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To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:—
The undersigned, citizens of the United States, residing in the county ofSteubenin the state ofNew York, respectfully represent the great inequality now prevailing in the rates of postage on newspapers, the smallest being chargeable with the highest rates.
Whereas the principle of size and weight is now adopted in the laws of the United States as the basis of post office charges; and whereas newspapers not exceeding 1900 square inches are chargeable at the rate of 1 cent for 100 miles, and 1 1-2 cents for all greater distances, if without the state in which they are published; your petitioners would urge the importance of reducing said charges at least ONE HALF on all papers not containing more than 500 square inches.
Your petitioners represent that, within a few years past, numerous juvenile papers have sprung up in different sections of the United States, for the instruction of the young in science, morals, and religion, which papers are now extensively patronized by children, who, notwithstanding these papers are usually not one quarter the size or weight allowed by law, have to pay on them the same postage that is charged on the largest sheets that pass through the mails. Besides the manifest injustice of this regulation, your petitioners represent that many thousands of children and youth are deterred from subscribing to these useful papers solely by the comparatively excessive postage chargeable on the small sheets they desire to obtain.
A reduction therefore of postage, in favor of juvenile newspapers of small dimensions, would not only tend greatly to diffuse knowledge and piety, the bulwarks of our national prosperity, but would increase the revenues of the post office department.
For an immediate and proportionate reduction of postage, therefore, on all newspapers not containing more than 500 square inches, your petitioners respectfully and urgently pray.
NAMES. NAMES.
Genl N V Knickerbacker Daniel N Bennet
T. Whiting Dewitt. C. Stephens
J H Tharp Charles Purdy
W. B. Johnson James May
S H Crane R. [Brower?]
S. W. Alden F A Fisk
E L Plato
A. DeWolf D A [Mills?]
E W Cotton J W Metcalf
W. A. Cook Chas Strawn
H. Whiting
T. W. Whiting Jesse G. Andrews
John Whiting Jacob Willour
David Persons G D Mitchell
D T Woodward
R. L. Underhill A. Brundage 2d
E. Howell Jr.
E Howell
Thos Wood
Jas R Dudley David Z. Brooks
John Q. Dudley John Allen
Nathan Barney
Alex Edwards Frederick [?]
James Knickerbacker E. H. Smith
B S Dudley O S Smith
H. R. Hess A. D. Read
I Heron Joseph Matthewson
W Secor
[Jay?] Noble H. W. Penne
Richard Leach Daniel Horton
D L Bissell
R R Stewart P. Swark
I. D. Hattock
S. R. Luell M. F. Whittemore
Daniel Lord
[Hun?] Hanna Norman Benton
Capt E R Bidwell L. V. Church
Wm W. McCay S. D. Hunter
Hiram Small Levi Robie
John Rose Moses Dillenback
J. [Darwin?] Dorr G W Rogers
H. Potter
S. C. Whiting Jno. D. Higgins
Conrad Shutts D. Woods
Levi W Brasted Wm Hamilton
[Hopatillo?] Hastings
Willis McNeil J H Thompson
Lyman S Wilson T Stewart
James [Rablery?] James A Hunley
Warren Harrington James Herrington
Samuel T Hopkins D Chissom
O W Lyon O. W. Campbell
Abram Clement
Danl Rice James F Fowler
Eli Robinson
Jno R Ganswood
Joel Rice A J McCall
M N Culver J Lanour
Harvy P Lucas
[Lucius?] [Tacuch?] Henry Pier
John Palmer
Peter Truax R Campbell Jr
Alonz Willour
S D Chadwick D. C. Howell
John Magee A S Howell
Geo S Ellas
R M Lyon
Wm Y. Hubell Jno. C. Morse
J. B. Fleming
[Arso?] R. Hetter James T [De?]
J. D. [Spren?]
B. Hanks
H. Briggs
Jars Shannon Daniel Baillan
J. B. Calkins L. D. Metcalf
Jno Greham H S Biles
Dugal Greham
W I Laurence Jno H Van Housen
B. Hilkes A. Hess.
Anthony D Carnice L. Merril Miller
John Collier
Joseph [Cersy?]. John Abel
L. R. Libbey
A. Hall Geo. B. Cook
S. W. S. Hubbard James [Fas?]
Joseph Cross
Cornelius [Malole?]
Thomas Monell H. P. [Fenn?]
