The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-18
AGAINST BlDL LITERATURE
The Loud Bill Aims TO Suppress
Worthless Publications.
The Third Assistant Postmaster
General Explains the Provisions
and Objects of the NcHSurc-Nany
Of the Abuses of the Present
Postage Regulation Pointed out.

~ iht ABUSES OF inc irtN'hi
Postage Regulation Pointed out.
! Third Assistant Postmaster General
I Madden yesterday returned to Represen-
/ tativc Henry c. Smith the printed form
| OF petition against the passage Of House
/ bill COL, known as the Loud bill relating
/ to second-class mail matter. He accom-
/ panied it with his comments on the points
/ raised in the petition against the bill. In
! citing objections to its passage, the petit
/ ton says 1t excludes from mails all paper
! covered books issued periodically, which
have done so much to popularize good
I literature among the masses.
( This claim is not reasonable. says Mr..
Madden. as the effect of the bill on books
and reprints Of books will be merely that
OF increasing the postage rate Z cents
per pound. No rational person can believe
that an increase Of cents in the price
of a book which can now be purchased at
from 10 cents to . cents will crush out
Of existence this class Of periodicals, as
claimed in the petition.
Mr.. Madden states it as his opinion that
the passage of the bill is not at all likely To
affect the price of such books. The result
will be TO reduce the profits OF the pub
fishers. but scarcely enough to cause them
to raise the price to the people. On the
other hand, the cost OF transportation will
be lifted from the Department and placed
upon the publisher.
Magazines Not Included.
The magazines of the day, which are
devoted to miscellaneous current topics.
should not be confused with these book
serials. which are intended TO be excluded
from the second class of mail matter by
the terms Of the Loud bill. In. the case
of the FIRST mentioned. the present law and
the Loud bill both intend to foster them
by continuance Of the present postage rate
The latter. by technical compliance with
the requirements of the law. have crept
In and taken advantage Of rate OF postage
intended for miscellaneous current liters-
ture Not ore reader in a dozen knows
that these books belong to Library
Series" as distinguished from other books
that do not purport TO be issued as perlodi-
Gals
They are story books, usually one story
to each book. The name Of the book, for
instance. is The Life of Jesse James
but in some tot the-way corner Is the
name. Union Library Series" Published
known in the Postofice Department rec
ords Prominence is given the name OF
the book and not the series to which the
publication belongs, and they have few or
no subscribers, such as exist in the case
Of magazines. They are sold like other
books over the news dealers counter. In
the case OF a popular story 100000 copies
may not supply the demand for the issue.
while 10 per cent of that number may sup
ply the demand for the next issue. which
contains a less popular story. There is
no steady circulation to regular subscrib-
ers as in the case of magazines. II the
publisher has misjudged the public sppe-
lite for his book and supplied the news
agents throughout the country with ten
for one that can be sold. the Government
must. under the present law, transport
them, first to news agents, and then back
again TO the place Of publication at a con
siderable loss upon every pound on every
mailing.
II is the fashion OF those publishers to
reason that the people are benefited won
derfully by the cheap rate at which they
are enabled to transport books throughout
the country to newstands. II they do not
sell them at one place they can. without
much cost. be shipped 10 another in search
OF purchaser. and perhaps several are
tried before they are returned .'unsOld' |
to the office OF publication through the
news agency.
Poor intellectual PRbuium.
1t may not be Inappropriate to say. con-
tinues the argument, that it is by no
means a limited judgment that the public
morals will be promoted and the intel
lectual welfare Of the masses advanced by
the enactment OF any law which will tend
80
alleged good literature" Those VINO
favor the maintenance of the pound rate
Of postage TO cheaper and facilitate the
circulation OF good literature overlook
the fact that the proportion Of impure,
harmful. and unvholesomc matter com
prised in this so-cailed cheap and good
literature" greatly exceeds the pure mat
ter. Although there are a few pure lit
erature' library series. there are legions
upon legons Of the veriest trash, aad IL
the passage Of the Loud bill will place
such beyond the reach Of the 'humblest
schoolboy' the author Of the bill must
go down TO history a public bonefactor
II a poll could be taken it is believed
that a majority of the bona ide news
papers and magazines Of the country
would vote for the entire elimination Of
the sample copy privilege. Standard pub
LEGATIONS seldom avail themselves Of it,
Investigation would disclose that those
publishers who object TO the bill because IL
proposes TO deprive them of sending sam
pies. live and thrive upon heavy free cir
culatiou. and this free matter privilege
and the abuse Of (which is constantly
perpetrated, Injuries the bona fide publ
cations by diyerting both subscriptions
and advertising There might be less rea-
son for cutting of the sample copies if all
publishers would deal honestly with the
Department.
The sample Copy Abuse.
One Of the abuses OF The sample copy
privilege is that some publishers viii give
to advertising patrons and purchasers Of
their publications the pound rate of pos
tagc which belongs TO them only by virtue
of their being publishers, by accepting
lists Of names from advertisers and rur-
chasers. and sending out alleged samples
TO the names so furnished at the pound
rate. The purpose is to secure the cir
cuIsti0u OF an advertisement and not TO
furnish to the addressee bona iidC sam
nle copy OF the publication with q view
10 securing his subscription as cOutem- /
mated BY law The copies so sent out By d
the publishers are as much the property
Of the purchaser as though he took them I
away from the office Of publication and
offered them for mailing himself when /
the rate of postage would be one cent for 1