The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-11-06
From The Portland Argus
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

We publish TO day the circular of the Postmaster
General to the owners of railroads and steamboats,.
The New York Evening Post, always able and can
did, and generally correct, in article commenting
on, and disappearing the ground taken by Mr.. Wick
life, closes with the following paragraph
4" Meantime we do not regret to the circular of
the Post Office Department. This question should
be brought TO an issue, and we not how soon.
There IS doubt in our minds to what the result
will be. Something better suited to the wants Of the
people than a Government post Office will grow out
of it. The Government may keep its machinery for
sending dispatches if 1t chooses but in the thlckly
settled parts of the country, and with the facill-
ties for rapid conveyance, we shall have something
more expeditions, more exact safe, and more
dependent upon its own good management for the
favor OF the public, than Government post Office"
We do not agree with the Post that there can be
any thing better suited to the wants Of the people
than Government post office. There may be, and
doubtless is something better suited to the wants of
the people in the thckly settled parts Of the country
than the p esent Government post office, and tina,
something IS The system OF private expresses that has
grown up within the last ten years But the Gorern-
nent post Office may be, and hope will soon be-
adapted 10 the wants (lhe ties in fact of the
commercial public, growing out of railroad and
steamboat communicates But this will never take
place TIL the post Office laws rgidly executed
We, in common with our brethren Of the press at all
the principal commercial points in the country, the
present state Of things, should be greatly benefited If
we could send out letters and papers ,chen and by
iohoni, we pleased but still we approve the ground
taken by the Postmaster General in his circular and
hope he wllnot hesitate in the he has adopted
He is EXECUTIVE officer and IT is his duty ere
cute the laws, let who will be injured benefited
If post office laws, better adapted the present cond
ton Of the country, be made (as they certainly
can be- the execution Of those existing will lead
to their enactment
The Constitution gives to the Government a mo-
nopoly of the war-making power, the power to tax
commerce. of coming and n estab.
ish post Offices post roads, &c, and all this for the
generalgooi These, and the other powers bestowed
upon the General Government, are essential to our
national existence. The laws passed in accordance
with the Constitution may not always be the best and
those that the best time and under certain
circumstances, may operate badly at another; and
under other crcums stances require essential atera-
ton. The present Post Office laws should be modi-
fed not abolished. The Government should carry
letters and papers cheaper sattr and expeditions
iy than they can be carried by any private company
and, having the power to monopoze, II could easily
do II. Let the postage on medium sized newspapers
be reduced TO one half Of one cent for any distance
within the State in which they are printed and one
cent for any distance over hundred miles, and
out OF the State, and all other periodicals in the
proportion. Let all irregular, single newspapers
be subjected 10 three four tunes this tariff Let
the postage all single letters, be reduced TO three
cents for any distance short Of fifty miles and six
cents for any distance over fifty miles ard under one
hundred miles, and TO ten cents for any distance over
one hundred miles and under -four hundred, and 10
fifteen cents for any greater distance Rates of post
ages somewhere in the immediate neghborhood of
these prices, would We believe, put an end to snug
Cling, and yield a much better revenue than those
now levied.
Government expresses under the supervision OF
first rate business men, (hayng interest by the al
owance Of per centage in addition to their regular
salaries, on the amount of business done) should be
employed in connection with the transportation Of
the mails and the Post Offices all the great tho.
roughfares OF the nation The energy of private en-
terprse thus associated with the government mono.
poly would soon put down all private competition, in
the transportation Of mail natter" on all short
routes, with much ease as is now done between
Maine and Arkansas.
We have observed that the Journal Of Commerce
for some years past, has advocated free trade in the
transportation Of letters, papers, sc. We hope the
Journal and Post will not go so far as 10 carry their
free trade principles into the coming Of money sc Sc
rously, we hope our good friends IN New York will
go for reform, and not for destruction How will
they communicate with the vast interior alter they
have succeeded IN combining the Government TO its
machinery for sending despatched" How will they
send their papers and letters TO the extremes Of this
vast country at an expense merely nominal after their
private expresses shall have been put into operation
IN the thlcky settled parts Of the country - and the
Post Office Department. except for government pur-
poses, abolished We hope our New York frien,s
will not insist upon killing the goose that lays the
golden eggs.