The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-12-09

A mail i'll be made up Al the Navy pepaft
msnt, on Friday, the 18Th instant, 10 be iof-
wsrded by packet from Norfolk TO Chsgres.
Letters received on or before that day, can be
sent BY this conveyance.
THE ANNUAL REPORT or THE POsrMAs'
TER GENERAL,
Published Yesterday, will be read with more
than usual attention, in consequence OF the
cIamor attempted to be raised against him for
faithful and conscientious observance OF the
laws Of Congress relating to the transportation
of mailable matter out Of the mails; for the tail-
use Of daily mails between the North and South,
occasioned by fogs and storms and last, though
not least, for the alleged exorbiiant postage
charged by him on letters, newspapers, &c
Because the Executive. officer deemed It his
duty to obey the laws Of Congress, and submit
10 those Of Nature, a certain class OF scribblers
have attempted TO convince their readers that he
is despoI and atyrant.
But il appears that the Postmaster General
has been too busy in the discharge OF his official
functions 10 adopt the many wise suggestions OF
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. 0O0-aud yet by rigid economy and ex-
traordinary exertions, the Postmaster General
has succeeded in making the Department pay its
own expenses.
The service of the special agents is spoken Of
in commendable terms-and deservedly com:
mendable, for by their exertions the depredators
have been promptly brought to justice.
The recent suit against Adams & Co. for
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 & Co. escaped by means of a
bubble. If Congress shall now fail TO embrace
railroads in the act, the Treasury will, of course,
have to supply the deficiency in the revenue &C.
casioned by such neglect.
Some Of the public journal. denounce the
Post Office system as monopoly, and say i,
should be abolished. The Postmaster General
deems the present the proper time 10 settle that
question. OF course he feels no greater in,esest
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 on, of bis
private purse. But we fancy these abolitionists
are like other abol',ionsts-iher views being all
on one side We will quote paragraph or so
from the Report,in relation to them, which they
will hardly answer
Between New York and Boston, between Phil
sdelphn and Baltimore, between New York and Buf.
falo individual enterprise might supply the wants Of
The community In the rapid and cheap transportation
Of letters end packets Will the same enterprise pens-
trate the savanRahs and swsmrs of the South or 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 political
Individual enterprise may be rewarded by the pay.
ment oil 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
Philadelphia and st. Louis, or from Chicago to Sa-
vannah, OF from 81. Augustine, Florida, TO Burling-
ton In Iowa.
II the grea, thoroughfares between commerco,
cites arc Ieft 10 the operations Of private posts,
the extreme points, whose connections in business
and commerce tend to swell the postage collected
st the cities must suffer, the to reach 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 is 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
speeulations of American writers on this sub
ject have been founded on false premises-lheir
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 ad-
duced in the Report, prove the contrary. A loss
Of two-thirds OF the revenue, by the reduction
experiment, was sustained-whhe the expense
was increased 30 per cent.
We doubt not the experiment would be far
more disastrous in this counrry-for it must be
that there is as much territory in
three OF our large States as there is in the Unit
ed Kingdom.
IL the present amount OF mail service be kepi
up the estimate of expenditures during the ext
year, put at $500 900; and the Postmaster
General thinks the establishment should be made
to pay its own expenses, else in the absence of
rigid accountability great corruptions will spring
up. He is doubtless coIrect But if il is to nav
its own expenses, the Postmaster General
must be permitted TO administer the Derarr.
ncnt according to lar and not the selfish
'roaksrs TO suit their prirate convenience.
The Report is written in a slatesmanl,kc style
yet comprehensive, and obvious to
n Understandings.
The REPORT or THE SECRETARY or
THE NAVY,
which we published on Thursday, is the sub
cct Of general commentator TO day. The spi-
il evinced by the head OF the Department, in