Arizona republican., 1902-02-17

h devising measures for the reduc- ton of the surplus in the treasury. congressmen would con FOR fer a substantial benefit PENNY upon all citizens if they POSTAGE. would provide for one
 cent letter postage. all though the inroad thereby madeNon the surplus would not be enormous. Ger tainly. there is much more justice in the demand for penny postage than in the various items of reduction in the war taxes as prepared by the commit tee on ways and means. A Washing ton dispatch says that Representative George w. Smith. of Illinois. is going to press his bill providing for penny postage. now that the postoftiCe appro- priation bill has been completed. and it is to be hoped that he will be success ful. When MT Smith goes before the subcommittee to which his bill has been referred. he will be armed with 'probably the most representative peti- tion. as one of his arguments. that was ever presented to congress. It will
 
 900 bankers and busine-s men, repre- senting twenty states. In addition to this there will be nearly 9 half million personal letters. from men in every section Of the union. praying for the passage by congress Of the penny post age bill.
 Petitions have already been received
 
 Maine. Massachusetts, Maryland. Mich igan. New Hampshire. New Jersey. New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Yer mont, Virginia and West Virginia. Telegrams have been received an nouncing that the petitions from five other states would be sent to Mr. Smith in a few days. The face of the petitions bear evidence that they were not secured on the catch-au plan. The signers are almost without exception, representatives of banks or business houses. and their signatures were se- cured by personal solicitation of the parties who have been pressing the matter. The petitioners ask for the passage by congress of the penny postage bill, and also for such legis- lation regarding second class mail maj ter as will relieve them from the abuses and enormous wrongs which have grown up in the perversion of the privilege accorded by law to second class mail matter"
 In discussing the petitions and the bill and it's prospects. MT. Smith said:
 There have been three objections made to the penny postage bill. The first is that the people whose mail is very large will benefit by it, while the man who writes but e lew letters each year will not be benefited. This posi- ton I hold to be entirely erroneous IT l write 10000 letters q year and you write but ten, you receive your pro- portion of benefit just as I do. The second objection is that the reduction or revenues occasioned by the reIuc- ton of postage rates u q penny would be SO great as to create great deficit in the postal department. I do not believe that this result will follow. The deficit last year. according to the figures of the postmaster general. waS less than S3,OOO,O10, and the estimate for the present fiscal year is estimated at about s2.OO0, coo The deficit of tbe department is being rapidly decreased each year, and with the increase of postal business, 1 believe that the de- partment can stand this reduction in postage rates without in any way the postal department or in- turing the service. The third objection to the passage of the bill is that it would interfere with the extension of the rural free de- livery service. This, as I see it, can not be the effect. The rural free de- livery system has become a fixture l The postofIice appropriation bill pro vldes for large increase for this bra nch Of the service. and 1t will go on increasing year by year G.ny of She free delivery rural routes are all ready self-supporting. and more Of them will become so as the system ;s | enlarged. the roads made better and | facilities for handling the mail in- | creased. There is no intention in case [ of the adoption of penny postage to | curtail the rural free delivery service | in any respect.