The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1910-11-22
Increased Postage Rates.

Those newspapers which are endors-
ing the Hitchcock plan of charging in
creased postage for the advertising
part of the magazines are only dig
ging their own graves, for they will
be the next sufferers. This Republi-
can administration proposes to save at
the spigot, by advocating increased
postage on second sclass mail matter
and q reduction on first class mail
from two cents to one cent for letters,
while wasting millions at the buDg-
hule. But very few people have bene-
fitted by the decreased postage on
foreign letters from five cents to two
cents, the banks and importers being
the principal benefciaries of the de-
crease. Comparatively few Americans
write to or received letters from
foreign lands, SO the reduction in post
age is for the benefit of the few at the
expense of the many who pay by far
the most federal taxes in proportion
To C06lC lOCOfHSS.
To increase the postage on maya
zines will be likely to force the ten
cent magazines to increase the price
to fifteen cents .per copy, and the
yearly subscription price will be in
creased from one dollar to one dollar
and fifty cents or even to two dollars.
There again those with small incomes
will suffer.
While millions are annually wasted
ON extravagant appropriations for the
army and navy; for expensive COM
missions for this thing and that thing
for highly paid attorneys to investi-
gate corporations by the Department
of Justice, which has never esllted
in one malefactor of 81 eat wealth be-
ing put behind the bars, the saving by
the Postoffice Department is mere
flea bite. The evolution of the deter
minatiOn 70 make the postal service
self-sustaining should be lesson to
newspaper proprietors.
The so-called reform began by re-
fusing the cent pound rate to what the
department in its 1908 report called
trashy publications issued princi-
pally for advertising purposes. +"
There was not much objection to that
but it was just the opening wedge, for
the next reform was to curtal the is
sue of sample copies; the next, to cut
off the giving of credit fer subscrip-
tions. Now the next reform" is to
charge extra rates for the advertising
pages of magazines.
All this, however, is but preliminary
to the real object, which is to. cut off
the free postage on the weekly news
papers within the county where pub
lished and to increase the second
class rate from one cent pound to
something near what the department
declares Is the approximate cost, that
| 81 8 2-3 cents per pound Why it costs
so enormously to carry second class
mail will not be considered at this
time, but it is evident that there must
be great waste somewhere: for the
express companies, which are notori-
Gus extortionists, do not average such
high rates, and they call for and de-
liver parcels free to their patrons in
the larger cities.
1t is of Importance to newspaper
publishers to investigate this propoS-
ed increase on the postage of maya
zines, for there is no reason why the
Sunday papers. at least, should not be
dealt with in the same manner. But
the metropolitan papers are amply
able, as are most of the magazines, to
take. care of their own interests, and
| it is the smaller dailies and the week
ly newspapers which must be prepared
for higher postage rates in the near
future unless they take lthe necessary
steps to protect their interests.
If postage rates on magazines and
newspapers are increased, the publish
ers must increase the price of their
publications. and the public will have
to pay the bill.
1t is now being said the Mountain
Echo. published at London, is making
such damaging statements against
Caleb Powers is done solely to provoke
a suit inv hich it is alleged the Echo
can produce some very startling evil
dence against Powers in connection
with the assassination of Governor
Goebel. We hope this story will be
discredited as it is almost impossible
to believe that anyone who stands for
iecency in morals and politics as the
Echo is doing would resort to such
measures even against fellow of the
Powers stripe.