PRESS, "PATRIOTIC," SEEKS MILLIONS IN PORK
Press, "Patriotic," Seeks Millions In Pork Business Already Being Presented With $90,000,000 a Year by the Government, Seeks to Raid Public Treasury to Extent of $5,000,000; Move is Vigorously...
...For years and years it lias been a known fact in Washington that the government has been carrying second class mail,—newspapers and magazines, at a huge deficit...
...At the time the registration lists in the draft were made public hundreds of newspapers throughout the country endeavored to obtain money from their different county councils of defense for publishing the lists...
...Some time ago the newspapers gave prominence to President Wilson's statement that patriotism and profits should not be thought of in the same connection...
...Senator Pomerene made a vigorous attack on the press for their attempt to raid the treasury...
...In spite of the fact that the readers of papers were anxiously looking for these names publishers in many instances refused to run the names because they received no pay...
...Mado Other Attempts Reports as to other attempts made by newspapers to capitalize patriotism have been made...
...2ICHV0 78NL DA NEW YORK N Y AUG...
...The increased cost of paper gave the newspapers an opportunity to increase their advertising and subscriptions and these increases far outweighed any' increases in cost...
...I wonder vd-at we shall tall this It is some What putrefied...
...efforts \o reduce the deficit and place the charges on a business basis...
...The newspapers have urged Americans to stand by the president and heed his words...
...That is,—the newspapers were asked to give up $12,000,000 of the subsidy of $90,000,000 being received from the government...
...The b&n&ujr...
...OTjter-otia* Its eta rector is indicated byBte rymbol appearlne attar the cheek...
...The daily progress of the szis of Hit-erty bonds is a leading piece at NflWS and no newspaper worthy of leflss called such would fail to omit sews of its progress from its news caCurans...
...Their subscribers are entitled to something from the newspapers...
...He said: "Of all the volunteered effort on behalf of the liberty loun bond issue the only class of men that£ has come and asked for money is the publisher's lobby that has been frequenting the Marble Room here for weeks in behalf of (his very piece of legislation in its own behalf...
...of liberty bonds and the proper -tation of the mode at handKu ; is news...
...Plan $5,000,000 Rald The "patriotism plus profit" policy of the newspapers is most sordidly illustrated by the history of the attempt, to get a $3,000,000 slice of the government money for advertising the liberty loan...
...30, 1917 La Follette's Magazine Madison, Wis...
...The increased cost of issuing newspapers was used as an excuse for defeating the McKellar amendment And yet the newspapers of the country have never been more prosperous than during the past two years...
...Newspaper lobbyists at Washington had the audacity to go before congress and ask for $.".,0(10.000 to do their duty, to print the news...
...At the same time the band of reactionaries who defeated the McKellar amendment were working for a plan to increase first class postage rates $50,000,000 a year,—although first class postage now nets the government a profit o" $80,000,000 a year...
...Government estimates show that it costs 8 ' cents a pound for the government to carry second class mail...
...Only hope to beat McKellar Amendment, passed Wednesday is to wire immediately every member of senate vigorously protesting against none system and advocating Week3 resolution point out what zone system will do to you tell them what your postage bill was last year then multiply by approximately three and one half the zone system average show your profits last year and your loss under zone system unless you wire as indicated immediately we cannot hope to win out...
...Their subscribers ara en-titled to the news...
...Apparently the publishers made some impression on Secretary McAdoo in their attempted raid on public funds...
...While appearing before the finance committee Secretary McAdoo said: '"I have felt all along that if the government entered upon a campaign of advertising in the newspapers it ought to pay for it at reasonable rates, because the only commodity the newspapers have is advertising and we ought not to ask them to give it for nothing any more than to ask the steel mills to give their product for nothing or the farmers to give their produce to the government for the purposes of war.'' Secretary McAdoo in this statement failed to recognize the first tmz'CMxn and obligation of a newspaper ta iis readers,—TO PRINT THE NESWS...
...The Onrtis Publishing Co., through its publication The Sut-urriny Kvcnlng I'osl has been denouncing the conscription of Wealth iis a "catch phrase" and as a system that is tiitscienlilic and "unbusinesslike...
...The 'I'ost, The Toadies Home .Journal and The Country (ientleniau arc beneficiaries of a "businesslike" CLASS OF SERVICE ( SYMBOL Day Message__ Day Letter__Blue Night Meeaaqe__Nite Nigh) Letter | hNL II none of Itim three cymiwta appears after the check (number of worts) this is* d*y message...
