Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-09

No one would be disposed to ques,
ton Mr. Wilson's knowledge of Latin
or Greek, but, as business man he IL
! VIGOROUSLY inexperienced, and ineffi-
cient. The infamous tariff law which
bears his name, and which President
! Cleveland comedies to have shown a
deficit of $25, 0OO, 900 in single year,
| furnishes the American people ample
proof of this fact. 1t is not surprising
| therefore that his suggestions should
be conspicuous chiefly for their lack
| of business grasp and analysis.
After stating that the annual report
of the postoffice department shows
! large extensions of star route SER
vice" which was simply an enlarge
ment of the non self-supporting por-
tions of our postal systematic mes
sage goes on to say that 1.-The deficit
| for last year. although much less than
emphasizes the necessity for legsla-
ton to correct the growing abuse of
sccc nd class rates to which the defic
! iercy is mainly attributable"
Now it is a known fact that express
companies viii carry this same class
of matter. on long contracts, cheaper
than the government is now doing it,,
and no enc will be disposed to suspect
them of doing business for fun. We
question very seriously the state
ment made in the message that
second class matter does not pay the
expense of handling" 1t is well
known fact that the lowest paid help
in the department is employed on this
class of matter: it is also a fact that
the government would still have to
maintain it's transportation contracts,
maritime. railway, stage and carrier,
whether it handled any second class
matter or not. We do not think that
Mr.. Cleveland or rather Mr.. Wilson
who speaks through him. would under
take to say that the large revenue de-
rived from second class matter is not
considerably more than sufficient to
pay all the extra clerks and transpor-
tation expenses incurred in handling
it. 1t is the distinctly non-revenue
producing departments of the service
that create the deficiency: but. as they
are established for the convenience of
the people. there is no occasion to
complain on this account. Oar mail
system was not established for pur-
the people for the people. The ques-
ton of revenue, therefore, should new
err stand in the way of its giving to the
people every possible advantage and
convenience. How many vastly less
important departments of the gov
eminent that have no revenues what
ever attached to them but are en-
tirely supported out of the national
treasury.
What Mr. Wilson. probably desired
to say. through the medium of the
Presidents message. was not that sec
ond class matter per Sc, entails a loss
upon the postoffice department, but
| rather that it is not bearing it's just
again, are business facts and condi-
tons that enter into the question
| which appear to have been lost sight
| of by the postmaster general.
No business establishment can use
| the mails to any great extent for Sec
ond class matter without also largely
| increasing the revenues of the depart
ment for first-class matter. For in
stance a certain firm in this city uses
| the mails for second class matter tt
the extent of about 800 per day; but
| its letters received and answered. in
| ter represents daily postage &C
| count of more than $50 per day. and
| it's entire business annually yields the
postoffice department a very handsome
| profit. In one case of distribution
of sample copies. conformity by mail
and by hand. the New York Ledger
expended over two thousand dollars
| for postal cards and postage stamps
growing out of this one distribution.
Such facts must be duly considered
and given their proper weight, in any
broad and business like consideration
of this question.
In his contribution to the Presidents
message Mr.. Wilson appears to have
in mind the pernicious Loud bill, the
purposes of which We're very clearly set
forth by a committee of the American
Newspaper Publishers Association as
follows: ITO inhibit the mails from
their hitherto good work in spreading
abroad the cheap library literature
which has now become, in truth, the
literature of the people-to lock the
mail bags against the sample copy of
I