The times., 1898-02-28
fX-Secretary of Agrlcu ture Col
man Here TO Fight 1t.
IT Is FOUNDED ON A FALLACY
he Presents Strong ArGuments Way
the Measure Should Not BE AL
the American res$ the Privi-
Icge of Increasing business.


during the last year of Mr.. Cleveland's 5
administration, and who was, by the way,
the first American citizen to hold that Of
fee, arrived in Washington yesterday.
Gov CoIman is, as he has been for the
last thirty years, the editor ana proprie-
tor of Colman's Rural World, probably
the best known agricultural weekly in the
country.
AS a publisher he is decidedly opposed
to the Loud bill, regulating the trans
mission Of newspapers and other period
icals through the United States mails.
Gov. CoIman said TO a Times reporter
last night that there was n vigorous pro-
test being made against this measure.
The pretext for this proposed radical
change in our postal laws and procedure
was due to a misapprehension both of eX
isting conditions Of second class matter.
the relative proportions of the several
constituents of that matter, and the ac-
tual cost of its transport in the United
States mails said Governor Colman.
The author of the bill assumes, first.
that the cost Of this transport is cents
pound: second. that the Government only
receives l cent pound; third, that the
library issues and sample copies consti-
tute a major percentage of the matter.
"On these three assumptions this bill is
founded; and, as it will be shown that
each and every one Of them is absolute
~ not so. then the bill should he con-
demned by every reasonable, fair mind
ed man.
that the express companies pay for es-
scndally like services, in car. haulage
and handling facilities, one-eighth of that
sum-
Eight cents per pound. when ii is an
open secret that each and all Of these
powerful agencies are ready and anxious
to contract with the Government to move
the mails along all their routes within
the United States at the price, for trans
port and delivery at the postoffices, Of
cents or less a pound, guaranteeing
speed. security and required frequency!
Eight cents a pound, when every one
OF the great railway through lines, East
and West, North and South, will also
gladly undertake the mails transport by
express fast trains over. al main and
branch roads At even lower terms than
the expresses can name.
Let the advocates of this entirely ir-
rational measure answer how, in the pres
crce OF such unguestioned facts. they
can charge deficit in postal revenues
to the transport OF second class matter
in the mails!
As Ia count No. 2-that the Govern
mont receives but cent a pound income
from this matter, this is the bottom
fact: The J cent 50 paid is bat the pre-
liminary TO get the various periodicals.
magazines, daily and Sunday papers,
weekly and monthly papers, special is
sues. trade and society organs. etc.-in
the mails for transport; but, understand.
that prior 10 such delivery Of such mat
ter in bulk to the various poStoflces
there has been a heavy percentage Of
postage already paid TO prepare this mat
ter for distribution. As near as can be
ascertained this amount may be stated
10 be equal to > per cent OF the actual
cost OF the introduction of that matter
To the mails. Then there quickly fol-
lows. due TO the advertising in those
PEI i'"1i'alS' I" CUT S!'ohuei''e great ID
p''P'i '''i' 10 ''i' ''' e"i"' 'loi' u '''''
~" s'N'i'e ~ P'i'e'' ~ man! u 'neSe
per I"oI''''S i'"'e elItO'" t'oI'S "i from TWO
40 iNe hu4'iie" 'hV"Sai" c0pIeS' ana III
" -" h"tdnIe instances IA excess ol hNe
hundred thousand copies, this secondary
correspondence assumes such enormous
proportions IS 10 make it questionable
i 'ie Government d'eS not atlu"AF re-
c'iN' the Iui an" eltlTe cost Oh carriage
ana ""hNefH 81 an Su'Il Ha'ter'
can any advocate OF inns biiI DENY
the ruin "i ihIS ne cannot heh
"ni't q gross misst"teiheht Is the second
81 iheSe excuses Tor 'hls measure! II IS
lh Keeping with lhf hfsJ conht-a posi-
tive suppression % the uuih.
THE ayerment that the library issues
ana the sample copies constitute a major
percentage Of second-class matter is sim
ply another unqualified misstatement, one
50 readily disproren that advocates of
this most impolilc legislation ought 10 be
ashamed of their premises
Every publisher Will attest to this
fact. 1hat the library Issues are yearly
becoming less a feature of our periodical
literature. The issues of today are not
ia number and weight, one-ffth Of what
they were in 1890. Many Of the most
noted of these series publications have
gone out Of existence aS library Issues,
The famous Seaside Library among them.
Fully ATTY Libraries either have ceased
publication or have experienced such a
shrinkage as 10 be but small feature Of