David Tilton
Ira McGonegal S. Grant
T. H. Barney Sean Carrien
John B. [?] Samuel Benjamin 3d
Clark Potter David Courter
Morty Donovan T. A. Wilcox
Charles Dunn B. C. Ward
John Pike Daniel Knight
Wm H Read Perry Toppiny
Nelson Gifford Samuel Coon
E L. Platt. Oliver Mills
Jeremiah Black
D N [Chase?] D Williams
W S. Miller Jacob Bube
D J Millar A E Brown
A L Underhill George H Gustin
A Hoagland.
Henry Stratton John S. Farr
Elisha Mack
R B VanValkenburgh Robert Mackay
Saml S. Simonson
Samuel Scarvill
James [P?] Hund
J A Reynolds A H Silsbe
L. W. Botsford James Allen
M Terril Elbridg G [Alhula?]
Old Burnham
L H Read Sidney Hadley
F. S. Ellers H Burgess
[R?]. Bidwell Wm Howell
John W. Fowler Peter Halsey
<Page 2>
Paul C. Cook Andrew Blanck
J C [Rishiser?] Wm Sedgwick
Wm Crow B T Slater
Ambrose Smith S C Goodin
A L Barney A. F. Ellas
J. W. Warren
John Wilber J. S. Allen
Wm Faulkner E. M. Smead
H. D. Smead K Church
Ira P Edwards
R C Terry W. W. McCay.
F. S. Heath U. Penne
J. G. Wheeler I D Blanck
Nelson Barney J. B. Look.
M. L. Billington John C [Good?]
Gideon Vincent D. McMaster
W Jenks
J Hass Robt F. McCay.
Vestus Chapin W O Noble
O Hunt J. White
Agustas Tyler
W S [Jenkins?] John Chattesworth
John [?] John Levine
G. W. M. Dana Harry Niles
D. Burnrey Amos. B. C. Dickinson.
Cornelius [Shiw?]
Daniel De Witt Ella Ellis
Andrew Smith
John Ley Frederik Cooper
John Gregg Nicolas Ingersol
John Towle Alonzo Graves
Geo B King Ezekiel Hunt
Wm J Neally Go. C Bellis
[Prerene?] Jones John Stoam
T. J. Fisk Geo. Edwards
Seth M Barker Wm Covell
William Willis Daniel [T?] Beyser
David Snook Frederick Howard
Jas. H. Willour R W Walker
Chas. Pawling George. B. Silsbe
Wm Janson A. Church
John Walker Cha’s M. H. Warren
S [Burged?] John Stout
Orrin Tulben N. H. Hopkins
Wm W. Emry C. F. Mowers
N. Hopkins David Bailey
John Hedges W. G. [Hallsey?]
John Diven David Hill
D. W. Mueler
George Mond John G Gustin
Thomas Zuilley
Warren Gleason Thomas Stocking
Thos Curtiss Henry Peters
W. H. Fisk300 Wm Cox
Daniel Aber M D Cox
Simon Watkins W S Mulholland
Henry Coats James Lyon
Merlin Graham Peres Gilman
Joseph Whitaker
J. L. Ostrander T J Richardson
Wm M. Campbell
H H Hull Newcomb Tully
Reuben Robie L Biles
David Lane Harvey Bull
Norman Daniel [Mason?] W Lyon
Jno M Collins
M. A. Coats Joseph Tharp
M. A. Coats W A Woodward
W. A. Chase Suly Brownell
Owen Smith R Faulkner
Wm Coolbaugh Andrew D Brunk
Wm [R?] Edwards Hervey Lake
John Moore
Richd Dorson Smith Hood
James Edwards Hiram D Allen
Joseph Royk Ira Robinson
Hiram Robert Harris jr William Brooks
R. W. Church George S [Harculing?]
L. D. Fay Sylveser Stephens
C E French
F. P. Whiting
G. A. Knight3501
[To David?]
Bath Steuben Co
Jany 1st 1848
To D Rumsey ^Jr^
<Page 3>
[ docketing ]
S J
[ docketing ]
New York
Petition of N. V. Knickerbacker & 349 others citizens of Steuben County N.Y. praying for the proportionate reduction of postage on newspapers not containing more than 500 square inches.
[ docketing ]
January 13, 1848 Referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads
[ docketing ]
D. Rumsey [...?]
N York
[ docketing ]
Com. of Post offices & post roads
[ docketing ]
Rumsey
1“350” written over “349”

Partially Printed Document Signed, 3 page(s), RG 233, Entry 367: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to Committees, 1847-1849, NAB,