The undersigned citizens respectfully represent the great inequality now prevailing in the rates of postage on news papers, the smallest being chargable 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 news papers not exceeding 1900 square inches are chargeable at the rate of 1 cent for 100 miles, and 1¹/2 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 detered from subscribing to these usefull papers solely by the comparativly excessive postage chargeable on the small sheets they desire to obtain.

A reduction therefore of postage in favor of juvenile news papers of small dimensions, would not only tend greatly to diffuse knowledge and piety, the bulwarks of our national prosperity, but would increase the ^revenues^

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revenues of the post office department.

For an im^m^ediate and proportionate reduction of postage, therefore, on all newspapers not containing more than 500 square inches, your petitioners respectfully and urgently pray.