Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-04-24
Official Paper of County.
The War upon Second class Mail
Matter.

The War upon Second class Mail
Matter.
Mr.. Lond from the committee on
post officers and postroads on the 9Th
of February submitted his report to
accompany bill 1850, the purpose OF
which is to hamper and trammel the
newspaper press of the country with
restrictions and Instructions in the
way of mail facilities that will work
their humiliation. For copy oil
that report we are under obligation
to Hon. Thos. Updegraff and will
briefly note some of its features.
Before noting the obnoxious feat.
ures of the bill it is proper to note
that by the act of March 3, 1885, all
periodicals including newspapers and
serials were admitted to the mails at
what is called second class matter at
the uniform rate of one cent per
pound. The avowed purpose of this
law was that people at large might
enjoy the luxury of cheap literature.
AT that time the public outcry against
the infamies of the gold standard had
not arisen, nor was it foreseen. And
now about the Loud bill
First it excludes from the second
class all serials raising their rate of
portage to cents pound. The mo-
tive which prompts this discrimina-
ton against them, is, that public
spirited and patriotic men, foreseeing
the danger to the great mass of the
people and the ultimate overthrow
of popular government and the en-
slavement of the people through the
intrigues of the Wall street influence
in public affairs, have commenced the
publication of cheap serials exposing
the infamy of their scheme. Mr.. Loud
and his committee look with abhor-
renee upon the country newspapers
and the serial publications that spurn
the Rothschilds and their Wall street
conspirators. 1t is perhaps we'll to
mention here that these publications
can only be sent through the mails as
the news companies owned by the
Wall street conspirators refuse to sci,
such books.
Second-That newspapers shall
send out no sample copies at the
second class rate, but must pay Sc a
pound
Under this clause any and every
postmaster appointed by an admins
tration under control of wall street
influence, can demand OF every pub
Usher that with each issue of his
paper he furnish absolute proof that
every copy of the paper offered for
mailing is addressed to On actual paid
up subscriber. just imagine the time
it would require each week for a
postmaster to compare the papers ad-
dressed with the subscription books
of the publishers, the papers in the
meantime being held in the post-of-
flee.
Third-Another clause requires that
publishers of papers going at the
second class rates shall, before depos-
iting such mail matter separate the
same into United States mail sacks or
bundles by states, cities, towns and
conties as the P. M. General may
direct. The report goes further, it
absolutely recommends turning the
entire mail service of the country
over to the express companies and
the corporations which are under the
control and domination of Wall
street influence. That we may not
misrepresent Mr.. Loud and the COM
mittee on post Office and post roads
we publish their recommendation
verbatim as follows:
There is much maudlin sentiment
among many of our people about the
post-offlce department.. Many COM
pare it with the war and naval es-
Establishments, and say it should not
be run for profit, or even to pay ex-
pense of operation, but should be
supported by taxation, and run in
the interest of and for the people.
TO our mind, however, there is no
comparison; the one is for the defense
of the the nation as whole; no one
individual needs their protecting arm
more than another, and all are taxed
according to their means for its sup
port. The post office department is
an accommodation to the great n:l,iss
of our people, but natan absolute
necessity; private means could as
we'll, or better be adapted to the
transmission of our mails, and, in the
opinion of the writer of this report
and that opinion is formed after
many years of practical aid theoret-
ical experience in postal affairs
could be SO done much more cheaply,
with quicker dispatch and better sat
isfaction to the people.
Every true American who reveres
the constitution and respects the
founders of the government believes
in furnishing transportation intelli-
gence, and money to the people, to
the entire people at the expense-at
the cost Of the government which is
at the cost of 4he people who pay the
entire cost. They are becoming to
think that the telegraph, the tele-
phone, the railways, the mints should
all be owned by the gevernment-the
people-and that they should be
operated solely for them and that the
telegraph and the telephone should