People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-07-24
So-called Newspaper Laws"

NAANsN
In other commercial pursuits there
are those who, not content with the
returns of legitimate enterprise, en-
deavor to continue their financial
existence by species Of blaokmail--
by sending so-oalled newspapers to
any one whose address they may
obtain, or continue sending after
original subscribers have ceased to be
such, and finally writing threatening
letters inclosing the following,
NEWSPAPER LAWS.
l. Subscribers who do not give
express notice to the contrary are
considered as wishing to renew their
subscription.
.. If subscribers order the disoon-
tinuance of their periodicals, the pub
fishers may continue to send them
until all arrearage have been paid.
8. If subscribers neglect or refuse
to take their periodicals from the
postoffice to which they are directed,
they are responsible until they have
settled their bills and ordered them
discontinued.
4. If subscribers move to other
places without informing the publish
ers, and the papers are sent to the
former address, they are held respon-
sible.
5. The courts have decided that
refusing to take periodicals from the
post.office or removing and leaving
them uncalled for is prt0aa faoie evil
denoe of intentional fraud.
6. If subscribers pay in advance
they are bound to give notice at the
end of the time il they do not wish
to continue taking it; otherwise the
publisher is authorized to send it, and
the subscriber will be responsible
until express notice, with payment of
arrearages, is sent to the publisher.
7. The latest postal laws are such
that publishers can arrest any one for
fraud who takes paper and refuses
to pay for it. Under this law the
man WHOM allows his subscription to
run along for some time unpaid aud
then orders it discontinued, or orders
the postmaster to mark it 'refused,"
and have postal card sent notifying
the publisher, leaves himself liable to
arrest and fine, the same as for theft.
We quote in full what The Inland
Printer says futher ON this subject:
"In the interest of the honor of
journalism every legitimate news
paper should notify the public that
there are no such laws as these en-.
acted by Congress Or established By
the Postmaster General. We know
of no State laws on the subject, and
the american Digest and the 'Ameri-
can Encyclopedia Of Law cite no
decision on the subject, SO far az we
have been able to find from an in
spection of those books. The fact
is, the relation between the publisher
of newspaper and the subscriber is
that of contract, and the same rules
of law apply in that case as apply in
other busin ess tran actions between
man aud man.
"The Revised Statutes of the
United States require postmasters to
notify publishers of any paper when
any subscriber shall cease or refuse
to take the paper from their office
for a period of one month; and also
when he changes his address, without
notifying the publisher, thu regu]s-
lions of the department require the
postmaster to notify the publisher.
If the first notice be disregarded a
second will be cent, calling attention
also to the previous notice; after this
the matter will be held thirty days,
and if not recalled by the publisher
will be placed with the waste paper.
"There is nothing in the postal
laws or regulations concerning the
liability of a subscriber for the sub.