The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-08

MI. Quigg, who led the opposition to the
bill, devoted considerable attention to the
Augusta publications, speaking particularly
of sComfort" He said it had been urged
that this publication was one of the abuses
1t had been said that the paper had an hon
est circulation of only about 1000 copies,
although 1t sends through the mails q
million and quarter. s'That, of course,''
said Mr.. Quigg, =" could not be so,unless the
department choose to permit the fraud. But
is it so at all? Here is a letter from the
editor of Comfort, and he says that he has
circulation of three quarters of million-a
paid circulation of voluntary subscribers
who have sent in their subscription price-a
paid REGULATION of 750, 900; that he main
tains an office in Boston where he pays
S. 0, 900 year to his editors to write his
D aper He says, further, that he has taken
an oath for the Post Office Department. asto
the extent of his circulation, and has.sent it
to the Department, so that the Department
knows that this paper has paid for circu-.
lation of 75O, 900 copies. And if the Depart
m ent is not satisfied with the evidence, it
G an rule the paper out. He says, also, that
he pays the government $1,000 month
second class postage. This paper pays
often more IMAM SO,Uuu d ulOnbu lOI uISJ-
class or letter postage. Now, the only thing
that the publisher of Comfort does IS to run
a newspaper; that is all. He pays this
sum for frst-class postage as the result OF
the maintenance of a newspaper H. pays
So 900 month to the government to take his
newspaper and spread it broadcast. He pays
1000 to the government for the stamps
with which he conducts his correspondence
with his patrons. He pays $4,000 more
month for third and fourth class postage.
And he has received 900 letters in a.single
month, and has an average = receipt from
the mails of 100, 900 letters a month. That
means 81, 500 more that is paid to the govern
ment by the patrons of Comfort in first
class postage And that does not sinclude,
| of course any of the money that comes
| to the-government in.frst third, and fourth
| class postage from those readers OF Comfort
who answer the advertiser ents-sOme 800
advertisements that that paper prints. Those
| q alvertisements cost the advertiser 80 cents
line of nine words to the line. The ad-
vertiser does not advertise if it does not pay
| him to do So OF course he advertlses
because he gets answers through the mails
| to his advertisements, and for every answer
that comes to him the government receives
twoscents in irst-class postage. And that
answer is an answer looking to some tran
| sacton with the advertiser; and if tran-
saction is had, the government is liable TO
receive more as the result of its pound rate
| from its third and fourth class postage
| Now. all that business is wiped out when
YOU wipe out the S2,000areceipts for second
class postage from Comfort. You save the
I oovernm ent the sum, whatever it Is, winch
it costs to carry and handle Comfort
edition. but to do so you must lose at leas'
s12. 800, 1t does not look as though thefe
coulc be a large net saving on that tran-
saction.''
No bill in this Congress has excited ehe
interest that was aroused over thes LOUD
bill, and the debate was exciting and IN
teresting. The regular newspapers WIN
regular subscribers, generally favor .he
Loud bill, while those papers that are SEM tc