The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-05-10
Suppose now our congressman would

dispense with franking privilege, ant
pay his postage like an ordinar
J mortal, then this deficiency would dwin
die to about $3,5OO,OOO. and if all fre
matter was excluded or charged for a
usual rates the whole defci ency woult
be turned into a surplus for the sam'
report informs us that at usual rate!
the free matter Of the year amounted
to $7,17a,28427
The false statement made in the
ciculars, referred to, causes business
men to think they are being treated
unjustly, as large portion of their
mail is letters, and they are led to
believe that newspaper postage ought
to be as great as letters, when the true
facts are, there is forty times as much
time and labor required to handle a
pound Of letters as a pound of news
! papers. And all the fast mail ira ins,
the subsidized ocean steamships, the
free delivery by letter-carriers (Which
costs nearly twelve million dollars
annually, the daily mail carried at a
loss Of many millions of dollars each
year to over 10000 post-ofices, the re-
gistered letter and money-order bust
ness, the leather bags with locks for
letters. in fact, all of the most expen-
sive part of the Postal Service is carri-
ed on for the sole purpose Of expedit-
ing the safe delivery of letters in order
to facilitate business and aid the busi-
ness man.
If newspapers were the only mail,
tens of thousand Of post-ofices would
be discontinued and tens of thousands
more would receive mail only once a
week or month instead of daily as they
do now, in order to deliver letters
promptly for the benefit of the business
firms.
On April 10th the lower house of
Congress adopted an amendment rails
ing the rate Of postage on certain kinds
Of periodicals 700 per cent.
This is but the entering wedge, and
if the people do not protest, postage ,
will soon be increased on all kinds of /
magazines, ETC., and prove
= death blow to cheap literature in this
Publishers are in favor of reduct-
ion of letter postage whenever the con-
1ition of the Postal Department will
warrant it, but q reduction of letter pos
age can never be accomplished by an
of postage ON second-class mail
matter, because such on increase would
reduce the amount of second-class mail
natter, and increase the postal revenue
'nly two or three million dollars each
rear, while reduction of letter post
age to one cent would reduce the re-
,cipts flu lly twenty million dollars each
Iear.
For the same fiscal year the cost of
ree-delivery service was $1O,688, $780,
S2, or one seventh the total receipts.
For the coming fiscal year the post
naster-general estimates the cost of
'ree-delivery service over $4,000, 900.
With much more reason could these
'elfinterested people have petitioned
'gainst the free-mail delivery system
n operation in the cities and large
owns of the country, than against the
POSTAL rate on periodical publications.
But to balance what is a great con-
'enience and benefit to the citizens :
f cities and large towns, the :
'ural population is certainly entitled I
o the benefit of the lowest possible
ates on printed matter, and should I
therefore,, protest against any increase
n postal rates. The city population I
Eill not be benefited by reduction in l
me rate when it is accomplished by an l
Increase in another, and should pro- !
est against the proposed increase.
Let everyone Of our readers who de-
Tres to protect himself against an i'm '
osition, write at once to the congress-
nan from his district and the senators
rom his state, and protest against any '
1crease in postal rates. J
The following form is suggested, L
18th tho addition of your reasons for a
rotesting against increased postal s
ates briefly stated; c
DEAR SIR:-I respectfully urge you i
} oppose any increase in postal rates i
4 any kind of mail matter. s
The Canal Question Again. e