The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-03-28
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

/ ~ thttS pt Il DIdHCu vi tue puDlC StIFiCt III
which the mass of the People has an Immediate
interest," il is the regular and safe transportation
of the mails. Toreceive prompt adyices of the
state OF distant markets. is to the merchant and
manufactures matter OF primary importance,
whilst the ready transmission of social intelli
gence is more or less connected with the com
fort of every individual however humble may
be his condition in life. Much has been said
about the exactness with which the mails Of
| Great Britain carried, and there can be no
doubt that the encomums passed upon the Bri-
| tsh Post Office Department are well merlted,
but it should be recollected that the service is
performed under the most advantageous clrcum-
| stances. In the first place, the roads are the
best in the world, and, passing through thick
| y inhabited country, the coaches are not sub
ected to long delays in the event Of accidents.
| Beside this, there is another and great advan-
lage attending on density of population. The
distance TO be run over by each team OF horses
can be made shorter or longer, according to cir
cumstances, whereas in this country where the
population is frequently very much scattered, it
| is frequently matter of imperative necessity TO
drive the same set of horses over distances much
too great for their strength. In addition to all
this, it may be mentioned that on cross routes
the number Of way passengers is such as to make
the employment OF regular coaches, with four
horses, very profitable. All these circumstances
serve TO promote the regularity and celebrity of
mail transportation, and must be taken into
count in any comparison between the English
Post Office establishment and our own What
a contrast does this country present TO the above
IN every respect. Our mail routes frequently
pass through districts where, for miles on miles,
there IS not dwelling to be seen, and where
the roads, so called, are little more than path
ways through wilderness 1t is true, that the
mail routes in the Eastern, middle, and one or
two of the Southern States, are of different
character, but in passing from the Atlantic
coast into the interior, the roads are believed TO
be OF the description named with the exception
OF badly constructed turnpike here and there.
With such difficulties to be overcome, il
should not be expected that the mails shall be
transported with the swftness or certainty as
to the time of arrival that might be desired, and
il is only surprising that the convey ances move
as rapidly and regularly they do. To
form something like just estimate Of the work
performed by the carriers of the mails, it is only
necessary to call TO mind the vast extent of our
territory, and the number of post offices, amount
ing to more than fourteen thousand, which must
be visited. Nor would the labor be SO formula
bic, if the Post Office transportation were con
fined to matters coming legimatey within its
province, or in other words, to letters and news
papers properly so called. Among the many
grievances of which the Department has a just
right TO complain, taking compensation into
view, are the abuses of the ranking privilege
and the transmission Of literary journals, which
are in fact books spread upon single mammoth
sheets, for which no adequate remuneration is
received. Far be it from Us to desire TO hinder,
in the slightest degree the diffusion Of know
ledge in every form, but we cannot help think
ing that the mail was never intended Tor the
transportation Of books, for sale, and that too,
for single cent for each sheet without refer
ence to size.
The considerations above stated have induced
US to approve most heartily the suggestions pre-
scented to Congress by the Postmaster General
in his annual and other reports. The clear
ness precision and force with which these
suggestions set forth are highly honorable
to the officer named, and bespeak for them
the attentive consideration Of the National Lee
gislature OF the soundness Of Mr.. Wickffe's
financial views, must also be permitted to
speak in terms OF warm commentator. Find
ing his Department in a most lamentabe state
Of confusion, arising from the indiscreet man
agemcnt Of his predecessors, the present Post
master General has fearlessly grapped with the
Herculean task of reform, and has already eff
fected rcrenchments of the utmost Importance
Notwithstanding, however, the Improvements
already made, there is reason to believe that the
receipts Of the service will fall short of its
expenditures, leaving balance of one or two
hundred thousand dollars against the Depart
ment. To meet this balance, Mr. w. does not
ask for appropriations, on the ground that the
Post Offic. was originally intended to pay its
| o,on e.rpenses, but proposes reduction on the
commissions of Postmasters which, as he
thinks, will amount, al least, to one hundred
thousand dollars, and, with the saving TO arse
from proposed legislation, will be sufficient to
place the Department on sound iooting
| Among the changes to be Brought about by le-
| gislalon, is the adoption of a new standard OF
rates of postage, the operation of which, 1t Is
believed, will be to increase the revenue, at the
same time that it will lessen the trouble of the
officers employed. Here is solid reform, wei
worthy of the attention of Congress, and the
least that our Legislators do is TO give it thei
early consideration. In order to show the ex
tent of carelessness heretofore pracuced by thos,
entrusted with them, we, would state, on tn,
best authority, that in the article Of mail bag!