The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-11-29

Bissell's most important recommenda
 ton is that the law as to second eiasi
 mail matter should be so revised as tt
 make the postoffice department self-sus | taining.
 General Bissell also crys down ex. pensive experiments. like the postal tel egraph. rural free delivery. etc.. while he urges the development of the postal
 service on existing lines of administra. tion, such as extending free delivery in cities that now enjoy 1t. Accord 1t to towns already entitled to 1t by law, and quicken railroad transportation, Revise and reclassify organization of the railway mall service. and reclassify clerks in postofilces, Also provide for district supervision all postal affairs by experts.
 In defining some of the publications that secure the benefit of second class rates. the postmaster general does not mince hls words. He says: "The most conspicuous class of the pretended pe- rlodtcals are what are now generally known as serial paper covered books. They are In no sense serial. however, except in name. being usually given some such designation as the "Fireside series,' the Detective library or some other title of like character They are nothing but books, pure and simple, and many of them are trashy books at that, each one distinct in itself, the series never being devoted to anything In particular, having few subscribers and with no real subscription price, except a nominal one, for not one man In hundred ever dreams of buying the books except as he would buy any other book. They in fact, differ in no respect from other books. except to a large extent In the lack of literary merit, and in having always paper cov- CTS.
 "To call these publications periodicals although the attorneys for some of the publishers, learn, have gravely in- sisted upon this claim before commit tees of congress-is an utter absurdity. They possess not one of the characteris- tics prescribed by law for the ascertain ment of second class matter.
 Tt may be pertinently asked, why then, are they permitted to enjoy second class privileges? The answer to this is, that years ago, in the case of a ques- tionable publication having some of the features of a periodical, the attorney general of the United States gave an opinion, in passing upon its classified tion, which opened the door to the ad- mission of other publications still more questionable; until little by little, pre- cedents were established which the en- tire class, now under considera tion, was eventually let in. And the field is still widening.
 'This state of things is merely a wrong to the government and to the senders of other classes of mail matter, which, producing a surplus of revenue, are thus unduly taxed, but 1t is wrong to the publishers of other books, and, believe, sort of debasement of the nations literature"
 The most important topic in the re- port is treated under the explanatory caption Abuses connected with sec- ond class matter" Mr. Bssell states without reserve that advertisers, book publishers, and others have taken ad- vantage of the broad construction of what constitutes matter of the second class by sending out their advertise ments and publications under tht technical disguise 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 rev. enue derived from it. The volume of second class business grew from 126,- OO0,000 pounds in 1887 to 256, 900, 900 in 1893, more than doubling in six years.
 "Of course" says Mr. Bissell, mo one can believe that such an increase is legitimate" and he adds that it is estimated that during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1894, out of about 451,- 000,0O0 pounds of mail matter of all classes carried, 299,OOOOO0, or nearly two-thirds, went under the second class rates, leaving net loss to the government in it's transportation of $16,973,000. "This calculation,'' the postmaster general says, applies to transportation alone. The separate cost of distribution and delivery I will not attempt to estimate, but anyone can see that these items of expendi- ture would largely swell the loss"
 The report also shows that the war fare on lottery schemes has been con- tinued with satisfactory results, and it is recommended that a bill now pending providing that the postmaster may return to the senders, when known, all ordinary mail matter ad- dressed to the lottery concerns or their agents, or to the dead letter office, when not known, be passed. On the subject of the boycotting of postoffices by disappointed applicants for post masterships and others, MT. Bissell suggests that such conspiracy might properly be made crime, and he says the practice should be suppressed
 CAPITOL.