The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-13
POSTAGE INCREASE
GOES GL|MMER|NG
Into Graveyard of Unpopular
Reform Measures.
TRICK OF HITCHCOCK
Insurgents Say He Lei-President Into
Political Trap-DemOcrats Have
Chance to Win Declares
Clark of Florida.
TRICK OF HITCHCOCK
BY RoDERIcK CLIFFORD.


Washington, February 12.-(special.) y
Dill Postmaster-General Hitchcock know
insly hand President Taft a gold brick
when he induced the chief executive to
agree to an increase in the postage rate
on second-class mail matter ask the in
SURG ents in the House. In their opinion
the erstwhile chairman of the republican
national committee played trick on the
President By inducing him to include in
his annual message strong recommen-
dation for legislation to check the post
| offise deficit caused, SO the postmaster
general asserts, by the 1 cent a pound
rate on newspapers, magazines and Pc
| riodicals.
The story circulated here is that the willy
postmaster general knew that the country
would not stand for an increase In post
age rates on second-class matter, and
thai the House would never reach the
point where 1t would be called upon to
vote of the question. The purpose OF the
postmaster-general. IL is said by the in
| surgents, Is to put the President "in bad
with the press of the country and kill of
his chance for 1912. And the President
they say, walked right into the trap.
When tho question of increasing the
| postage on socend-class matter was
taken up the House committee on post
office and postroads invite dthe publish
ers of the country to visit Washington
and appear before the committee and
present what arguments they desired to
convince the committee that POSTAGE
ought not to be increased. number OF
| publishers awaited themselves of the op-
porfunity. Some of them presented facts
and figures to show that the deficit Of
| the postoffice department In handling sec
ond. class mail matter was due 20 lack Of
| business methods and through not de-
| nonding from the railroads the same
terms given express companies and large
| shippers.
Coupled with this came the sad infor-
nation that the minority members of the
committee on postoffices and postroads
were solid against the proposed increase
and would make a report against the BILL
and that the democrats to man would
| fight the increase. Then came a warning
voice from some of the big guns on the
republican side of the House. that there
| is to be an election of members of Con-
gross next November, and that to antag
| onize the press of the country would
| prove fatal to party success.
This has had the desired effect and the
proposed increase in rates on second
class mail matter, advocated by the post
| master-gencral a means of reducing
| thu postal deficit and Endorsed by the
| President, goes glimmering into the
graveyard OF reform measures that lacked
the backing of public sentiment.
But why ask the insurgents, did Hitch
cock try to befoozle President Taft into
| committing such a serious party blunder?
| Perhaps, they contend, the postmaster
general is ambitious and being the engin-
Ger in charge of the old reliable steam
| roller, he has dreams Of 1912.
The democrats have everything in their
favor this year, and we ought to elect
a majority of the next House, said
Representative Clark of Florida today to
a party of friends. "a victory next No
vember, would, in my judgment. be the
| forerunner of a democratic triumph In
| 1872" he continued. "As to presidential
| candidates, l should say it is a little too
| early to name a candidate. but / don't
mind saying that l am confident the man
selected to head the ticket in 1912 will
not be the perpetual candidate whose
record is one of defeat. The people in
the south are thinking of their own sec
| ton. We have stood in the rear long
enough and the time has come when the
| SOUTH which has always been relied upon
! TO" the bulk of the party vote, should
be considered when the next ticket is
named Whether the head or the tail
| of me ticket will come from the souyh-
land do not care to predict but feel
that we shall be recognized in the make
up of the ticket.
ION what issue will the next campaign
| be fought out? Well, that is not difficult
to say The tariff will. / think. be the
controlling factor, as it was in the last
election, but We will not be handicapped
as we were then"
Tor many years the House committees
| on expenditures in the executive depart
ment were rever looked upon other than
| O necessary adjunct to the speaker S
patronage with which to reward some
| faithful follower with craftsmanship
and a committee room. A craftsmanship
| is always coveted by members, as 1t