Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-05
xpvsPAPERs AND THE PEOPLE

a QlT6Cl anu iNA
other day Congressman Benjamin
Focht, of the Lewisburg dis
+r,ct made very clear the untalr
discrimination proposed In the wal
,evenue bill against the newspaper
Industry. Mr.. Focht, himself a puo-
,isher. spoke with knowledge Oh the
facts and declared that instead OIL
sa,r irnnosition of the burden of taxa
+ioD justified by the war necesslues'
the levy proposed is one OF eNterlhl-
nation so far as the newspaper III
dustrv is concerned. He was par
+icrlarlv clear in his discussion oil the
,,ronosed increased postage rate on
Ious,aners and pointed out that the
measure was absolutely out oA 4i'''
,nonv with all business sense anu
rooeon and a menace to the puoilsh-
ing interests. NJ
Among other illustrations Mt.
rao,+ referred to the Williamsport
CRIT rs a newspaper which had peeI
deve1oped from a modest locai
,yoeklv OF a few thousand circulation
20 national publication. Already
This Darticular publication was pay
ing s57,5OO as an increase on IT'S
white paper account owing TO war
conditions. With the war tax added
tbe increase would be S9S,42S.9S, and
sbould the second class postage Dill
be still further increased as sug-
gested in the revenue measure Ille
total war tax upon this single pup
fishing plant would be $2O7'5fo'4Z'
Mr.. Focht emphasized the con-
ascatory character Of the proposed
innositions on newspapers by declar-
ing that instead of the government
Getting 100000 from the paper IN
ouestion it would not get anything
whatever because the Grit would be
forced to suspend.
What Congressman Focht out
lined in his remarks in the House
was simply a plain statement OF the
conditions which now confront news
paper publishers all over the United
States. They have been burdened
beyond anything in the history Of the
newspaper industry by the increased
cost of print paper and other ma
+erials the wage scale justified by
the high cost of living and by excess
siye and rising costs in every direc-
ton. Should the government now
impose taxes beyond the point Of
reasonable levies, it will be impos-
sible for many publications to exist.
1t is generally understood that the
newspapers of the United States have
manifested a high type of patriotism
throughout the whole period Of war
preparations. They have avoided
printing anything which would be of
aid or comfort to the enemy. They
have given without charge countless
columns of space to the promotion
of recruiting, the sale of Liberty
Bonds and the general support of
the government in every direction.
Notwithstanding this attitude on
their part and a manifest desire to
aid in every way, the newspapers
have been hamstrung and misrepre-
sented by the very persons who
should be best informed as to their
real usefulness in the present crisis.
Nothing more unfair or unjust has
developed than the persistent effort
to impose a governmental censorship
which would deprive newspapers OF
independence in the discussion OF
matters affecting the country during
the period of the war.
1t is time for the people to under
stand that any permanent injury to
the newspapers of the country will
react upon the people themselves.