The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-18
A Souvenir Failure,

When the Hon John Wanamalzer. as
Postmaster General, provided for the
country some artistic postal novelties in
the way of souvenir stamps and folding
postal cards and invited people to step up
and buy, it was with the expectation that
the postoflice deficiency would be wiped
out and that the name of Wanamal1er
would go laundering down the ages as
one of the most astute business men who
ever held the pOstoftice portfolio. But
therein the Hon. John greatly erred. His
novelties, issued on a small scale, might
have been successes on fancy goods
counter. The postofice department, how
ever, is not a novelty shop.
MIR. Wanamaker calculated that bv
working a little confidence game upon
stamp collectors is, by issuing full
sets of souvenir stamps, including those
of the face value of 81, 50 and s., which
could not, without disregarding their
value, be used in the mails-he would be
able to turn into the department a round
sum of money without the risk of being
called upon to render value received. But
the collectors did not take the bait, to
any very great extent The Third AS
sistant Postmaster General, in his annual
report, recently issued, says that Post
master General Bissell, early in his term.
found it necessary to cut down.
by 33B per cent, Wanamaker's or
der for 100000, 900 souvenir stamps.
and that of the total sold not
$50, 600 worth were taken by stamp
1 COLLECTORS Nbar tho s+o,,, ,,c ,,-,,,,, Ct
! put on sale they went well, but as soon as
! the novelty wore off the demand de-
creased rapidly, the public preferring the
| smaller stamps. Nine months ago this
| very result was predicted by the Monk
| ING News; now we have the official decla-
ration that the prediction was correct.
| 1t seems that where laws have been
| passed, trials held under them. conyic-
tions secured and sentences passed upon
| the convicts, there should be no abroga-
ton of sentences except through the Gus
tomary and constitutional medium of the
/ governors pardon or Communication. 1t is
not a good idea to legislate for the relief
of convicted criminals as a class. there
fore the bill recently passed by the SEN
ate, ordering that all convicts in the pen
itentiary who were sentenced under laws
providing for terms of punishment differ
ing from the terms provided by existing
laws, be discharged if they have served
as long as the laws now in existence fix
the penalties, should be killed by the
House. If the legislators think the con-
victs under the old laws have been pun
ished sufficiently, there is a way to Sc
cure their release without placing such a
precedent upon the statute books. A con-
current resolution advising The governor
to commute to date the sentences of such
conyicts would have the desired effect.
Senator Wright, of this district, does
not make much noise in the legislature.
but he does great deal of work He is
/ regarded as one of the ablest members OF
that body, and great reliance is placed
upon his judgement in reaching conclu.
sions upon important measures. He is a
careful, intelligent and conscientious
worker in the committe room, and it is
there after all, that the real work oil
legislation is done. 1t is often the case
that the glib talker who wins the
admiration of the crowd is failure as
Legislator. He wastes his time in try
ing to get on the popular side of ques
tioHs. The main purpose of the thought
full and conscientious legislator is to get
on the right side. He does not always
get the recognition he deserves because
the unthinking crowd is oft captured BY
brilliant nonsense rather than by solit
attainments Senator Wright's con
stituents, however, are finding out anc
appreciating his merits
Georgia is nothing if not progressive
Soc that IafaNette incident Onr rnnon