The Washington herald., 1917-11-01
Postal Rate Fight.

Postal Rate Fight.
Plans for a vigorous fight to repeal
the second class postal rate provisions
I OF the war revenue bill are being
| completed and it is likely that the
battle will be one OF those stagea
early at the coming regular session.
1 1t will. by its very nature, permit
the discussion on an extensive scale
of some Of the widely divergent state
ments made I'm the press during the
/ pendency OF the revenue measure.
| The much-heralded Hughes commits
( sion report will be looked into, and
/ some OF the deductions and conclu-
sions made therein which newspaper
men have uniformly held to be wrong
will be dissected for the benefit Of
Congress. The newspaper men are
unwilling TO allow such n'isconcep-
tions stand as markers for their BUSH
ness. They are perfectly willing to
stand for just taxes but they do
not relish the thought of paying taxes
on such a basis as that outlined in
the bill. Nor do they grant some
of the contentious of the postofice de-
partment upon which the postal rate
provision OF the war revenue bill vii
| shaped.
During the closing days NJ the war
Congress Senator Hitchcock Of Ne
braska, who owns the largest daily
: newspa per in the Missouri Valley,
, raped Senator Hair' wick rather
: sharply over the laiior's complete
misunderstanding OF the newspaper
business. Senator Hitchcock set out in
lucid style the publishers problems.
and asserted that Congressional action
/ O.. l.axy
some magazines and great numbers OF
the small papers out of business, while
some Of the larger daily papers would
! have TO pass the increased rates OH
TO their patrons The result would be
that the public loses and the govern
mcnt gains nothing in the long run.
Such a course is fatal because IL is
constructed on multitude OF fallacies
and IL is the hope OF newspaper men
generally that some OF these fallacies
can be corrected before irTepara BILE
harm is done.
LOst-Tke Lnwmakcrs.
One Of the very astutc members OF
| congress SAYS that war congress
cannot assert individuality, and con-
stgucti,c ability OF a communal ma
'ture a all. for the very simple reason
that the members must follow pre-
cisely the way their president points.
In other words. 50 this member Con-
tends, the executive branch Of the
/ government becomes all powerful
during = war session and there is
nothing FOR the members to do but
pass appropriations asked Of them.
and take such other legislative steps
as seem to be justified 10y the exi-
gencies.
All Of which. after all some Of the
members believe. is good for the
cause OF democracy. Such a seemin &
autocratic step is needed occasionally
10 purge democracy Of some OF its
malformstions. II is a governmental
tonic OF power and needed at least
every forty or fifty years in the ma
tion, they say. II il did not come
they argue, our country would drift
into a state OF decline. and instead oi
going ahead in the ways OF democrac!
We would be drifting away from IT,
Let no one feel that the opportunity
20 do faithful and splendid seryic,
for The nation is lost. however. be
cause the executive side prodomi
mates during the war For the op
portunity is stronger than ever. de
spite the loss OF equality with the eN
ecutive apartment and men VIII,
want To assert their patriotism and
thorough Amcricanism can readily
ind outlets for their genius and theil
energy. The act that this is true {,
emphasized in the failure of some neT
10 live up TO the call o. their coun
try. Instead Of accepting the op
portunity 10 serve the county. the,
have wantonly tossed it away-in tn,
vain and foolish attempt TO draw mel
unto them for selfish purposes. anS
for no good reason, We can be sure.
MaBy Radical Steps.
Some os those progressive folk
who have been heard 20 complain
now and then that the battle for
democracy involved first the install
lation OF an autocrdcy at home, fint
it hard 10 explain The situation wher
they see the remarkable steps taker
{" regulate various industries for III,
aood Of tho whole people
Not ia all the history OF the Coun
try has there previously beeu mad,
such advances toward public owner
ship as have been made in the pas
Few months operation Of the rail
roads and great public Industries ~
7 lnc country -Nnl MOI IN al our pre-
vious history has more progress beer
made toward the acuuiremen. %
Quasi-public utility plants by the pub
lie, 10 be operated for the bench
OF the public.
II the proSressiVes who cumplail
about this put on ihoir thiukmg-cap
they cannot hnd a single reason fo
their objection TO the general GOV
ornment program in this war Their,
may be steps here and there whicl
smack Of the reaCtionism which the,
so heartily condemn. but these sinl
into painful oblivion when the rea
forward steps are shown on the screeI
Of achievement. The net result Of tn,
entire program is 50 m3nifestly 10
favor OF the people and Of the coun
try's best interests that men who re
lied upon dcmaEogic utterancos {,
bring them 10 the front in publ,
movements must now be beCinninI
10 be fearful that they will have M
customers left after the war is over
Tho very proper slogan Of maxim.
the world SAT" for democracy seems
TO involve making il unsafe fol
demsEoguy, ana il II does that. &C
4 n 81 81.