The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-02-20
SAME OLD TROUBLE
Postmaster Forced To Hold Up
Many Post Cards Offered at
Post Office for Mailing
RULES STRICTLY ENFORCED

And still the war against the objec-
tionable post card is being waged
vigorously. Officials of the Kenosha
Office state that there is hardly a day
that passes that cards are not thrown
away. EFI do not see why people can
not conform to the law Of sending
cards, +" declared one of the officials yes
terday afternoon, If the people could
only see the number Of postals that are
held up because they are not in con
formity with the requirements Of the
postal laws, I am sure that they would
be more careful what they SEND"
MANY people blame us because
cards are held up, but we are not to
blame. Why if we should allow cards
to pass that might be construed any
way as being Objectionable and they
should be held up at the other end, we
would be reprimanded for allowing such
cards to pass.
"Of late there seems less tendency
to send the really Objectionable card,
that is the card that is Objectionable
from a moral standpoint. The princi-
pal fault that is found now is with the
people who send the cards through
mails that nave been glazed with
ground glass or Using glass. There is
danger that the one who handles it may
cut his hands or may even get it
into his stomach. We are obliged to
hold up more Of that kind Of cards than
any other.
IT have heard complaints from PEG
pie who thought that the postal authori-
ties were drawing the line 900 fine
when they held up cards that upon the
face Of it did not appear to be objec-
tionable. Why the authorities just have
to draw fine lines if they did not they
would have to contend with cards of
a similar nature that are however much
worse in meaning
S1The practice of sending post cards
has been much abused. When the
government first gave the permission
to private firms to print the post cards
it was with the idea that the cards would
be instructive, being views, and
stretches of scenery. Then gradually
the comic card slipped into popularity
and soon became so popular that it was
carried to extremes. Some Of the cards
printed were too vulgar and demoraliz-
ing to be shown, much less sent through
the mails Then it was that the govern
ment had to call a halt and demand
that restrictions be put up on the
character of the cards that were sent
through the mails. The edict cut out
the worst class Of cards but the authori-
ties still had to deal with the card that
did not express SO much in ordinary
words but which implied so much At
first these cards were sent to the head
office to be examined but they soon be-
came too numerous SO that it was i'm
possible for this to be done and each
postmaster was ordered to sift out all
the cards that in his Judgment were
Objectionable These are sent to the
dead letter Office and passed upon If
they are found to be all right they are
returned to the Office from which they
have been sent and are sent on their
way after having been intercepted. I
will state however that of all the hund-
reds of postals that have sent to the
dead Letter Office that but two were re-
turned and am sure that those were
through a mistake as they certainly
were greatly Objectionable but as they
were returned we had no other course
than to send them to the addressed
parties.'