The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-05-24

The Curtis publications are by no
means the most fragrant cases; they
are high class papers and are really
agencies of education, but it does not
seem to us that the government is I'M
der obligations to donate to a cor
poration whose stock is so valuable
that it cannot be bought for $500 a
share and none is for sale, even if its
publications are of high character.
There are thousands of yellow
journals, undertaking magazines, and
snide weeklies, that the government is
actually paying for the privilege Of
postal distribution, that are positively
detrimental to the intellect and moral
ity of the country.
If we were in congress at the pres
ent time we would introduce a bill
substantially as follows to meet the
existing need of increased revenues.
"BE 1T ENACTED BY THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
THE SENATE CONCURRING:
That from and after the passage Of
this bill the postal rates of the United
States shall be as follows:
FIRST CLASS-Three cents per
ounce or fraction thereof. That for
Second, Third and Fourth class matter
the territory of the United States
shall be divided into zones, numbered
from one to eight to correspond to the
ones provided for under the parcel
post law.
SECOND CLASS-In zones num-
bered from one to three postage to
remain the same as under the present
law.
In zones numbered four and five an
increase of rs per cent.
In zones numbered Five and Six an
increase of so per cent.
IN zones numbered Seven and Eight
an increase of 100 per cent.
THIRD AND FOURTH CLASS--In-
creases to correspond to second class
rate.
1t is the fundamental principle of
our government that it should not
make any profit out of public service;
it is equally fundamental that parties
receiving the same should pay the
original cost.
What would you think of the bus
mess prescience of a man who would
carry pound of freight from Port
land, Maine, to Nome, Alaska, for the
same price he would carry a pound
from Sank Centre to Long Prairie?
Yet the postal department charges one
cent to carry one pound of Her.
AIDS from Sank Centre to Glen
wood and it charges the same to carry
a pound of "Woman's Companions"
from Portland to Nome.
The passage of law such as I have
indicated would cost the ordinary man
who mails one letter week fifty cents
a year ADDITIONAL; it would cost the
wealthy business man who mails fifty
letters day, fifty cents day additi-
onal and it would cost the Wall street
spectators and great catalogue houses
that feed on the gullible fifty dollars
a day.
1t might cost the average country
publisher possibly dollar a year ad-
ditional, probably not a cent, for
few country publishers send their
papers outside a thousand mile
zone, and It would compel the Cur
tbs Publishing Company and other mil
lion dO11or conversations RI now for Tho
actual cost of the governmental SER
vice performed for them.
1t would put out of business the
snide weeklies who give all the sub
scription price of their publications to
their agents, relying on their adver-
Using for their profits, which flood
the country and compete with coun-
try papers both in the way of adver7
Using and subscriptions.
Such a law would add $5O,OOO,O 900
much needed revenue to the govern
mental exchequer, nor would I repeal
the law after the war until there was
government post office building IN
every town of more than $500 popula-
ton, until railway mail clerks and
fourth class postmasters' salaries
were increased fifty per cent and ev-
cry rural mail carrier in the United
States received vehicle and team
maintenance in addition to his salary,
for these classes of public officials per-
form more and harder service for the
pay they receive than any other class.
We also think that the country pub
fishers made mistake when they I'M
tied in protest against the tax on ad-
vertisements. The proposal was that
on every thousand dollar advertise
ment received from single person at
regular rates ten per cent tax should
be imposed. We have not consulted
the regular editor, but we are willing
to pledge that if any single person,
firm or corporation will bring the Her.
aid thousand dollar advertisement,