...RECEIVED AT 105-111 PIONEER BLOCK, MONONA AVE, MADISON, WIS...
...For this service the government receives one cent a pound from the newspapers...
...Hecause of the tremendous influence wielded by newspapers among politicians nothing has ever come of any...
...They did not,-—the McKellar amendment was defeated...
...I Uaxe heard since I have been in tlie senate much about pork barrel legislation...
...action on the scheme, double page advertisements were each...
...The McKcIIar Amendment SKXATOR McKellar therefore introduced an amendment to the revenue bill that would provide for an increase in the cost of econd class postage that would give the government about $12,000,000 from that source...
...vici-misioint BELVIOERE BROOKS...
...WESTERN UNION |WESTERN UNION TELECRAW NEWCOMB CARLTON, president QEORQE W. E. ATKINS...
...PERIODICAL PUB ASSN OF AMA 8 11 A The above telegram shows the manner in which the pross of tie country defeated the JIV.Kellar amendment to the Revenue bill...
...When members of congress began scanning about for sources of revenue to me«t the huge war appropriations the second class postage was hit upon...
...It is apparent therefore that while the newspapers have been flamboyantly preaching patriotism to everybody else, behind the scenes they have been endeavoring to couple their own personal patriotism with profits...
...It developed that the government is paying $100,000,000 for carrying second class postage and they were receiving in return from the newspapers about $11,000,000—a subsidy of $89,00u,0u0...
...Some of these men have come here and insisted that the Congress should do business according to business methods and the business method they kax« suggested is that we ihaR pay for their advertising ?Twrr.e...
...The debates on the recent revenue bill throw some interesting light on the "patriotism" of newspapers.—particularly when the kind of patriotism applied affects the cash register of business ofJiccs...
...governmental policy that Rives these publications a subsidy of $4,800,000 each year,—it costs the government $1,800,000 year mitre to transport these publications via second class mail than is received from the Curtis Co...
...The McKellar amendment sought to return to the government $12r000r000 of the $90,000,000 subsidy being received each year in the shape of deficit on second class mail matter...
...Figures were given showing that it costs the government S cents to transport a pound of mail matter...
...vick-prmidbnt Term 1301 CLASS OF SERVICE SYMBOL Day Mwa»__ Day Letter__Hm Wight Mwiii NIK Ni«ht LetterI K~L If en of Sitae three symbol* •Wears after the check (number *f wordai this ha day menace...
...Public sentiment, however, asserted itself and this form of "consumption tax" on the little fellow was defeated...
...Members argued that at a time such as the present no business should be subsidized...
...Olh*'-«riu Its character la indicated by rh« tymfaol appearing after the fheek...
...Did the newspapers agree to this "patriotic" plan...
...V-'or to...
...Ami yet the Curtis publications...
...A business that is already subsidized by the United States government to the extent of $00,000,000 a year made a bold attempt to get additional pork from the government in the shape of an appropriation of $5,000,000 fo.- the forthcoming liberty loan...
...hut not one word has said about carrying their ftvasazirfes and newspapers on a fcasbiess plan...
...Move is Vigorously Denounced by Members of Senate THE newspapers and periodicals of the country, the arbiters or loyalty and patriotism insofar as others are concerned, were recently squelched in the halls of congress in an effort to have their patriotism subsidized...
...The newspaper that suf it would be in a position vier^ iu advertising space would no* te of much account for its...
...list of subcribe-ers would fall off and Dobotiy watches subscription lists closer than the ia-tellieent advertiser...
...association, urging congress to appropriate tho money...
...Speaking of this practice Senator Hard wick said: "The proposition is to get this great injustice permanently adjusted, to get this wrong so that it will be righted and stay righted, and so that newspapers can not use their influence with public men in order to maintain a special privilege that they ought to have when it comes to the commercial part and the business end of the enterprises at least...
...The remuneration received is 1 cent a pound-from the newspapers...
...HAVE THE NEWSPAPERS FOLLOWED THEIR OWN TEACHINGS...
...While vre are paying eighty or ninety millions, as the experts tell us, to carry the newspapers and the magazines, we get only about 11 millions for this service and now they come in here and ask ns by additional legislation to sjive them another $5,00O,00O...
...r!ed by Washington newspapers*, mtgn-c: by the American Pres...
...While engaged daily in impugning and questioning the loyally mid patriotism of others the newspapers went to congress and asked to be paid for bcinj patriotic...
...In this regard Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia a newspaperman, said: "With reference to the neo-spaper space being their business that is Eot striotly true...
Vol. 9 • September 1917 • No. 9
