New-York tribune., 1894-04-20
A BLOW AT CHEAP DING.
PROTEST AGAINST AN INCREASE OF
POSTAL CHARGES.
ARGUMENTS OF THE PUBLISHERS COMMITTEE
IN OPPOSITION TO THE TRANSFER OF
LIBRARIES AND PERIODICALS FROM
SECOND TO THIRD CLASS
by TELEGRAPH To THE Tribune

Washington April 19-Orville J. Victor and John
Elderkn. a committee appointed at meeting OF
publishers in New-York last week to represent tnelr
interests before Congress. have addressed the foi-
lowing letter TO Representative Henderson, cnar-
man Of the Committee on Postofices and Postroads:
AS committee appointed at meeting OF pub pup
fishers held in NewYork City April Is. 1881 10 rep
respectfully and earnestly protest against that Item
clause of the General Postofce Appr0oIdi w, W..
bin which relegates Libraries and serial periodic
publications TO thrd-class rates
This protest is based upon the following con-
The change from second-class to thrd-class rates
without warning coming at time OF great debrr bna
literature which must prove fatal to interests ana
plants now exceeding 100000 in invested capital
These interests and plants were called lhto eN-
isence largely II not wholly. by the pryllog,s ex
which literature for the people at unprecedentedy
small cost to the purchaser and reader became
Encouraged and fostered by this act libraries and
periodic publications grew rapidly in number ana
price of the old style 81 80 book down to % cents.
thus saving to the people millions OF doliars an
the Government entailed by the carriage of the
matter at second-class rates:
self-proven by every newsstand in the country
whereon is found the 25-cent library issue Of the
Maryatt Trolope, Cooper Simms and hundreds OF
other Of our bTighesi and most popular authors 81
regular subscribers to the speciaorder readers.
Bn5 fher we pr9test IN @ ne name m ssrosy G1 s ie n
jured when the Libraries and serials cease publica-
tion as cease they must by the abrogation or me
the enforcement Of he new rating which Increases
the eshtfof M 81 6e pa
in the production and circulation OF the libraries
newsdealers and country merchants-all involved
I'm the disaster Of a suspension OF vast and NTH
ertO prosperous business.
Is it polite. is it sensible. is It just to do this
thing? We say no. On the contrary it is highly
mpolitic. offensive and unjust: and. coming as the
ery considered in committee and acted upon duly
in the House; but as proviso or rider on an ap-
making power by single committee.
one singular feature developed by the attempt 10
deny to the libraries and serial publications the
right second-class rates Of postage is the hos
tty Of libraries to these cheap issues. Ii Is known
that since the introduction OF the paper-covered IL
brarles and the rapid expansion Of their circula-
ton there has been a remarkable falling off OF
readers In all the public libraries. wei as in the
pa tronage Of the circulating brarlesue. OF course
to the fact that people preferred to buy the works
OF classic and current authors which they wished to
read at the nominal prices made possible by the
paper-covered form and numbered libraries issue
When "A nicely printed copy Of any of the works
OF Scott Dickens. Thackeray Marryat George
Eliot Cooper. Smms and other favortes can be
had at newsstands through the mails at the
small cost of twenty-five cents. readers throughout
all sections OF the United States become actual own
res Of the volumes and cease their calls on the Ii
brarian.
rms hlsse eInnatloh OF literature III tnS PoPutdI
forms has been immense, The best works OF the
best authors have gone out among the people to the
number of millions-how many millions no one
can estimate -thuS not oniy Haklns Il redi Hplhl!
possible i'm every respectable household, but enor-
mouslv expanding the taste for readng-a condition
of things impossible under the old bound-book form
with its 81 or 81 80 cost per volume.
The benefcence of a law which made these cheap
issues and their general circulation possible certain
ly observing person can question. and yet there
is n manifestation Of hostility to this law in the
effort for its repeal being made and in the
aversion shown by the custodians Of many OF the
public collections a cheap
This aversion to have made itself felt after
fourteen years opposition to the law OF 1879. which
really called the cheap libraries into existence. for
II is in evidence that the Postofiice Department
and the Postal Committee OF the House have been
melted TO this repeal by the urgency Of these IL
brarians and their extraordinary assumption Of au-
thOrity literary purveyors and censors
Congress should carefully look into this artful
rider" TO the Postoffice Appropriation bill which.
In denying Libraries and serial publications second
rate eight times greater Will If adopted, help to
bring about their complete suppression.