The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-07-07

ert L. Owen sums up his reasons for
opposing the bill to abolish the gov
ernment contracts for printing en-
velopes:
Mr.. D. NJ. Marrs,
Editor The Chieftain,
Vinita, Oklahoma.
Dear Sir: For forty years powerful
lobbies of envelope manufacturers
have been urgently and insistently de-
manding the repeal of the law of 1872
authorizing the postofflce department
to print return request envelopes, and
stirring up opposition to this statute.
The Hobbies have always failed for
the reasons set forth in the letter of
the postmaster general of February 6,
1911 (Senate Document No. 500, 61st
congress, third session }, as follows,
to-wit:
cd Return-card stamped en-
velopes can be printed and distributed
by the government at lower cost to
the public than by private enterprise.
"(2) When supplies by the govern
ment, and manufacturer and distribut-
ed under governmental supervision
the public receives upon an average,
more efficient service, better material
and more prompt delivery than when
performed by private enterprise.
"(3) All classes of the public are
placed upon an equality in the prices
paid, the quality obtained, and in the
facilities of distribution.
go Government control of the
printing and distribution of special
request envelopes effects a large say
ing in the cost of administering the
postal service and contributes mater
tally to it's efficiency.
"(5) The proposed legislation is. In
the interest of comparatively small
number of individuals, and against
that of the great majority of Ameri
can people.
"(6) The supplying of special re
quest envelopes by the government eff
fects great convenience and saving
to the people of the rural sections o.
the country, which will be denied by
the passage of the proposed legisla
tion.
"(O The question involved ha!
been repeatedly agitated, and upon in
ouiry and deliberation has invariabl.
been decided in favor of the existin,
policy.
"(S) The passage of the proposed
bill will produce marked change II
the mode of administering the posta
service, causing the loss, confusion
and inconvenience consequent upol
an abrupt change of postal policy"
There were seventy-odd THOUSAND
protests against the passage OF thl
so-called Tou Velle bill before tn
committee on postoffices and pos
roads of the United States senate. Tn
committee, of course, was a republ
can committee-Senator Penros'
chairman. The republican member
of the committee refused to report tn
bill for the reasons set forth by tn
postoffice department or even to vot
ON it. If had thought the demand l
favor of the Tou Velle bill was wise,
should have been entirely powerles'
1 received eight or ten letters troI
Oklahoma friends requesting me I
support this bill, and / replied that
did not see my way clear to DO SO,
view of the arguments which had bee
made against it by the postoffice d.
partment.
I considered the arguments car
fully. and thought the repartmeI
should not be deprived of the priv
lege granted forty years ago, an
which, after repeated hearings throue
all these years, had been kept in til
hands of the postal service by I'll
last twenty congresses.
+ do not repeat the argument
full. because it is voluminous, but
believe any one reading the letter
the postmaster general and the rep
of the national joint committee of tt
American Envelope Manufacturer
association, ETC., can have no reaso
able doubt that it was clearly prove
to be against the general welfare
interfere with this branch of the po
tai service.
The total stamped envelopes so
by the government is only five p
cent of the total daily output of Il
combined envelope plants of the cou
try, and only portion of these ha'
the return address printed upon the
by the government. These return e
velopes are used very largely
small dealers, merchants, lawyer