Year: 1873

Heretofore newspapers to actua

 subscribers resident within the county

 where such papers were published

 passed through the mails free of post

 age, but hereafter they will be sub

 ject to postage at the rate of five cent'

 per quarter of three months for week

 lies and of course more for dailies

 The amount is not very great but

 may be an annoyance to forgetful

 people or to those who willingly dis

 purse a dollar or two day or week

 for needless luxuries. The new law

 will not affect subscribers to any pa-

 per published beyond the county in

 which they reside, as the rates of

 postage are not changed.

 Heretofore publishers could ex- change papers with each other with out payment of postage; hereafter they must pay postage on all papers received just as people do who are not publishers and subscribe to and pay for papers.

 Now, a good deal of selfish growl- ing has been indulged in about these new requirements, and particularly by the newspapers which are mainly responsible for them. The average man is constantly nosing about for something to criticise and "reform" which he thinks will not cost him anything. He is immensely in advocating any "re- form" which will cost others some thing and himself nothing or next to He will not like to be told this but it is true, and it is also true that there is just about as much insin- cere writing about "reforms in the editorial as in the divine sanctum. The veriest hypocrites and character blackeners of the present age, are to be found in the editorial rooms of the " leading newspapers of to-day. But to the point. They clamored for the repeal of the franking privilege from year to year for many years, and finally their demagogic appeals were given legal shape by Congress; but when that body enacted complete and consistent law in this respect and newspaper concerns to taste ,he true fruits of their own teachings, ID went vail about the spite work md persecution of Congress. The ruth is the leading journals" of to- lay are given almost over to fault finding. Let Congress enact, on its own motion, a score of excellent laws, and your leading journal" hardly alludes to them; but if one bad or doubtful act passes, then the country is told in column after column for days, weeks and months, that na- tional ruin is impending, etc., to a degree. After berating Congress for years to abolish the franking privilege, the leading journals" and too many of inferior pretensions, are wild with rage be- cause the new act touches their pre- cious interests. There are no two for good more in need of purgation than the press and pulpit. Each has indulged its arrogant power until its demands are almost as unjust as insolent and dishonest as clamor- Ous.

 But a word of business to our ex- changes: If newspapers would prac- tice some of the sound business prli.- ciples they refer to so much, we would hope for the adoption of this new but no less just one, viz: Blot out for ever the exchange list" and let each publisher buy such journals as he wants. As we have no hope that so just a rule will obtain, we shall continue to send THE CITIZEN to only such journals as we want, and if they do not come to us in exchange, we shall conclude the proprietors do not want ours, and we will subscribe for theirs. Ifa publisher values anoth- CTS journal enough to subscribe for it, he will not fool away many columns in whining about Congress compel ling him to pay the same rate of post age thereon which is exacted from people generally.