The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-29
POET SHELLEY, AS POPULIST.

no sample copies at the SecOn0-cIaSS
rate. They must pay cents pound.
That seems simple, does it not? Let
us ascertain its scope. It absolutely pre-
vents reform papers, such as the Silver
Knight -Watchman, sending out sample
copies, which is the only way in which
the people can be reached and obtained
as subscribers. Without subscribers no
paper can exist, but the goldites do not
wish the reform papers to live. That
is not all. Under this clause any and
every postmaster appointed by gold ad-
ministration can, and, under instructions
from conspirators who now control the
government, will demand of each and
every publisher of reform paper that
with each issue he shall and must fur
nish satisfactory proof that every copy
of the paper offered for mailing is ad-
dressed to an actual paid-up subscriber.
BY this means each and every issue of
reform papers can be detained as long
as the postmaster chooses, while he leis-
urely takes his time about inspecting
the subscription books of the paper and
comparing them with the addresses on
the wrappers. Just imagine this be-
ing done with the Silver Knight-Watch-
man, which mails over $4,000 copies
week. 1t would take force of clerks
whole year to compare the wrappers
with the books of the paper, during
which time the issue would lie in the
postoffice, the paper would be ruined, the
elections would be over and another
gold-bug president inaugurated.
Third. Not content with the forego-
ing blows at the reform press, this Great
ure Loud added another clause while the
bill was in the hands of the committee
on the postoffice. 1t caps the climax; it
is the third story of Loud's crown of in
fanny. 1t provides that publishers and
others whose publications shall be ad-
mitted as mail matter of the second
class under the provisions of this act
shall be required, before depOsiting 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.
That is a masterpiece Of ingenuity,
worthy of Satan. Loud had not thought
of that at first. The master conspirator
in London must have wired instructions
to have it inserted. 1t completes the
dirty work; it does not say that the post
master general shall require all publish
ers to thus separate their mail, for it is
not intended to apply to the organs of the
gold conspirators; it. is aimed at the re-
form papers, and is intended for their
special detriment. By virtue of the au-
thority thus vested in him, an authority
most autocratic, the postmaster general
may and most certainly will compel every
publisher of a reform paper to convert his
printing office into po3toffice. Reform
editors are poor; they could not afford the
enormous expense. 1t would kill their
papers.
Not satisfied with their bill, although
if it became law, it will virtually ami
hilate the reform press, the conspirators
thought it we'll to recommend that the
postoffice department should be abolished
and the carriage of mails, like the rail-
way and telegraph systems, be confided
to the tender care of corporations. They
know they could control such corpora
items, which would be at liberty to carry
only such mail as they saw fit, and thus
destroy reform literature altogether.
sor le may say. Well, read this verbatim
ct l-teratim extract from the report of the
committee upon the bill.
There is much maudlin sentiment
Office department. Many compare it with
the war and naval establishments, and
say it should not be run for profit, or
even to pay expense 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 compari-
son; the one is for the defense of the ma
ton as whole; no one individual needs