PETITION
To the Congress of the United States.
To the Congress of the United States.
The undersigned citizens 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 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 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.
Thos Southard | A. M. C. Wood |
G T Sutton | James F Clinton |
Lewis W [?] Chair | Isaiah Toomis |
Thomas Buggs | E H Brown |
H B Strang | Edwin Briggs |
Henry Lent | James Briggs |
Wm Durrin | Charles D Raymond |
J S Seymour | James Regua |
Dominic Andrews | Joseph P Gallaghur |
W N Conklin. | Charles K. Carpenter |
Abraham N Griffin | [L-?]Jesup |
Elijah ^L^ Hyatt | Maris J Lent |
James Oakley | James Johnson |
John ^S^ [Cocalett?] | James P Covert |
Isaac Seymour | Isaac Burgess |
Tillinghast Bennett | Cyrus Jordan |
P Flagler | Jacob S Past |
Isaac P Gardner | James S Past |
George Craft | David Mandevill |
John R Shaw | William Mantross |
J B Spock | Hiram Briggs |
Wright Travis | Nathaniel McClain |
Aaron Travis | Joshua Tompkins |
Stephn Brown | Isaac Haight |
David W Travis | E D Fuller |
Jacob Losee | J. [?]. [Ba?] |
Charles Coleman | James [depeu?] |
Everitt Lint | P. Stewart |
D M Halliday | Frost Horton |
Aaron Tompkins | David McCay jr |
Hawley Green | David Mc Cay |
John Bodine | P G Hutchings |
Philitus Raymond | Stephen Sherwood |
Floyd Frost | Cortland Baxter |
Josiah H Travis | Joseph Harris |
<Page 2>
J. S. Wright | William Hays1 |
John H Linbarger | Henry Briggs2 |
Wm Burrhus | Stephen J Kent3 |
T A Whitney | George W Clark4 |
Saml W Hurd | Noah Underhill |
Enoch Benedict | Nehemiah L Jacobs |
Joseph S Coleman | Joshua [Dinks?] |
David H Kuler | Charles Foster |
William Boice | Horatio Giffin |
E. H. Mabie | Jacob Oakley |
Jas S. Carpenter | Samuel E. Queen |
E M [Laner?]. | John Williams |
Jeremiah Malice | H. G. Lapham |
Niles F. Vought | John V Smith |
Caleb Ward | James Brown |
Asa Robison | J B Hague |
A. P. Buel | Wm [H Mute?] |
Albert Wells | Charles Curry |
Noah H. Wells | Peter States5 |
Calvin Frost | David Parmer6 |
Peleg Mead7 | James G Cuningham8 |
Hen^r^y Green9 | Mason Tier10 |
Wm Tunstall11 | Silvenus Curry12 |
John Tunstell13 | Abner Brondage14 |
William Richards15 | [Evert?] A Wessells |
Henry Romen16 | Samuel Wessells |
William Knopp17 | Wm H Ten Bush18 |
Frederick [Nope?] | Garner Noyes19 |
Christan. V. Queen | John W [Looren?]20 |
John Wm Mabie | Bennet Gilbert21 |
[?] Mondale | William Boardman22 |
Wm Fitch | Edward B Finch23 |
Joseph Miller | Robert S Armstrong24 |
Isaac Tompkins | Henry Betts25 |
Jacob Gardener |
<Page 3>
Mr Morgan L Cronk ^Esq^ | Leonard Hill | |
Cornelius M. Curry | Reubon Ward | |
Isaac Lent | Nicholess Gillman | |
John M Curry | Thomas Delamater | |
John Dellamarter | ||
Henry B Lent | Edward Lyons | |
Peter Meandigo | Isaac H. Lent | |
Barney Davids | George. W. Vermilyra | |
Niles Frost | Edward Demke | |
Jos T Rikeman | Wm H Lyons | |
Corns Rikeman | Solomon Briggs | |
Charles [V?] | James Brown | |
John Willets | Francis Brown | |
Jas L Smith | Henry Christian | |
Caleb W Paulding | Samuel H Selleck | |
Joseph Schneider | [Beverly?] Garrison | |
[Clay?] A [McArd?] | Danl C Colwell | |
William H French | James Washburn | |
Michel Keenen | Alexander Fitches | |
Stales W Lent | Daniel M. Hyatt | |
James Mcard | Chas Y. Ward | |
Jonathan Smith | T. Denike | |
John Porter | N D Anderson | |
Gershom Bowne | Nathaniel Lent | |
Samuel S Oakley | Milton DuBois | |
M Raynar | ||
Lorenzo D Curry | Samuel W George | |
Saml H Malier | James Heleker | |
Elias C Ingersoll Jn | Thomas L Wallers | |
James [?] | John E [Angus?] | |
Morris Duane | Samuel Cury | |
Coffin S. Brown. | Joshua Nelson Jnr | |
Stephen Williams. | Hermon Dunning | |
John Fopper. | John G Oakley | |
Jothan S [Corhlin?] | Abram R Decker | |
Nathanel Bealle | [Sorrondold?] Crawford |
<Page 4>
John W Pattison | Tollman S Baker |
Alexander Vail | C. H Fountain |
Joseph Ingersoll | Geo. W. Raymond |
Truman Minor | Charles H Clark |
Leonard Wood | Willitt Denike. |
William Bordan | C. Crawford Jnr |
Isaa Denike | William Royce |
Thomas Nelson. | F P Clark |
J. B. Dykman | Robinson Lent |
Lewis B Cox | James Denike |
Chas H. Williams | E Hopkins |
Philemon D Smith | Jeremiah. F. Mead |
Jacob. S. Odell | J. S. [Convurs?] |
N Hall | |
James Locke | J H McDonald |
G W Harwood | A Young |
James Weeks | Seth H Mead |
Abm H. Lord | [Isaac?] [Ross?] |
W. H Russell | C A G Depuy |
Wm C Ambrose | Edward Wells |
N W Colee | Wm B. Corwin |
Hosea Fountain. | |
[Garard?] Fice | Morris Lent |
Daniel Darrow | Amos Fuller |
Alexander Brown | Morris Clenton |
James Davis | Stephen Curry |
John B [Winnert?] | Lenard Smith |
N B Lent | |
David Babcock | John H Conklin26 |
Mathew Messels | Joseph Conklin |
George [Cussell?] | Dell. H. Houghs |
George Murden | George Birdsall |
John Benedict | William Conklin |
Saml Halsted | Walter Palmer |
Ebenezer Bennett | Mr James Cronk |
<Page 5>
[ docketing
]
New York
[ docketing
]
Petition of ^Citizes of Peekskill^ Thos Suthard Gilbert T. Fulton Elijah T. Hyatt & others Citizens of Peekskill ^Westr Co N.Y^ in the subject of the reduction of newspaper Postage.
[ docketing
]
R Presented by Wm Nelson
^March 13, 1848^
& Referred to the Committee on ^the^ Post office & Post road.
^March 13, 1848^
& Referred to the Committee on ^the^ Post office & Post road.
[ docketing
]
Nelson
Printed Document Signed, 5 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,