The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-10

/ the postoffics department What this
/ proportion is cannot well be deter
| mined. but that 1t IL very large adj
mits of no doubt. As the theory of
4 the president evidently is based upon
| the proposition that each class OF mail
/ matter should pay its proper proper
| ton of the expense Of operating the
| postoffice department. it logically fol-
lows. since the government is not in
| the business of making a profit upon
| its operations. that each class of mail
matter should pay no more than the
net cost of its. handling. If the Sec
ond-class matter earns some of the
| general revenue of the department il
Should have credit for that earning.
and be Obliged to pay no more than
II actually costs the government. This
argument may be thought to be a
begging of the question. but 1t is not.
1t Is exactly what must be inferred
as the spirit of the presidents state
ment in his message.
Indeed. ii we are to accept the presi-
dents line of reasoning. and if we are
to agree with him that the second
class mail matter is not now paving
its legitimate share of the operating
! cost of the postoffice department. we
are obliged. by the laws of logic, to
assume that the president believes that
the rate of postage upon first-class
matter should be reduced to a rate
equal To the actual cost to the gov
eminent i'm handling it.
This Is conclusion that cannot be
accepted. And il means also that the
cost of the rural free delivery should
be charged upon the beneficiaries of
that service. There Is surely no more
or better warrant for charging a
citizen two or three times the cost
for carrying his letter than there is
for charging the publisher of the
magazine nne-ninth of the cost of car
rying it. or the. publisher of the coun-
try paper nothing for carrying his
product.
4. IL is not only ~ poor rute that will
not. work both, ways, hut. it is na4 rlIe
at all. What the presidents PROPOSE
ton amounts to. therefore, when II
Is resolved to Its obviously true mean
ing. Is that the magazines and Pc
riodicals shall be assessed an increase
OF postal rate sufficient To overcome
a deficit apparent in the postal rev.
enues. arising from the neglect To
charge all of the service rendered by
the postoffice department to the re-
cipients Of that service
There IL. however a more conse-
aeuntial argument against increasing
the second-elass rat. of postage than
any that has as yet been mentioned.
IL is the part of the magazines and
periodicals. and the newspapers, play
In the growth and development of the
business of the country. and involves
consideration of the great question of
advertising as one of the greatest
forces now working for the develop
ment Of the United States and the
advance of civilization unacknowI-
edged concerns of government.
From whatever viewpoint we look
upon the work of the government we
find that II is always working for
business-for the extension of Ameri-
can business. for the regulation. OF
business. for the protection of hnsi-
ness. All phases of business are made
the great concern of the government.
save the greatest phase of aIl-the
creation of new business. That Is the
office of advertising. And the most
effective advertising that Is done is
that which Is done by the trade pa
pers. the magazines and the news
papers.
1t Is impossible to state how much
of the increase of business in the
United States that Is every year noted
Is due To advertising. Whoever knows
the facts that come into the offices
Of the great magazines and perlodi-
Gals. whoever knows the facts that
pile up In the great advertising
agencies, gets an idea that advertising
Is the greatest building force
in the world. and he gets the true
idea.
While IL is true that advertising Is
not fully developed into an exact sci
ence that millions of dollars are vast
ed in it every year, that ii Is prasti-
tuted to unworthy uses. that it is
ignorantiy and bungllngIy worked. that
il Is shamefully used for selfish ends,
advertising is yet the biggest element
in the growth Of the business of the
nation. And OF all the constructive
misunderstanding that advertising is
10 be credited with very large pro-
portion must be credited to the trade
and magazine press.
Shall not this service to tine country
be recognized? Is it well that =
government spend millions each year
definitely in behalf of the regulation
and protection of business and neglect
10 take note of that force which, more
than any other. II making more and
new business.
l. il fair To business. Is IL good
business. on the part NJ the only
business government m the earth-or
the most distinctly business govern
ment on earth-thar the force that is
making the new growth of business.
shall he penatizad for the work IL Is
doing in that direction. By having the
president point out m a message to
congress that because the periodicals
and magazines print Il large volume
of advertisements their pranrierars
shall b. taxed To cover a bookkeeping
deficit in the postal revenues
II IS time flor the magazines. the
trade papers. the neriodIeais-yes. and
tf1r- neWsnarffS-ta insist that the