Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-07-06
Alleged Subscription Laws.

postoflice department to inquirers
concerning the relative rights of pub
Fishers and subscribers to periodicals;
The postofice department IS in con-
slant receipt of appeals from citizens
in all parts of the country, of which
the following is fair specimen:
4 sent one dollar to a well-known
weekly paper for trial subscription
last July. AT the end Of that time l
did not request the publishers to con-
tinue it. They did 20, however, and
/ finally refused to take II from the
carrier. They sent me the bill and
the enclosed subscription laws notice.
What I would like to know IS, if re-
putable newspapers do business this
way; also, if the enclosed is correct
transcription Of the laws Of the United
States. If SO, it would seem as il the
United States laws were framed to
admit of Matchmaking.
The Subscription Laws" notice re-
ferred to ia the letter, is printed in
the form of little dodger, and pur-
ports to contain a compilation Of "the
decisions of the United States courts
ON the relation of subscribers to pub
lishers." The compilation IS divided
into seven paragraphs, thus:
(1) Subscribers who do not give ex-
press notice to the contrary, are con-
sidered as wishing to renew their
subscriptions.
or If subscribers order the discon-
&inuance Of their periodicals, the pub
fisher may continue to send them I'M
til all the arFearsges are paid.
(3) If subscribers neglect or re-
fuse to take their periodicals from the
postofice to which they are directed,
they are responsible until they have
settled their bills and ordered them
discontinued.
az Ii subscribers move to other
places without informing the pub
Usher, and the papers are seRt 10 the
former address, they are held Eespon-
sible.
(5) The courts have decided that
refuSing to take periodicals from the
Office or removing and leaving them
uncalled for il Drimd fdcie evidence
of intentional fraud,
(G) If subscribers paid in advance,
Shey are bound to give notice al the
end Of tao time If they do not wish to
continue taking it; otherwise the pub
Usher Is authorized 10 send 1t, and
che subscriber will be responsible I'M
til express notice, with payment of
all arrearages, is sent TO the pub
fisher.
The latest postal laws are such that
newspaper publishers can arrest any
one for fraud who takes paper and
refuses to pay for it. Undeg THE law
the man who allows his subscription
to run along for some time unpaid
and then orders it discontinued, or
orders the postmaster to mark 1t "Re
fused" and have postal card sent
notifying the publisher, leaves him
sells liable to arrest the same as for
theft.
At the department this sort of thing
is pronounced mere modified form
of blackmail. In the first place, there
are no such United States laws as are
here represented to exist, end the
publishers who issue the circulars
probably know it, as they commonly
take the precaution to indicate in
preamble that the compilation was
made by somebody elSs-~thus trying
to evade personal responsibility for
the fraud. All the relations between
Publishers and subscribers are gov
erned by the common law and stat.
utes as in force in the several states.
In New York one rule may prevail, IN
Massachusetts another. The postof-
fice department, moreover. has moth
ing whatever to do with the whole
matter further than to instruct its
postmasters that they must not lend
their official aid to publishers In fore
ing periodicals upon unwilling ad-
dresses. If a person notifies a post
master that he does not want a GER
tain paper or magazine delivered any
longer in his mail, the postmaster is
required not only to respect the re-
quest, but also to send to the pub
Usher a formal notice to discontinue.
Ii, as not infrequently happens, the
publisher ignores this notice, the
postmaster is authorized to throw the
periodical into the junk-heap, and
dispose of it for old paper, United
States Official Postal Guide,