The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-12-11
THE ANNUAL REPORT or THE POS TMAs
TER GENERAL,


Published on Friday, will BE- read with more
than usual atienloA, IN consequence 81 ~
clamor attempted TO be raised against him for
fafyhfui and rvuy4ix1eoAs8 Ise
IRE of daily mails between the North and south,
occasioned by fogs and storms and last, though
not least, for the alleged exorbilant postage
charged by him on letters, newspapers, &c
Because the Executive officer deemed Il his
duty to obey the laws Of Congress, and submit
10 those Of Nature, certain class oil scrlbbiers
have attempledlo convince their readers that ne
is despol and tyrant.
But il appears that the Postmaster General
has been TOO busy in the discharge OF his official
functions to adopt the many wise suggestions Oh
the disinterested censors Of lis public conduct
II appears from the Report that in consequence
of the private Expresses, the receipts OF the De-
partment during the last year, have declined
$3.50, OO0-and yet by a rigid economy and ex-
traordinary exertions, the Postmaster General
has succeeded in making the.Depar;ment pay its
own expenses.
The service of the special agents is spoken of
in commendabe terms-and deservedly com
mendable, for by their exertions The depredato's
have been promptly brought to justice.
The recent suit against Adams d Co. Tor
Transporting matter out of the mails, was de-
cided in favor of the defendants, il seems, be-
cause the law in relation thereto was enacted be-
fore railroads were used, and hence only steam
boats, coaches and horses were named. So
Messrs. Adams 81 Co. escaped by means OF
bubble. II Congress shall now fail TO embrace
railroads in the act, the Treasury will, ofcourse,
have to supply the deficiency in the revenue oc-
casioned by such neglect.
Some of the public journals denounce the
Post Office system as monopoly, and say II
should be abolished. The Postmaster General
deems the present the proper time 10 settle that
question. OF course he feels no greater interest
in the matter than any other good citizen should
The receipts Of the Department do not 60 into
his pocket, nor are the expenses paid out Of his
private purse. But we fancy these abolitionists
are like other abolitionsts-their views being all
on one side. We win quote paragraph or so
from the Report,in relation TO them, which they
will hardly answer:
Between New York and Boston, between Phil
adelphIa and Baltimore, between New York and Buf.
falo individual enterprise might supply the wants OF
the community 10 the rapid and cheap transportation
Of letters and packets. Will the same enterprise pene
trate the sayannahs and swamps Of the South the
wilds of the West and daily weekly convey to the
door OF the planter and the husbandman the letter Of
business or friendship, the intelligence OF commerce
and politics.
Individual enterprise may be rewarded By the pay
meut Of six cents for carrying letter between New
York and Boston, but can that same enterprise be in
voked 10 carry letter for 25 cents daily between
Phila Ielpha and ST. Louis, or from Chicago to Sa-
va1nsb, or from ST. Augustine, Florida, to BurliDg-
ton IN Iowa. uf
IL the great thoroughfares between commercial
cities are left to the operations Of private posts
the extreme points, whose connections m business
and commerce tend to swell the postage collected
at the cities must suffer, the means TO zach them
by the mails be furnished out of the general Urea
sury.
On the subject of reduction Of postage, the
Postmaster Generals argument is conclusive.
He /, in favor Of making hostages conform to
our currency, but no material reduction, unless
Congress will make appropriations from the
Treasury to carry on the Department. The
speculations of American writer's on this sub
iect have been founded on false premises-lher
Arguments in favor of reduction based on pal.
pable ignorance. They have asserted that the
reduction adopted in Great Britain increased
the revenue, whereas the official documents adj
duced in the Report, prove the contrary. A loss
Of two.thirds OF the revenue, by The reduction
experiment, was suslained-while the expense
was iucr, ased 30 per cenLl
We doubt not the experiment would be far
more disastrous in this counlry--for il must be
remembered that there is as much territory in
three Of our large States as there is in the Unit
ed Kingdom.
Ii the present amount ofmail service be kept
up, the estimate Of expenditures during the next
year, is put at $4,000, OOO ind the Postmaster
General thinks the establishment should be made
to pay its own expenses, else in the absence Of a
rigid accountability great corruptions will spring
up. He is doubtless CD rect. But if il is TO pay
its own expenses, the Postmaster General
must be permitted to administer the Depart
ment according to ldlO- and not the selfish
croakers to suit their pirate convenience.
The Report is written in a slatesmanke style
--succnct yet comprehensive, and obvious tc
all understandings.
THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY or
THE NAVY,
which we published on Thursday, is the sub