The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-12-22


posed or any other reduced rates OF hostage?
There may be eases IN every branch Of indirect
taxation, in which the reduction Of the tax will
increase the amount Of revenue. Butthis result
can only be realized, when the duty is so exor-
bitantly high as 70 either occasion gross evasion
| Of the law, or TO check the business on which
the tax falls. And although the reduction of the
rate Of postage would increase correspondence,
there is, in my Judgment, no reason to believe
that the addition Of revenue from that source
would equal the loss from the reduction of rates.
The experiment now making in England, ap-
pears to afford little support to q contrary o,in-
| ion, for; if unofficial information can be relied
upon, the revenue there has fallen off moro than
50 per cent. or about $40, 900 pounds sterling on
a revenue Of less than 2,000,0OO
! Shall we then be forced to the conclusion that
the present high rates Of letter postage are to be
permanently maintained?
This would seem to be the case. unless there
be change in the system, by which the expense
of the transportation may be reduced. the cor
respondence increased, and the postage on news
papers and printed matter be equalized and rails
ed. All those objects are practicable and their
united influence would probably admit Of a
greater reduction in the rates of letter postage.
than is proposed in the resolution of the House Of
Representatives.
Such return in the system, in nv Judgment.
is demanded by views of public policy, and the
higher considerations of private Justice The
institutions Of this country based on the
principles Of justice and equal rights, and any
legislation, and more especially any system Of
taxation, which is manifest violation Of those
principles, can only be sustained BY he forbear-
ance of public opinion, in subiectIne it to that
test by which all public measures must stand or
fall.
A slight examination of our tariff Of postage.
in comparison with the expense of the mail es-
tablishment, IS sufficient to show its manifest
injustice
The quarterly returns of postmasters furnish
no data for determining the relative propor-
lions of the different kinds Of matter conveyed
in the mail. During one week in June,
1898, an account was taken Of the number
and weight OF the letters, and the weight of the
newspapers and other printed matter received in
the mail, at the Offices In New Y ork, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Washington City, and Rich
mond. The tabular statement containg these
facts is herewith submitted. There were some
omissions, and, no DOUBT, some inaceuraces IN
the process, bat the results are sufficiently cor
rect for the present purpose
The whole weight was jj,24l pounds; of
which "A, 46S pounds consisted of newspapers;
1887 ofperiodicals and pamphlets; more than
hye-eights OF which being public documents .or
other Tree packets, deposited IN the office at
Washington city; and the letters, both taxable
and free, amounted to only 1922 pounds, being
less than four per cent The propor.
ton of printed matter received at these offices.
and especially during the session of Congress,
may have been something greater than that of
the whole mails in the United States
twill not be far from truth, to estimate the
printed matter constituting ninety-fve per
cent of the whole mails, whilst it paws but about
twelve per cent. Of the whole gross rev enue. and
but about eight per cent. of the nett revenue the
commissions ON the postage from newspapers
and pamphlets being more than ON that rom
etters.
In the transportation, constituting the princi- |
,al expenditure of the establishment. there are |
hree main elements of price.
/. The bulk and weight of the mail.
2. The expenditure with which it Is conveyed.
3. The mode of conveyance when not con-
rolled by the bulk and weight of the mail. hut
n reference to accommodating the public travel.
As the expense of expedition depends mainly
m the weight OF the mail, these two elements of
rice are, essentially, resolved into one; so that
he expense OF transportation depends on the
ulk and weight Of the mail, and the mode of
where it has reference to the public
ravel, and is of higher and more expensive
rade than the mail service would require
The services of postmaster depend on the
mount of mail matter; the number of packets
which are received, distributed, or delivered. at
heir respective offices. But the letters. being
lade up into mails, require some more laboI
nan the newspaper and other packages not sent
/ that form.
From this analysis, it is apparent that nearly
re whole expenditure of the mail establishment
thrown upon CORE pondence; it paws the
hole expense OF free matter, the greater por
on OF That OF newspapers, periodicals and
amphlets, and the entire additional expense in
lrred for accommodating the public travel
With all these burdens, not properly belono;no.
1t, thrown upon correspondence, the high rate :
postage on letters cannot be surprising: nor
IN It De reduced, and keep up the present ex-
1t OF the mail service, with improvements and
lditions which will be required, without some 7
rtion OF those burdens are removed by q chance F
the system. t
Nothing can be more apparent than the palpa- L
e InJustce TO our present system of postage II
riff. f-s a
The objections against hie.h protective tariff Ii
importations apply with sill more force to o1r et
MI OF hostages, both in respect to principle p
the degree of injustice. In the former, the OF
lole community are indirectly taxed Tor the ST
nett OF particular class, and the whole in al
ests OF the country burdencd to relieve a ii
rticular interest, but the tax being indirect,
'se on whom 1T falls may, in some way, derive
incidental advantage from it This, atleast. a
ontended by its advocates. The postage tariff u
direct tax on one man for the benefit of ano IL
"a direct burden or one class for the relief ci
mother class. cl
What principle of justice or public policy can Pl
tam law which taxes a correspondent in ~ u
X. who has occasion to send letter BY mail OF
New Orleans, two hundred and fifty per cent tn
re than the service is worth, or cost, to enable m
lbscriber In New York to new spaper in N. m
cans to have it conveyed to him b. mail ,eigh- OF
light per cent less than the actual cost OF the III
'ice! And what adds to this injustice is the DC
that the mail established is Government al
lopoly, which, by prohibiting private posts, de
lpeis the correspondent to send his letter by a
public conveyance.
'1r system OF postage tariff was derived from as
ssiand, where postage was tax for revenue tn
logous to the stamp tax, as, like that, it was -
x on business. Here, it is not tax; but in 70
nature OF freight, or charge for the service =,
formed: The injustice, therefore, is much ", "
ater where the pos age is levied, not for rev. "
e but for defraying the expense of the mail " "