The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-01-27
UNPRor1rABLE ECONOMY.
Congressman Loud's Bill to Increase the
Rates o: Postage.

Rates o.: Postage.
Congressman Loud, of California,
has a perennial bill to regulate the
rates of postage on newspapers and
/ periodicals, which is once more under
serious consideration in the House.
/ This bill has been defeated at several
! former sessions of Congress, but its
author still urges it with a persistency.
worthy of better cause.
Mr.. Loud's bill is intended to re-
move the annual deficiency in the
Postal Department by charging a
/ higher rate of postage to certain class
es of publication, and placing re-
strictions upon all publishers.
Under its provisions sample copies
which publishershav heretofore been
entitled to send through the mails at.
cent per pound can only be sent at
cent per copy. This measure will
undoubtedly decrease the quantity
of mail matter of this nature, but will
it result in a sufficient gain to the
| Government to warrant this curtail
ing to the publishers right to increase
his circulation by judicious use of
sample copies, especially when the ex
isting law, if properly enforced, is suf
ficiently stringent to prevent an abuse
of the privilege and the sending of
an excessive quantity of samples?
There is another and more import
ant class of reading matter which will
be seriously affected by Mr.. Louds
bill. Under its provisions no complete
book will be entitled to pass through
the mails at 1 cent per pound. All
such must be postpaid at the rate Of
8 cents per pound. When we note the
vast amount of good reading-stand-
ard works of history, science, travel,
biography, fiction in fact, all classes
mere trihe from the book store, it is
| realized what a 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 were rarely
found except in the homes of the
wealthy and in public libraries. To
day every home, no matter how hum
bic, can have its little library of good
books. This condition has been
brought about and encouraged by the
wise conditions of the former postal
laws which made the rates of postage
low to stimulate the education of the
masses. The passage Of the Luod Bill
willundoubtedly cause a largeincrease
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 eff
ficiency. Its greatest Office is to facil-
late business and educate the people
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 a 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 a point
where receipts will equal the expenses
there is a way to do it without legis-
lating against useful class of publ
cations, or hedging publisher in with
complicated law, which may be in
terpreted to his detriment by any pos
tai official who may not be friendly to
him. or of the same political faith.
The railroads are charging the Gov
ernment eXorbitant sums for the
transportant of mails-much more
than they charge to the express com
panies for the same quality of service
! 1t has been estimated that if the Gov
ernment were to pay the samerates as
the express companies, q saving of
from 100000 to $15, 200, 900 per an
mum would result. As the annual de-
felt is about $S,000,000 it is quite plain
that such step as this would make
the Department more than self-sus-
tanning. Where the express companies
pay about 1 cent per pound to the
railroads for hauling their packages,
the Government pa& cents per
pound for the same service. Here is
discrimination with a vengence, and
a condition of affairs worthy of Mr..
Loud's careful attention.
These same express companies are
careful students of the postal laws.
Their rates are adjusted SO as to give
the publisher the same rate as he can
get by mail, or little less. Where
the postal rate is 1 cent per pound
when they are forced to do so to Sc
sure the business, the Government
could protitably do the same if fairly
dealt with by the railroads.
The effect of theLoud bill in its pres
ent form cannot but be detrimental
to tho ad dva ncamant of tho na tion and