The undersigned, citizens of the United states residing in the County of Edgar in the State of Illinois, respectfully represent the greate 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 Un^I^ted States as the basis of post-office charges; and, wher^e^as, newspapers not exceeding 1,900, squar inches are chargeable at the rate of, 1, cent for 100 miles, and 1½ cents for all greater distances, if without state in which they are published; your pet^I^tioners would urge the importance of reducing the said charges at least One-Half on all pape^rs^ not containing more than 500 squar inches. you petitiones 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 Sciences, morals, and religion, which 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 mailes. Besides the manifest injustice of this regulation, your petitioners repr[esent] that many thousands of children and youth are deter^r^ed 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 the juvenile newspapers of small dimensions, would tend greately to diffuse knowledge piety the bulwarks of our national prosperity.

For an ^I^mmediate and proportional1 reduction of postage, therefore, on all newspapers not containing more than 500 squar inches, your petition[?]^s^ respectfully and urgently pray.