The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-21
OPPOSING THE LOUD BILL
Arguments on the Proposed Amend
ments TO the Postal Laws.
Nr. Little Believes n Large Reduc-
Abuses of the SccOnd-Ciass Mail
Privilege a Radical Change of
Policy-CircuIatinE sample Copies.

relating 10 secOnd-class mail matter, wa
considered by the House yesterday in tn,
regular order Of business. An agreement
continue until o'clock Thursday; that
from to O'Clock that day to be consid-
cred under the five-minute rule for amend
ment and that at o'clock the vote be
taken on its passage.
MIR. Loud and H. c. Smith advocated the
passage of the bill. and Nessrs. Little OF
Arkansas, Bell of Colorado. Henry Of Texas
stokes Of South Carolina and Brown OF
Ohio opposed it.
/ Opening the debate. Mr.. Loud narrated
the facts which moved him TO introduce
the bill. He said a much more radical bin
had been passed by the House in 1897, and
/ in the last Congress a similar bill had been
/ defeated. After his return to Washington
/ last December not less than 2CO members
/ had asked him il he was not going TO bring
/ up the bill again; some Of them said that
they had voted against it, but desired TO
| change their action.
The bill was drawn originally by the
/ Third Assistant Postmaster General in 1894
!
] then. Mr.. Loud said. but he did not know
| what he was today The speakers only au-
! thorship in the matter was the changing OF
/ some of the provisions Of the bill When
] the bill was considered BY the committee
/ there was no apparent division, and it was
ordered reported Sixty days ago there was
I no objection to the bill. but since that time
! an active opposition had been waged against
1t. This had been managed, Mr. Loud said.
by an organization in this city, styling it
sell a committee Of publishers who did not
give their names. The speaker said that
they were the representatives Of Robert
Browns Sons. Patrick Farrelly. manager
OF the news company and Orvllle j. Victor
! former book publisher
Mr.. Loud devoted some time to an ex-
| position Of the methods employed to work
up sentiment against the bill He exhibited
blank form of petition sent out by F. VI
Lupton, who promised anyone securing ten
signatures thereto and sending them to
the Representative in Congress from the
district in which he lived four 25-cent
books. College presidents had written pro-
testing against the passage Of the bill. as
serting that il would deny them the privi-
iege of the mail open to all others Cor
respondence showed that these institutions.
generally speaking, published nothing that
privileges. If he could reach every man
who had complained about the bill. Mr..
Loud said. there would be no opposition 10
the measure
An Abuse of the Privilege.
great abuse of the privilege he said,
was committed by the incorporated insti-
tutions Of learning which the law of 1894
gave the privilege OF distributing pub
lcations at second class rates. The Gov
ernment was losing forty-hve millions
OF dollars year in handling second class
mail matter aud if the privilege OF the
mails was to be extended to the libra
rtes the loss would be one hundred mil
lions. The question for the House to con-
slider was whether or not il wanted TO
continue the practice? Every Postmaster
General since John Wanamaker. and two
Presidents, one Republican and one a
Democrat, had advocated the passage
OF this bill There had been no eypres-
sion Of the public upon the bill. because
none had been asked; but Mr.. Loud said
the issue raised by this bill should be
welcomed. for the people were in favor
OF the proposition that the users of the
mails should pay their proportionate part
Of the expense.
Responding to questions from vari-
Gus members, Mr.. Loud said that he did |
not believe the interests of the news com |
panies needed to be protected bv IapIs-
-lation: that the bill would place the
news dealers upon exactly the same plane /
as the news companies that in the hand I
ling OF second class matter the mails I
got the long, Improbable haul. and ex-
press and freight the short. profitable !
hauls and that the bill affected news /
papers only by curtailing the privilege !
OF sending sample copies through the /
mails.
Mr. Little Of Arkansas said his opposi- /
tioE was based rather upon the lOng-cOD-
tinued policy Of the Government than
upon any specific provision Of the bill
That policy. he said favored the widest
dissemination Of literature and of the
newspapers as well. not for the profit OF the
publishers but fOr the benefit of the great
mass Of the people. That policy. he ap-
proved as operating for the best interests
Of the Government. He did not concede
that the deficit in postal revenues was
caused by the transportation of second
class matter. But If it were to cut of
that class OF publications from the mails
it would cause such a reduction Of frst
class postage as to bring the Department
10 confront an even greater deficit In
support Of this contention. Mr. Little went
into an analysis Of the postal revenues for
he years 1898 to 1888 inclusive
From his study Of these figures Mr.
Little concluded that second-class mail
matter was the source of the greatest
amount OF TeyeEue received by the de-
And this. despite he fact thar
he Postmaster General reported that the
l2S 000, 900 pounds Of first-class mail mat
Ter yielded a revenue Of $50 900. 900. and
hat the $40. .OOO. .OO0 pounds OF secOnl-cIass
natter produced a revenue Of 81. 800. 600
MIR. BcH opposes the Bill.
Mr. Bell OF Colorado also opposed the
Jill. He reviewed at length the history
If the movement resulting in the estab-
ishment Of secOnd-clHss mail matter. II
vas intended he said to afford sort Of
ranking privilege to the people. and il
Ras never supposed that the transporta-
ion OF IL would be paid for by the revenue
lrisine from it
Mr. Bell quoted from the testimony Of
Mr. Farrely. Of the news company. be
ore the Committee on PCstolfices and Post
Dads to show that il the bill became a
aw it would result in saving not to ex-
eed 5000 900 year
The bill was further opposed by Messrs.
Ieury Of Texas Stokes OF South Carolina
nd Brown OF Ohio. The latter responded
o challenge by Mr Mcpherson Of Iowa
O show how country newspaper could b..
INJURED one 5-cent piece in the course OF a .
ear. The bill. Mr.. Brown said reduced
he number OF sample copies that paper
night circulate under second class rates. 7
hat was certainly damaging TO it, An q