gazette
received explicit warning from tho Post Office De
rartmcnt, lest It might inadvertently mail The
New-York Gazette az the pound rate Tho en-
ployes under Mr.. Pearson mus haze received sharp
orders, too for thew continue to poster with quos-
lions which highly impernen acting as If they
suspected us of attempting to dcfraud the Govern |
ment We told that Mr.. Pearson never makes
trouble for publishers"
"Were you finally succossfu17
ain a measure. But retired from the pre-
MUM business. We almost afraid TO the
word premium or chrOmo.' lest the Censor take
offence. Tho Gazette + under the ban and must
stand alone, without thOsr eXti aorinary induce
mcnts whitL have established Its contemporaries
You I'm trouble with the Treasury Depart |
ment, tOo!"
Not quito. We rcrcated. We had a big nickel |
engraved for a show cart, but Uncle Sam afraid
that somebody might try to pass It for scent plcco
" How large was II n
" About four inches I'm diameter
What do you think Increasing tho postage on
library pcfiOdicalsi7
" 1t looks Ike OF Mr.. Harriss measures. The
policy OF his department T. to reduce the amount OF