The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-06-11
ZONE Law
SERIOUS BLUNOER.
,FalIaey OF Enactment Shown When
Comparison 10 Made With
Express Rates on
Foods.
REVEALS HARMFULNESS
stransIIns Of Periodicals. One OF the
Worst Features-President's
Former Views Ex-
pressed.
REVEALS HARMFULNESS

Absurdity of the postal zone law
which makes for increases in news
PAPER and periodical rates of fifty to
900 per cent, beginning in July, Is
shown in a comparative table with
perishable foods.
Postal guess work is exposed py
publication of express rates.
q is proved that it is cheaper to
send eggs, chickens, honey. nuts ana
fresh fish by express than 10 MAJ,
small. easily-handled, non fragile ana
non-perishable newspapers and per-
iodicals.
Table Shows FalIacy.
Here are some OF the comparisons
between express and postal rates:
Ohio to New York city, butter or
chickens. 2A cents pound; news
papers or periodicals, CENTS, IN
diana to New York city, eggs or
chickens. 31s cents, publications,
cents; Wisconsin to New York city
honey (per section) 3 $40 cents, pub
locations 8 cents; Seattle, WASH: 10
New York city. fresh fish. packed In
ice cents, publications 10 cents.
Destroys knowledge.
In defense of their positions that
the proposed postal increase is alarm
ing and more than burdensome IN It's
aspect, the publishers have issued
these facts:
This means strangling the period
icals for the increased cost is prohlo-
tive to multitudes of readers.
To shut off the farm periodicals as
those proposed zone rates would shut
them off, will decrease the product
i've power of this country by millions
of dollars.
To shut off the trade periodicals
will decrease the manufacturing
power of this country by many more
millions.
To shut off such journals as relg-
ious periodicals will shut off agen-
cies that have raised millions OF dol
lars for charitable and religious or
ganizations.
Attacks Merchandising.
It means ruin for many periodicals.
1t means restricted circulation for
all others.
It attacks the whole mechanism of
merchandising through advertising
and penalties the reading public.
Ii threatens manufacturers and the
livelihood of hundreds Of thousands of
workers upon manufacturing as well
as printers.
The president has made no move to
stop enactment of the postal zone
law which penalties readers because
of their remoteness from the centers
of publication.
Presidents Views Then.
When President Wilson was gov
ernor of New Jersey, however, he
made this statement:
at must be that those who are pro-
posing this change of rates do not
comprehend the effect it would have.
A tax upon business of the more
widely circulated magazines and per-
iodicals would be a tax upon their
means of living and performing their
functions.
"They obtain their circulation by
their direct appeal to the popular
thought. Their circulation attracts
advertisers. Their advertisements en-
ables them to pay their writer's and
to enlarge their enterprise and in
fluence.
Called "Serious Tax"
ITO make such change now,
whatever its intentions in the minds
of those who propose it, would be to
attack and embarass and free pro-
cess of opinion. Surely sober second
thought will prevent any such mis-
chievous blunder.'
Circulate Petition.
A petition in the form of a resolu-
ton is to be circulated among
Keokuk business men and organiza-
tons in the next few days to obtain
signatures, protesting enforcement of
the postal zone law, until the close
of the present war. These names,
with the resolutions are to be for
warded to congressional representa-
tives in Washington.
The petition follows:
WHEREAS, The new system
and rate of second-class postage,
carrying with it an increase of
from FIFTY to NINE HUNDRED
PER CENT, constitutes a spec
ial or super tax on newspapers
and magazines in addition to the
large number of general taxes
that publishers are paying in
common with other industries and
WHEREAS, The publishing in
dustry is one that does not prof
it under war conditions, but on
the contrary is burdened with
unusual financial obligations;
and
WHEREAS, Publishers will, of
necessity, seek increased .reven-
ue to meet their alarming in
crease in expense from subscrib-
ers and advertisers already over
burdened with high costs of liv-
ing and doing business; and
WHEREAS, The widest posi-
Bile circulation of newspapers
and magazines is essential to To-