Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-02-02

that vicious and obscene books and
bad publications are going through
the mail and exercising a contaminat
ing and debauching influence upon the
youth of the country; but the remedy
for this may be found in the enforce
ment of existing laws; and If existing
laws are not sufficient to exclude these
infamous publications from the mails.
Congress has absolute power. In the
discussion of this matter in the past.
the merits of the existing law in per-
mitting good publications to gothrough
the mails have been practically ig-
nored; but every. violation of law has
been held up as an excuse for sweeping
the present law from the statute books.
The good literature must be deprived
of the beneficent provisions of the pres
ent law in order to get a greater rev.
enue from the bad. The good periodi-
Gals, under the present act are to be
swept away with the bad; and good
publications must find the same COM
IN, n grave with the vicious. Because
certain abuses have been discovered
because future abuses may arise, law
that has given to the masses of this
country opportunities enjoyed by no
other republic, law that has carried
good books to the home of every citi-
zen, a law that has created thousands
upon thousands of circulating libraries;
Il law that has given to the people of
this country more good literature than
any other law that was ever enacted
must be repealed.
This bill also excludes from the mails
as second class mail matter 'all sample
copies of newspapers and periodicals"
thus withdrawing from them privi-
leGe of inestimable value; privi-
lesc voluntarily conferred by the gov
ernment; a privilege sanctioned by
positive law, and under which large
publishing houses have been built
newspaper plants established; and
without this privilege many news
papers throughout the country would
be without the means of maintaining
its circulation.
The government deals fairly with it's
citizens: it has the power to summarily
repeal the law giving all of these
privileges to the people and the pub
fishers. No vested rights exist here,
but equitable rights, moral rights, en-
titled to the same consideration in a
government of the people as vested
rights, certainly exist. Invested capi-
tai. whether it be in a large printing
press or a small printing press;
whether it be in the metropolitan jour
nails and magazines or in the smaller
city and country publications, capital
that under existing laws is furnishing
more good reading matter to the public
than can be found in any other re-
public in the world. capital invested
under the settled policy of the govern
ment will, l believe, have some con-
sideration here.
il is stated there is a deficiency in
the postoffice department: hence the
necessity for this bill. There are de-
ficiencies in other departments of the
government. There is scarcely a state
in the whole American Union but, at
times, has a deficiency in some of its
dcnartments. No national government,
no state government can exist, and re-
Spond to the demands and obligations
due its citizens without at times Great
ing a deficiency. No government of
the people, by the people and for the
people viii ever exist in the future, in
your lifetimes or mine, without creating
deficiencies. Whether the law re-
sponsible for the deficiency shall be re-
pealed, depends not upon the deficit
but upon the wisdom of the law and
its compensating advantages to the
people. And as | have affirmed be-
fC.e, if there are abuses, if there are
evasions of law. and they say there
are. let a remedy be applied, let
proper remedy be applied. and without
tS, IL
= is estimated by some that the
passase of this act will add to the rev.
enues of the government possibly ten
millions, others think twenty mil
lions, others doubtfully assert thirty
millions, and others speculate on forty
millions; all ignoring the fact that
newspapers create quite portion of
the traffic for the postofiice depart
ment in the first class mail matter:
letter traffic; the registered mail; post
Office money orders, and other kinds
of mail matter: and refusing to rccog-
ni.c that when they cut down the cir
culation of newspapers through the
mails, they are destroying the very ell
en- ents that give to the postoffice de-
partment its paying revenue from 9TH
er sources; a revenue, as | believe
nearly equal to, if not in excess of any
less that may occur in the transporta-
tit n Of the newspapers that are car
rNinS to the people the streams of light,
Intelligence and wisdom.
on the other hand, it is asserted by
others, with assurance, that the pas
sage of this act. sweeping as it is in it's
provisions, will not result in giving to
the department additional revenue;
but the net result will be to increase
the deficit. And in the meantime, we
are without definite information. and
the House report fails to inform us
what proportion of this second class
mail matter consists of books or sam
pie papers. And l ask before this bill
shall have a passage, that before this
mortal blow shall be visited upon
great portion of the public press of the
country, that a committee of this Sen
ate, by investigation, and by an inves-
tigation more thorough and systematic
than any that has yet taken place,
shall determine what the real effect of
this measure will be upon the revenues,
upon those who are engaged in bust
ness built up under the sanction of
law and the department.: and that this
bill shall not have passage based
upon mathematical speculation.
Maine'S great interest in the manu-