Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-11-29
BiSsELL.S REPORT
sugeestlons.e 81 the Poatlnaster General
Regarding His /, department..

! Su SUI sesClonsS OF the Postmaster General
Regarding His Department..
WASHINGTON. Nov. ~. -Postmaster
General Blssell's annual report con.
tains number of novel, almost
unique suggestions and recon-
mendations, but these are assoc
GATED with practical ideas and
plans that render them of more than
ordinary value and tend to incite.
deeper study into their scope and
worth. The policy which ME- & Bis
sell has outlined may be briefly given
in his own words. He says:
:. general would recommend that the
f1rst and most important thing to be done is to
revise the law as 70 second-class mail matter
SO as to place the post office department 1m-
mediately, pom notwithstanding basis.
.2. Avoid expensive experiments, like the
postal telegraph, rural free delivery, etc.
- develop the postal service ION existing
lines OF administration viz (a) Extend free
delivery in cities that now enjoy it: (b). ac-
cora IT to towns already entitled to it under the
law: (c). quicken railroad transportation.
d Revise and reclassify organization OF,
the railway mail service. and reclassify clerks
in post offices, and
% Provide for district supervision Of postal
affairs by appointment of expert postal off,
Gals from classified service, as recommended.
in my last annual report
The most important topic in the report is
treated under the explanatory caption:
Abuses connected with second.class mat
ter" MIR. Bissell states without reserve that
advertisers. book publishers and others have
tai en- advantage OF the broad construction of
What constitutes matter of the second class
by sending out their eltisements
and periodicals under the technical dis
guise OF newspapers and periodicals,
and have thus secured the benefit of the lower
rate of postage He has discovered that the
abuse has grown so great that it now costs the
government eight times as much to carry
second class matter as the revenue derived
1rofn it.
Mr.. Bissell also states that the publications
of fr. ternal, scientific, educational trades,
professional, literary and historical or
CARNATIONS, admitted 4 to- the. privilege
OF second-class matter under the act
of July Is, 1894, are almost wholly
of mere advertising character, ana are,
therefore. not Of the class to which any excep-
tional privilege should be given. 1t Is in the
concluding paragraphs on this topic of second
class matter that MIR Bissell makes sugges-
ton Of much INTEREST,"
Continuing. he s.tys: F"I do not advocate a
change OF rates now upon legitimate newspa-
pers and periodical magazines. MY purpose is
to urge the withdrawal of low postage rates
from the large class OF pretended periodicals
that are Improperly enjoying them
IF it be the policy OF the. congress to con-
tinue the privilege Of second-class rates to
benevolent or fraternal societies. then the
remedy would suggest would be an amend
ment OF the law limiting this rate to them and
10 legitimate new Spapers and legitimate peri
odcul magazines.
Il believe that one years experience under
such limitations with the frauds and abuses
checked. would demonstrate that we have al.
ready reached the time and conditions when
all such legitimate newspapers and periodical
magazines may be transmitted through our
mails from publishers into the hands OF sup
scribers free OF ali cost"
Regarding civil service reform in the post
Office department. Mr.. .Bissen contends that it
should lie extended wherever practical and
suggests that the lower grade-the fourth
claas-of postmaSters might sc included with
IN the benefits OF the civil service law
Urol the subject OF. the postal telegraph Mr.
Bisseil disugrees with his predecessor. Mr..
w. .namakIr With reference to the desiraoitity
He Thinks 1T wholly impracticable at this time
and contends that our existing postal service
should he fully developed before adopting
postal telegraphy, which would add enormous
ly to the already large deficit of the post Office
dep srtment
MIR. Rissell thinks the experimental free de-
livery should be discontinued or else ex-
tended to all villages and towns, but he cam
not recommend the latter, as it would cost too
much, with little benefit to be obtained. He
says that free delivery in rural districts;is not
nee Cd r 1aS iral n fhn &