The Washington herald., 1906-12-03

lished by Street q Smith. OF New York.
subsequently, this firm wrote to the de-
partment saying:
am glad to say that the effect Of your ruling cor
erng the exclusion OF Libraries from the secondciass
rate has resulted il the creation Of three magazines
from our house-Anslee's Magazine Popular Maya
zine, and more recently. Sm.,h's Magazine, We
have average circulation Of 100000 copies
month
Hard to Make Distinctions.
WHO is TO judge whether these maya
zines are periodicals under the real in
tent Of the law? Recently 1 ruled out a
magazine called Masters of Music" be-
cause it seemed to the department to be
a book. rather than a periodical. It is a
high-elass publication. and 1 am sorry to
see it ruled out, especially when, under
the law, the Police Gazette and publica-
tions of similar character are carried.
Some of the best advertising circulars are
got up as newspapers, and some appear
like periodicals. Some people aliege that
Harper's Magazine is an advertising cir
eular for the Harper publishing house.
another thing required by the exist
ing law is that a publication must be is
sued from a known Office of publication.
This law requires a higher rate Of postage
for newspapers and periodicals addressed
for local delivery by letter carrier than it
does for transporting them across the
country. Let Us say, for instance, that
The Washington Herald's circulation was
mainly in the city of Washington To
mail it from your present Office would re-
quire cent a paper, regardless of weight.
But. if the Office were shifted-say to
Chevy Chase-the papers could be mailed
TO subscribers in Washington at a cent
a pound.
Then, what does the law mean by de-
voted TO literature? II the department
should construe that to mean that the
publication shall be devoted TO the sub
ject Of literature, and not that il is mere
ly to contain literature Itself, the result
would be far-reaching"
Present Law a Menace.
Il don't want TO alarm publishers, but
the present law is absolutely a menace to
their industry. It all depends on the rub
ing Of the administration. The statute Of
1879 in no equivocal terms prohibits the
admission as secOnd-class mail matter
all publications which are primarily de-
signed for advertising purposes. or for
free circulation. or for circulation at nom
inal rates. The possibilities of construction
In this clause are very great. I believe
that a strict and honest construction of
this prohibition would force out of the
second class from 50 to 20 per cent Of our
newspapers and from 20 TO 50 per cent of
our magazines 1t all depends on the view
of the administering officer.
We hope, of course" continued Mr
Madden, that the coming session Of Con-
gress will see some adequate action along
these necessary lines. II not then the
department will have no choice but to
proceed TO execute the laws as best il can
II the laws relating to second-class matter
should be executed thoroughly and eff
GENTLY, while they might in some cases
work hardship, such enforcement would
60 far, believe. toward wiping out the
annual deficit
What We need and need at once is a
statute that is definite: that will leave
nothing to the discretion of the executive
in the Postal Department.
Tests Should Be Simple.
I'VE don't want laws which will make
it necessary for the Postal Department to
inquire into the private affairs OF the pub
fishers. There is no sound reason why the
different classes of mail matter and the
different rate for their carriage should not
be determined on simple tests as simple
as those which characterize the railroad
and the express service. 1t ought not %
be required that the department should
have experts TO determine the perplexing
questions now required"
Have you a specific suggestion as TO a
remedy"
Yes. I want 10 let publishers alone:
let them conduct their business in their
own way; mail what they choose. 10
whom they choose; but not at the expense
of the public. think the rate on second
class matter should be raised TO four cents
a pound; that is about a quarter Of a cent
an ounce or a fraction thereof 10 one ad-
dress. The postage should be paid as II
is now, in money; and there must be some
provision for the expedition in the mails
Of newspapers and periodicals. The pub
fishers may oppose this-I should probably
oppose such q move if I were a publisher.
But the public service demands such a
reform. and the service is for the whole
people; not for a class"