The Washington herald., 1917-02-14
KILL Plan TO RAISE
PAPER POSTAL RATE
Bill Aimed Against Periodicals De-
feated in Senate.

BY decisive vote the Senate yesterday
declined to raise second-class postal
rates on newspapers and periodicals.
The Senate struck this provision from
the Dill Saturday. and the question same
on suspending the rules and reinserting It.
/ 1t would have required q two-thirds vote
70 accomplish this The vote to subsu-
tute slowed 81 against, "a in favor. The
roll call follows:
For the motion = Bankhead. Borah.
6ryan, Catron. Clapp. Cumnins. du Pont.
EAU. Fletcher. Hollis, Husting. Johnson.
maine: Jones. Kenyon. Kirby. LaFollette.
Lane. McCumber, Nelson, Norris, Over
man. Page. Rtttman, Pomerene. Reed.
Robinson, Smith, South Carolina; Thom-
as, Townsend, vardaman, Wadsworth.
/ williams and Works.
AGAINST the motion-Ashurst, Beckham,
Brady. Brandegee, Broussard. Clark. Cul-
person, Fernald, Gronna, Hitchcock.
James. Johnson, South Dakota; Lee,
Lewis, Lodge, Mclean. Martin, MARITIME,
myers, Owen. Penrose. Phelan, Poindex-
ter, Ransdell. Shafroth, Sheppard. sher-
smoot Sutherland, Swanson, Thompson.
T1llman, Watson and weekA
Fsllows All Day Debate.
The action Of the Senate followed an
au-day debate. and ends the controversy
whieh has been an issue in the House
and Senate during all the present Con-
gresa The matter of reducing the drop
letter rate to / cent an ounce for drst-
class mail was defeated at the same time.
In the debate on the measure Senator
John W. Weeks said:
AT almost any other time I will be
very Glad to see q reasonable increase
made In carrying second-class mail mat
ter. but ! not believe that this is the
time to place additional burdens upon an
Industry which is already suffering its
snare or the universal rise in the cost of
material. without adequate means Of on
setting this cost.
Print paper has advanced by leaps
and bounds during the past year to such
degree that where contracts have not
been made which go over for the next
year. or where the producers Of print
paper are not willing to provide on sub
! stantially the terms of the past for their
regular customers, the increase cost to
The publishers Is going to be enormous.
In many cases It will be enough to
wipe out the profits of what have been
very profitable publications, and as to
those which haye not been profitable. In
many cases. in my judgment, it will prac-
ticaIly ruin them"
Senator Hitchcock said: Newspapers
and magazines have grown into a great
leuucauonai institution, equal TO the
schools in the dissemination of knowledge.
Millions of farmers In the West today
receive their daily papers by rural free
delivery"
| Might Increase Charges.
| He pointed out that owing to the great
increase in the cost CT print paper thou
sands Of publishers today find themselves
in financial difficulties, and that to in
crease the charges for transportation of
their publications would be to force many
creases in their charges.
Opponents OF the legislation charged
That the present rate operated as a SUBJ
sidy for the newspapers and periodicals
/ Senator Vardaman was strong in his op-
position to the present rate, but Senators
favoring an increase offered few convinc-
ing arguments to prove that the handling
of the newspapers by the Postoff1ce De-
partment was conducted at a loss.