Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-01-26
UNPROFITABLE ECONOMY.

SoiS iCoSiliau iAOuti, VI Saiiioihi",
has perennial bill to regulate the
rates of postage on newspapers and
periodicals, which is once more under
serious consideration by the house.
This bill has been defeated at several
former sessions of congress, but its
author still urges it with persistency
worthy of a better cause.
Mr.. Loud's bill is intended to re-
move the annual deficiency in the
postal department by charging high
er rate of postage to certain classes of
publications, and placing restrictions
upon all publishers.
Under its provisions sample copies
which publishers have heretofore been
entitled to send through the mails at
cent per pound can only be sent at one
cent per copy. This measure will un-
doubtedly decrease the quantity of
mail matter of this nature, but will it
result in sufficient gain to the govern
ment to warrant this curtailing of the
publishers right to increase his circu-
lation, by judicious use of sample
copies, especially when the existing
law, if properly enforced, is sufficiently
stringent to prevent an abuse of the
privilege and the sending of an exces-
sive quantity of samples?
There is another, and a more i'm
portant class of reading matter which
will be seriously affected by Mr..
Loud's bill. Under its provisions no
complete books will be entitled to pass
through the mails at cent per pound.
All such must be postpaid at the rate
of s cents per pound. When we note
the vast amount of good reading
standard works of history, science,
travel, biography, fiction lin fact, all
classes of literature, which is TO be had
for mere trifle from the bookstore, ii
is realized what boon cheap reading
is to the common people. 1t is not so
many years ago that good books were
so high in price that they We're rarely
found except in the homes of the
wealthy and in public libraries. To-
day every home, no matter how
humble, can have its little library of
good books. This condition has been
brought about and encouraged by the
wise provisions of the former postal
! lcrgs which made the rates of postage
! low to stimulate the education:of the
masses. The passage of the Loud bill
will undoubtedly cause large increase
in the price of books; and the people
! will be the sufferers.
The postal department has never
been self-sustaining That was not
the principle upon which it has
been brought to its present state of
efficiency. Its greatest office is to ia
cilitate business and educate the peo-
pie. Low postal rates were made for
that purpose, and now, at the dawn of
the Twentieth Century, to enact such a
measure as would discriminate against
certain class of publications, and that
a class of great benefit to the people,
would be the first step toward a relapse
into barbarism.
If Mr.. Loud honestly wishes to bring
the postal department to point where
receipts will equal the expenses, there
is way to do it without legislating
against useful class of publications,
or hedging publisher in with COM
plicated law, which may be interpreted
to his detriment by any postal official
who may not be friendly to him, or of
the same political faith.
The effect of the Loud bill in its pres
ent form cannot but be detrimental to
the advancement of the nation, and
the government of the United States
is not so poor that it must ecOnomize
by depriving the poor man of his liter
AIRY food to put the money in the pock-
cts of great corporations.
There is but one way for the people
to express their disapproval of the pro-
posed measure. Let every man who
is opposed to it send his protest on a
postal card or by letter to the congress
man who represents his district and to
the senators who represent the state.
By this method our lawmakers will
speedily become convinced that their
constituents are opposed to such sys-
tenn of false economy. Let every man
who objects to the bill take this method
of expressing his opinion, at once, and
the Loud bill will never become a law.
The following decision handed down
from the supreme court may be of in
terest to business men: mo town or
city has the right to give man a
license or permit to sell any ware or
merchandise on the street in front of
the property of another man. The
street i'm front of mans place of busi-
ness is held to be an appurtenance to
Tho lnt ~, x.,htnh tho ofnra 10 araafaH