The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-14
Our political. pOstOffiCe

Senator Boise Penrose is chairman of the grea postoffce committee of the United States sen ate, Thomas H. Carter, senator from Montana has service many years on that committee, nc three men in the United States are better versec in postoffice affairs and needs than these. Or February 9, 1911 the senate postofflce commit tee under the leadership of Senators Penrose ano Carter reported favoraby to the senate for actior the postoffice appropriation bill containing 2 provision put in without allowing public hear ing or open consideration but under polltica pressure from the White House that increases the postage rate on magazines and periodicals to such an extent that it practically absorbs al the profits of the publishing business of the country and makes the further production o1 popular-priced magazines impossible. It imposes tax that is confiscatory Notwithstanding within the year Senator Boies Penrose said, re- ferring to the Carter Weeks bill:
 .sThese are some of the big features of the bill The whole intent is to systema- tize and to modernize the entire postal system. It is idle to take up such questions as apportioning the cost for carrying sec ond-class mail matter of the proper compen- sation of railroads for transporting the mail until we shall have established busl- ness methods in postoffice affairs by a re- organization of the whole postal system. The commission unanimously recommend ed the passage of the projected bill. Per sonally have been very much interested in all the details and of course am heartily ill favor of the changes to be made
 Senator Carter said last March: But 1 must forego further pursuit of detail. The bill was cordially approved by Postmaster General Meyer and his assistants and like wise has the approval of Postmaster Gener- al Hitchcock It failed of passage during the last congress owing to lack of time for its proper consideration, but l have re-intro- duced the bill which is now designated sen- ate 62S7 second session, sixty first congress- The committee on postoffice and post roads will favorably report the bill to the senate and it should be enacted into law before the close of this session. 1 believe not only that 1t will increase efficiency but that after the expense of installation is absorbed 1t will result in such economies in the admin istration of the department and service as
 
 operating under 1t the department will be able with almost unerring certainty to de- termine the actual cost of each service per formed. thereby reach sound basis for leg islation such as is neither available nor obtainable under the present system.
 ''I deeply symphatize with the earnest desire of the department officials to get rid of the deficiency they are fated to encoun. ter each year but I submit that the first real movement toward that end must be-
 gin with the substitution of a modern, up to-date business organization for the exist ing antiquated system, which rests upon few sections of law enacted in 1855 SUD- plemented by statutory fragments added from time to time that year.
 John Wanamaker said recently: With Mir. Hitchcock $ suggestion, however, there will he no general agreement The maga- zines are supported not by the price paid for the magazine by the readers but by the advertisers.
 Tn a sense magazines are private concern hut they have public function to perform, al educational function. To lax the advertisements IS to tax the qual itv of the educational matter contained ln tn pages. for the advertisements enable the pub nsHers b pay high prices for literature an' educational articles The price paid for a mag azine does not pay for the printing and the pa per. If Mr. Hitchcock $ suggestion should be come part of the presidents plan itwould meal that the public would suffer in the loss of mucl educational material that the publishers the would be unable to buy.
 We urge every friend of honest politics, eco nollicaI government and free press to tele graph an immediate protest to their senator i,.ys representatives in Washington.
 The Curtis Publishing Go