The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-05
Annual That Need Correction.

The postoifice department which Is
administered for the convenience Of the
whole country has always showed up
with deficiency. but under the minis
tratlon Of Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith it is gratifying to note
that there has been q remarkable re-
ductlon in the deficit compared with
that OF the previous year. In 1903 the
excess OF expenditures over receipts
was S9O2O,OO5. O6. while the deficit for
1891 only Ss,6lO,776 75, a reduction OF
S2,422.s4s Sc. or 1851 per cent. This nv
suits from the fact that, while the exs
pendatures are necessarily growing viii
the expanding service, the receipts are
growing stu faster. The course of the
postal revenues furnishes an unerring
barometer Of the business conditions Of
the country,
The postmaster general In his very
concise and busIness-lilSe report, calls
attention to the enormous wrongs which
have grown up in the perverslon and
abuse OF the privilege accorded by law
to second class matter, which, he de-
olares, involves a sheer wanton waste
of s2O.OOO.OOO or upwards year But
for this wrongful attllctlon of the sec
ond-clasa rate the department would
be able to CHOW surplus Of many mill
lions. and the postmaster general urges
upon Congrass the rectlhcatlon OF the
abuses referred to, which are summar-
ICED as follows:
The character of the abuses OF the
pound rate, witch amount to practical
infraction OF the design Of the law, has
been so often explained and Is so well
understood, that a minute exposition
seems unnecessary. But succinct
statement of tho different kinds may
emphasize the appeal for reform. The
first is the paper-:overed books put out
under pretence Of being serial pUblica-
tons. They have nothing OF the ma
ture OF periodicals. They do not pos
sesS a single one OF the attributes which
Congress meant to require In publica-
lions that should be entitled to the sec
ond class rate. The books are mailed
in bulk to a central locality, and then
remalled to other places. When the
possibilities OF these places are exhaust
ed, there are other shipments, the same
books being transported again and
again, and every time the government
loses Z cents a pound, A wrong so
transparent and fragrant ought not TO
be tolerated.
The second abuse mentioned is, per-
haps. the most fragrant, and is connect
ed with the advertising "house organ"
and the so-called trade journal. The
postmaster general says:
There are many genuine trade jour
nails which are as legitimate as any per-
Iodicals and justly entitled to all their
privileges. These are not included In
the criticisms. But the trade journal
described is simply an advertising
scheme. 1t is not designed 10 dlssem-
mate information OF a public charae-
ter, and has no standing as the expon-
ent OF any trade or industry. 1t is only
collection Of advertisements strung to-
gether with little sclssored reading
matter to give 1t the gutse OF publica-
ton.
The third abuse grows out of the priv
ilege Of sample copies In Its original
and obvious intent this privilege har-
monies with the policy under which le-
gitimate publications are granted an
exceptional rate OF postage. The sam
pie copy OF a regularly admitted paper
or periodical, counting for support upon
itsmerlts, Is presumably designed to in-
duce a new subscription by exhibiting
Its merits in new quarter. But, as
a matter OF fact, In many instances.
the sample copy has become. not the
individual exhibit, but the petentsal
cloak OF a thousand times multiplied
distribution without regard to subscrlp-
lions and solely as the plea and pledge
for advertising.
The postmaster general suggests
remedies which will correct these pal
pable wrongs and we do not know of a
finer field for the retrenchment pillow to
be run through than the one offered
Congress by the postoffice department,
which viii relieve the people of bearing
an unjust burden of taxation.