The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-12
When he Was Induced to Agree
to Increase on Second Class
Mail Matter. Insurgents
Now Contend.
WAS THIS ACTION A
PLOT AGAINST TAFT?
Did the WHY Postmaster Gen.
eral Want to Get the Execu-
tive "In Bad" With Press of
the Country.
(By Frederick Ciifford)

Washington. Feb. l2N POSTMASTER
General Hitchcock knowingly hands
President Taft gold brick when he
induced the Chief Executive to agree
10 an increase in the postage rate on
second-claSs mail matter. ask the in
SurgentS in the House. In their opin-
ion by the inducing him TO include i'm
his annual message strong recon-
mendation for legislation 10 check the
postoftiCe deficit caused as the Post
| ImasterGeneral asserts. by the one cent
a pound rate on newspapers. maga-
zines and periodicals
The story circulated here is that
the willy Postmaster-Generai knew
that the country would not stand for
an increase in postage rates on second
class matter. and that the House
would never reach the point where il
would be called upon To vote on the
question. The purpose of the Post
masterGeneral ii is said by the insur-
gents. is TO put the President in bad
. with the press of the country and Kill.
! off his chance for 1872. And the
President they say walked right into
the trap.
Opportunity Given Them
When the question of increasing
the postage on second-class matter
was taken up the House committee on
postoffices and postcards invited the
publishers of the country to visit
Washington and apear before the COM
mittee and present what arguments
7 iat do h..
mittee that postage rates ought not
to be icreased. \ number OF publish
ers availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity-some of them presented facts
and figures TO show that the deficit
of the Postoffice Department in hand
ling second-class mail matter was due
To lack of business methods and
though not demanding from the rail
roads the same terms given express
companies and large shippers.
Coupled with this came the sad in
formation that the minority members
of the committee on postoffices and
pOstroads We're solid against the pro-
posed increase. and would make a re-
port against the bill, and that the
! Democrats TO a man, would fight the
increase. Then came a warning voice
+. from some big guns on the Republican
side of the House. that there is to bee
an election of members of Congress
next November. and that to antagon-
ize the press of the country would
prove fatal TO party success.
The Desired Effect.
| This had the desired effect. and
the proposed increase in rates on sec
ond-class mail matter, advocated by
the Postmanster-General as a means
CT reducing the postal deficit. and
endorsed by the President goes glim-
mering into the graveyard of reform
measures that lacked the backing OF
Ipublic sentiment.
| But why ask the insurgents. did
Hitchcock try to befoozle President
Taft into committing such a serious
party blunder: Perhaps. they con-
lend. the postmaster general is am
bilious and being engineer in charge
Of the old reliable steam roller, he has
dreams of 1872.
The democrats have everything in
their favor this year. and VIC ought to
elect d majority of the next house
said Representative Clark of Florida.
=
next November would in my judgment
be the forerunner of a democratic
triumph in 1912 he continued. "As tn
presidential candidates l should say il
is a little too early to name a candi-
date, but / don't mind saying that /
am confident the man selected to head
the ticket in 1912 will not be the per-
petual candidate whose record is one
Of defeat. The people of the south are
thinking of their own section. We
have stood in the rear long enough and
the time has come when the south.
which has always been relied upon for
considered when the next ticket is
named. Whether the head or the tail
of the ticket will come from the south
land do not care to predict, but I feel
that We shall be recognized in the
make up OF the ticket
| On what issue will the next cam
paign be fought ont: Well. that Is
not difficult to say The tariff Will
think. be tin. controlling factor. a. il
was in the last election. but We will
not be Handicapped as We were then
Expenditures Committee.
For many years the house committee
on expenditures in the executive de-
partment were never looked upon
other than a necessary adjunct to the