The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-03-09
EXPENDITURES.
mo. 81
POSTAL EXPENDITURE.

The postal service of the United
States has never paid expenses.
There has always been and probably
always will be deficit. The public
does not complain about this. 1t
is the peoples service and nothing
but the most convenient service
will satisfy them. They rightfully
demand the very best that can be
had regardless of whether it pays
expenses or not, but there is one
rule that should be rigidly followed
in regard to the postal service and
every other service performed by
the government, and that is that
everyone who receives benefit from
the same should pay proportionate
price therefor. But this rule is
most VIGOROUSLY disregarded in the
administration of the Post Office
Department, and it is just for me
to add that the law authorizes and
compels such violation although
the Post Office officials have always
protested against it.
Domestic mail is officially divided
into four classes:
First Class-Sealed letters, two
cents per ounce.
Second Class-Newspapers, Mag
azines and Periodicals, one cent for
each pound.
Third Class-Books, one cent
for each two ounces.
Fourth Class-Merchandise, one
cent for each ounce. And to these
may be added a fifth class, ''Franked
matter" or matter sent free by
government officials.
First, third, and fourth class
matter pays handsome surplus
into TIE Treasury of the govern
ment. Second class matter not
only absorbs all of the surplus
revenue derived from the other
classes but leaves a large deficit
each year; and it is even more un-
profitable to carry frankeG stuff
than second class matter. 1t is
also a notorious fact that the
government pays the railroads
much more for carrying the mails
than they receive for similar
services from any one else.
In my judgement the postage on
second class matter ought to be
doubled. More rigid rules ought
to be adopted defining what a news
paper, magazine or a periodical is.
Everything that is now printed
except books and single issues of
pamphlets goes as second class
matter. A very large portion of
this is detrimental instead of bene-
fetal to the public. No one
objects to legitimate newspapers
and magazines enjoying low rate
of postage. Two cents an ounce Is
lower than any other country in
the world affords. The provisions
allowing local papers to circulate
i'll the county in which they are
published tree of charge is alright.
Country papers have accomplished
more in raising the standard of
intelligence in this nation than any
other institution, excepting only
the common schools. Yet the
people themselves and the country
newspapers who are injured instead
of benefited, have always pro-
tested most vigorously against any
increase in second class rates.
This is another of the many
illustrations of the fact that there
is nothing so expensive as
ignorance.
But why should a farmer or
business man pay thirty-six cents
for sending pound of letters
through the mails, sixteen cents for
a pound of merchandise, and a
bookdealer be charged eight cents
for pound of Bibles he mails to a
Sunday school superintendent,
while some snide concern is per-
mitted to send pound of yellow
covered romance detailing the
adventures of "Roaring Rube, the