The undersigned, Citizens of the United States, residing in the Counties of Champaign and Vermilion, State of Illinois, respecfully represent the great inequality now prevailing in the rates of postage on newspapers, 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, newspapers not Exceeding 1900 square inches, are chargable at the rate of one cent for one hundred 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 redicing 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 quater the size or weight alloud 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 thousand of children and youth are detered from subscribing to these usefull papers, solely by the comparative excessive postage Chargable on the small sheets they desire to retain

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