Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1901 — Again Trying to Humbug Country Editors. [ARTICLE]

Again Trying to Humbug Country Editors.

The same gang which bamboozled the general run of country newspapers into howling against the Loud bill, two years ago, is now at work trying to work up a movement against the recent rulings against them of the postoffioe department. They are the fellows who publish snide papers of various kinds, for the advertising they oan get, mostly of a fake kind, and whioh have no genuine subscription lists, but send out tens or hundreds of thousands every issue as “sample oopies,” under the pound rates given to genuine newspapers and periodicals. Others again print oheap editions of books, whose oopyright is out, and send them under the pound rate, as magazines. The department has ruled against these snide papers and snide magazines, and henoe the attempt to manufacture a sentiment against these rulings, by trying to make country newspapers think they have been ruled against, also. Thus The Republican has been informed by some agenoy of these snide publishers, that the department has ruled that newspapers mailed to any exoept paid in advance subscribers, oan not go at the pound rate, but must have at least a one cent stamp on every paper. At our request the Delphi Journal has investigated this matter, through Congressman Landis, and the result, as was expeoted, was a statement from the post-offioe department at Washington, that no such rule had been made, or was contemplated.