Year: 1875

very miuriously affects the agricultural inter-
est, by doubling the cost of transmitting seeds
and plants by mail. Seedsmen suffer enough
already at the hands of the government for,
as Nh. Wick recently pointed out in a letter
to the New York Times, the Government
charges them twenty per cent. duties on all
seeds they gel from foreign countries, and
with this money purchases seeds to be given
away.t politicians and their supporters. By
enactments of the last Congress not only are
these seeds, which are manipulated entirely by
political jobbers, allowed to be carried free,
but the seeds and plants which are honestly
bought and paid for by the public, are sub
iected to double postal tar. We have no
hesitation in saying that the passage of the law
in question was mainly due to the Express
Companies, and if any one has any doubt on
the subject let him compare the old and the
new postal rates with the tariff of any of these
companies. Take for example the American
Expressive find that company's rate for car
rylng ten ounce parcel is ten cents, while
the new postal rate for the same parcel is also
ten cents, SO that under the new law the Ex-
with the United States Post Office. Now the
old postal rate for ten ounce parcel was five
cents, and the Express Company had Therefore
no chance whatever in competition with the
Post Office. As we 60 higher up the scale of
weight, the Intention of the new law to benefit
the Express Companies is still more apparent.
Formerly twenty-four ounce parcel was sent
by mail for twelve cents and as the Express
Company's charge was twenty cents it was
clearly to the sender's interest to make use OF
the Post Office. Now, however, the postal rate
having been raised to twenty flour cents, the
scale is cou pletely turned in favor of the Ex-
press Company.


For the benefit of those who may be inclined
to think we are making fuss about a trifie
M tc 1,%<n
showing the actual effect Of thu new law on
current seed trade of the country:


"During the past ten days we sent thousand
boxes of seeds to the grasshopper sufferers, fol
carrying which we paid the Government $500
or this amount for stamps If we do the same
the next ten days it will cost us $500, which
will pay for carrying good many Of the Gov
ernment seeds to friends of congressman. Th'
boxes Of seeds we sent the suffering families o
the West We're largely made up of earl,
peas and early sweet corn, and such like, a
would furnish food as soon as possible. Now
| every quart of peas we forward these poor folk
will cost us thirty-four cents postage, whi cl
amounts almost to prohibition all thi
done by the American Congress, the represen
tatives Of tie American people, and in thei
name! End regardless of the facts presented b
Mr.. Bangs, in his able report, showing tina
the deficiency in the postal revenue was in n
way chargeable to the carrying of merchandise
and without single known petition in its IA


vors. and IN opposition to the expressed wishe


of the people"


Now the gentleman who, more tina


any other, fastened this iniquity upo


the people. was our own Senator Ram


sey and one OF the questions before tn


people of Minnesota this fall is, whethe


or no they will endorse his career b


electing the Ramsey Republican ticket
and declaring thereby that the Dav
men committed the objectionable sin
defeating his reelection.


That's the question.