The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-18
Proposed Law Aimed at the Privi-
lege.
TEXT OF MIR. LOUD'S MEASURE
NOW BEFORE CONGRESS.

American Newspaper Publishers Asso-
citation.
Washington, Dec i7.-After some fill
clustering for delay, MIR. Loud, of Cali
fornia, succeeded in getting the we'll
known Loud bill before the House on
Tuesday afternoon. Mr.. Loud is chair
man of the committee on post offices and
post roads; and the opposition to the
consideration of his bill came from Mr..
Quigg, OF New York, who is also a mems,
Der of the same committee. MIR. Quigg'ss
efforts to prevent taking up the bill We're
not successful, the House deciding
against him by vote of al to S3. H.
Mr.. Loud began his speech by snying
that his bill was intended to cut off an
abuse of the privileges of the mails;
which has in the last tan years cost the
people of this government Sl4, 600, 900.
: As the Stute Of Maine is the earliest
and one of the most important abid ing
places of the class Of publication at which
Mr. Loud aims, it may be worth while
to give the bill in full:
A BILL.
To amend the postal laws relatlng TO Sec
ond class mail matter.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representative of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That
mailable matter of the second class shall
embrace all newspapers and other periodi--
cal publications which are issued at stated
intervals, and as frequently as four times
year, and are within the conditions named in
sections three and four of this Act: Pro-
yided, That nothing herein contained shall
be SO construed as to admit TO the second
class rate publications purporting to be is
sued periodically and to subscribers, but
books, whether they be issued complete or
in parts, whether they be bound or I'M
bound, whether they be sold by subscription
or otherwise, or whether they purport to be
premiums or supplements or parts OF regu-.
lar newspapers or periodicals. :,
Sec. 2. That publications of the second
class except as provided in section twenty
five of the Act OF March third, eighteen
hundred and seventy mime, when sent by
the publisher thereof, and from the office of
publication, excluding sample copies, or
when sent from news agency to actual
subscribers thereto, or to other news agents,
shall be entitled to transmission through
the mails at one cent pound OF traction
thereof, such postage to be prepaid as now
provided by law: Provided, nevertheless,
That news agents shall not be allowed to re-
turn to news agents or publishers at the
pound rate unsOld periodical publications.
but shall pay postage on the same at the
rate of one cent for four ounces.
D.
regularly issued from a known place OF pub
location at stated intervals as frequently
as four times a year, by or under the aus
pieces of benevolent or fraternal societies,
trades unions or orders organized under the
lodge system, and having bona ffde MEM
bership of not less than one thousand per.
sons, shall be entitled to the privilege of
second class mail matter: Provided That
such matter shall be originated and pub
lished to further the. objects and purposes
of such society or order.
sec. 4. That the conditions upon which
publication shall be admitted to the second
class are as follows:
First II must regularly be issued at stated
intervals as frequently as four times year,
bear date of issue, and be n numbered con-
secutively.
Second Tt must be issued from known
ONCE of publication which shall be shown
by the publication itself.
Third. 1t must be formed of printed paper
sheets without board cloth, leather OF other
substantial binding, such as distinguish
printed books for preservation from period
ical publications.
Fourth 1t must be originated and pub
hshed for the dissemination of information
of public character, or devoted to itera-
ture, the. sciences, arts, or some special IN
dustry, and must have a legitimate list of
subscribers who voluntarily order and pay
for the same. Provided, That nothing here
IL contained shall be SO construed as to adj
init TO the second class rate regular publ
cations, or any particular issue of any regu-
lar publication, designed primarily for adj
vert1sing purposes, or for free circulation,
or for circulation at nominal rates: And
provided, That all extra numbers of second
class publications sent by the publishers
thereof, acting as the agent OF an advertiser
or purchaser, to adore sses furnished by the
latter, shall be subject to pay postage at the
rate of one cent for every four ounces or
fraction thereof: And provided further,
That it shall not be admissible to mail any
given article or articles, or any part of any
particular number of a newspaper or period
zeal, segregated from the rest of the publ
cation, except at the third class rate of post
age.
Sec. 5. That publishers and others. whose
publications shall be admitted as mail mat
ter Of the second class under the provis ions
of this Act, shall re required, before deposit
ing such mail matter in the postofice, to
separate the same into United States, mail
sacks or bundles by States, cities, towns
and counties, as the postmaster General
may direct.
to second class mail matter approved July
fifteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four,
be, and the same is hereby repealed.
Sec T. That this Act shall take effect and
be in force from and after July first, eighteen
hundred and ninety-siX.
Mr.. Loud explained in his speech that
the only particular in which the regular
newspaper business was affects d Was in
that section whicL prohibited the mail-
ing of sample copies. But in spite OF this
the American Newspaper ssPublisbers'
Association had unanimously eendorseds
tho bill,
ME- Loud said that the bill was aimed
against such publications as Comfort, at
Augusta, which circulated million
copies or more; but which he would I'M
dertake to say had not thousand regu--
lar subscribers in the ordinary sense of
the term.
Before Mr.. Loud had finished speak
ing on Tuesday there were manifested
evidences that the bill was to be hotly
fought by Mr.. Quigg and others.
An effort was made Tuesday to put the
legislative appropriation bill ahead of the
Loud bill, but even if this should be
done the Loud bill was bound to go over
as unfinished business, where its po-
sition would be as desirable as Mr.. Loud
could wish, as 1t would have right OF
way after appropriation bills.
The majority OF the postofice commit
tee in reporting the bill call attention to
the fact that it has always beer the poll
cy of the government to favor the circu-
lation of legitimate newspapers, as is
shown by the various laws and postal
regulations, which eliminated in the act
of 1885, whereby the mail rates of second
class mail matter lin which newspapers
are included) were reduced from two to
ono cent pound. This unusually cheap
~.+o ba 11uca d yynv n