Lincoln telegraph., 1839-11-28
MISCELLANY EEOUS.

following communication. The example
which has been set by the British Gov
ernment, of reducing the postage on lie.
tiers to very low rate, and Thereby in
creaslng the utility of the Post Office De
partment, is well deserving of imitation il
this country. The rates Of Postage, es
pecially on the most frequented routes
where the number of letters is great, ant
the produce immense, are most unreasona
bly, high. There is little doubt that tht
rates might be much reduced, wlthou
causing any reduction of the amount o
income. lfsuch be the fact, 1t calls mos
emphatically on Congress to make the re-
duction, and TO extend the accommodation.
! If even there were doubts on this point,
there is no good reason why the productive
routes should be SO heavily taxed, for the
maintenance of so frequent a conveyance
Of the mails on routes which are unproduc-
tive
10 the People Of tie United States
The British Government has set an ex-
ample to this country, well worthy of imi-
taton. 1t IS a reduction of Postage.
In country where every farthing that
can possibly be raised by taxation, direct
and Indirect, is wanted to carry on the
Government, the Parliament has reduced
the Postage all over the Kingdom, to one
penny on every letter not exceeding half
an ounce in weight The Government has
yielded 10 the wishes and petitions of the
whole people, but not till it was reasonably
proved that the revenue would be as great
with low as with high rate of Postage
The wants of our people for cheap
communication through the mails are as
great as those Of the people Of England
Our condition however is different, owing
TO the greater extent of our tern tory. But
if the English Postage can safely be re-
duced to one penny, is it not probable that
ours can be reduced to two cents, FIVE
cents, and ten cents, according tothe dis
tance which the mail has to be carried
The advantages of snch reduction are ap-
parent to every man, woman, and child,
who has intercourse of business or friend
ship out of their own immediate neigh
bourhood.
There is but one way to get it done, aud
that is to send ia Petitions from all quar-
ters of the country. We, therefore, re-
commend the following fern Of Petition.
To the Senate and House Of Representa-
tires IN Congress assembled
Your petitioners believe that it would be
a great benefit to the People of the United
States, social, moral, political and pecu-
MARY to reduce the Postage on Letters.
They therefore pray that it may be re-
duced so that the greatest postage on any
single letter shall not exceed ten cents.
DR FRANKLIN AND LEGISLATIVE CHAP
LAINs. Our great American philosopher
has not been usually ranked with those,
who, among the renowned names of the
world, can be claimed as believer and
follower of the Christian religion. Yet in
the testimony which is sannexed, and which
we do not remember to have seen before,
there is such proof, both of religious faith
and practical wisdom, as to outweigh many
vague accusations. N. Y. American.
Motion for Prayers an the Concention.-
MIR President The small progress we
have made, after four or five weeks. close
attendance and continual reasoning with
each other. our different sentiments on al
most every question, several of the last
producing as many noes as ayes, is, me-
thinks, melancholy proof Of The imperiec-
ton of the human understanding. We IN
deed, seem to feel our own want of polti-
cal wisdom, since we have been running
all about in search of it. We have gone
back to ancient history for models of Gov
ernment, and examined the different forms
Of those Republics, which, having been
originally formed with the seeds OF their
own dissolution, now no longer exist; and
we have viewed modern States all round
Europe, but find none of their constitutions
suitable to our circumstances. In this sit
uaton of this assembly, cropping, as it were
in the dark to find political truth, and scarce
able TO distinguish it when presented to us.
thow has it happened, sir, that we have not
hitherto once thought of applying hulnbly
to the Father of Lights to illuminate our
understanding? In the beginning OF the
contest with Britain, when we were sensi-
BILE of danger, we had daily prayers in this
room for the Divine protection. Our pray
ers, sir, were heard-and they were gra-
ciouslv answered All of US who were en-
gagged in the struggle must have observed
frequent Instances Of experimenting
Providence in our favor. To that KIND
Providence we owe this happy opportunity
! of consulting in peace OH the means OF es-
tabllshing our future national felicity. And
have we now forgottonthat powerful irlend'
or do we imagine We now no longer need
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