The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-03-25
COLLECTION AGENCY vILLAINY.
Scandalous Misstatcment 81 the
Postal Laws-Government Interferes'

Mtsstatcmont 81 the
Postal Laws-Governmeut Interferes.
WASHINGTON. March Is. 1S95.-"What
are the legal relations existing between
a newspaper publisher and his subscribers
who are served through the mailsg Is
a perennial question that comes up for
the consideration of the law officials
of the Postofice Department. Just now
it is receiving an unusual amount OF at
tention by reason of the extraordinary
methods employed by collection agencies
to secure settlements of delinquent ac-
counts which are entrusted to them by
newspaper publishers. There is nothing
to show that the publishers are aware
of the character of the means employed,
and the department officials are satisfied
that except in a few instances. they
do not know what devices are resorted
to by the collection agencies.
Some of these agencies have compiled
anc printed on their letter heads what
they call laws relating to the collec-
ton of subscriptions in some cases
p e'alnnn Of them tba s anaeT eh eoa neaa s Of ade-
ing assertions SO remarkably divergent
from the truth that, as already stated
fcfais have Been Compelled to notify them
that they cannot send letters or circu-
lars on which the compilation appears
in the form Of sections" two Of which
are particularly noteworthy. They read
as foHows:-
Section 5. The courts have decided that
refusing to take periodicals from the
Office or removing and leaving them I'M
called for is prima facie evidence of in
Section 8. Publishers of newspapers
can, under the law, arrest any mar for
fraud who takes a paper and refuses to
And the following mote" is found at
the bottom of the circulars sent to de-
linquent subscribers by some of the agen-
"Note.-The latest postal laws are such
hat newspaper publishers can arrest any
one for fraud who takes a paper and
the man who allows his subscription to
run along for some time unpaid M
then orders It discontinued, or orders
have a postal card sent. notifying the
publisher, leaves himself liable to arrest
and fine the same as for theft"
The ingenious manager of one of these
agencies has his circulars printed in
imitation of the form Of m issued
by a court, with number and all the
cent enough in itself. but likely to cause
many even well educated persons to look
upon it with fear and trembling.
quoted in the circulars ssid Assistant
Attorneg-General Thomas, Of the Post
office Department today enacted by
master General. Imprisonment for. debt
is generally understood to have been
be revived by these methods. The scheme
of these agencies Is not a legitimate
method Of doing business. but is DEVISED
to defraud the people, and they have
been Informed that their matter is UNI
nathalie, under the acts Of March 3.
1889, and of September 10, 1890. We are
In correspondence with them with a view
to adopting a form of circular tina will
meet the approval of the department.
But so far that has not been done. Sub
torney-General, ''cannot escape all la
bility for payment for papers which they
receive. Where a party takes a paper
the subscription price for it, whether
his time is out or not, or whether he
subscribed for it originally or not. The
only way for him to escape liability
therefor is to refuse to receive it,"