The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1890-11-19

master finds, what he considers unlawful
matter, or even suspects that articles are
of that character, he is authorized to
suppress the publication and refuse it
passage through the mails.
This dangerous innovation is claimed
under the speciOus pretext of suppress
ing lottery advertisements, and so far
the public seems TO acquiesce without
protest against this new assumption of
power. If this step meets with popular
favor then the next move will be to ex-
anime tirst-class matter, breaking the
seals of letters in search of contra
band publications or writings. If that
be accomplished then we will rapidly
forget the Louisiana State Lottery in the
multitude of grounds upon which these
pOstmasters can act as censors Of press
and peOple.-LeriRgton, (Ky) Press,
Nov. 5.
The Press is correct. The instructions
of the POstmaster-General are not only
ridiculous, but capable of being used in
the most offensive way by ignorant or
mean postmasters. If a postmaster
thinks or pretends to think, that an adj
vertisement or a paragraph, sentence,
line or word of reading matter pertains
to some lottery or gift enterprise, he can
refuse to deliver the papers to subscrib-
ers. And it is left entirely with the
postmaster to say what constitutes a lot
terry or gift enterprise. A postmaster,
having grudge against a newspaper, or
being over watchful, has but to point
out something which he thinks, or fears,
OF claims TO think or fear is contraband,
and stop the paper in his office What
can the publisher do? Before he can
resort to the opinion of the Attorney
General, the addition is too old to 90 out
to the subscribers.
More than this, must the postmaster
sit down and read a paper through word
by word, and pass upon every thing in
the paper, before he allows it to 60
through the post-ofice?
The post-oflce department not only
undertakes to suppress lottery adver-
tisements in every form, to which we dc
not object, but to suppress all news in
relation to lotteries and gift enterprises
If citizen should draw $4,000 in a lot
terry, or win an oil painting at a rattle,
or a hundred dollars in gold given away
by THE CLIMAX, or some other paper, il
is contrary to the laws Of Congress and
the instructions of the post-ofIice de-
partment to say any thing about it in a
newspaper.
As announced in last weeks CLIMAX,
the Leavenworth Times has brought
suit for $4,000 damages against the post.
master OF that city for stopping his pa
per in the Office because it contained the
news of a Church Fair. There is no
doubt in our mind that Judgment will
go against the postmaster. News is news,
and the people want to know the news.
That is the purpose of a newspaper, and
any authority that decides to the con-
trary is wrong.
If it is not right to publish the news OF
a chance enterprise of any kind, in
whole or in part, because some people
think all chance institutions are wrong,
is itright to publish murder, theft, incen-
diarism, and all the other crimes that
all people concede to be wrong? Some
people think it wrong to dance, but shall
we exclude all reports Of balls and par
ties at which dancing is a feature? Some
people think secret societies sinful
Shall we suppress all reference to the
NIasOns, Odd Fellows, etc?
The post-Ofiice department has grown
entirely too goOdy good.