The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-11-18

AcQUITTAL OF ADAMS d Coin the case OF
the United States Us. Adams Il Co.. the jury return
ed verdict in favor of the defendants enter
prising express line. Adams Il Co. were charged
with carrying letters, in con,ravention of the Of
the United States regulating post Offices.
This tria-this verdict, show the post office laws
to be string of absurdtes from beginning to end.
Neither the law officers of The government engaged
in the case. nor any one else, could tell mailsbe
matter from unavailable matter. All they could tell
was that parcels weighing nnder three pounds must
be charged with letter postage by weight. This
amounts to nothing, for the laws are not worth
fl under such a wild or wide construction
This, however, is but a part of the present
miserable management Of the post Office. An effort
made in this to show that the large dehcitn
the revenues Of the department have been produced
by the express lines ying letters in conravention
OF the laws All the evidence gwen in by the several
post masters, was for The purpose OF showing this,
but the utter futilty thereof seen on its face.
One postmaster stated that the "drop letters" al his
Office reached great number, and that he had no
doubt but that they were brought from Boston and
| Philadelphia by Adams 81 Co. Thiswa mere as.
sertionwhch can be easily reuted. tits well known
fact that hundreds and hundreds of letters are daily
sent Of this city to all parts of the country by
private hand by passenge rs and has been estima
ted that at least one ha as many are thus carried
in the hats and pockets of individuals as 60 in the
mail bags. We ourselves have seen hats filled and
ockets stuffed till they could be filled and stuffed
more. We have had over half hundred offered to
usevery time we have gone to Boston orPhladephia.
Seven-elghths Of these are dropped in the several
post Offices, and have nothing to do with the express
lines Yet the postmasters testify that the drop let
| tiers come from Adams 81 Co.
We have thlsfact presented to US in this trial that
| the post office laws wholly inadequate to carry
on the department it should sbe carried on that
its regulations merely. nominal in their effect /;
and that an immediate complete reorganization is
absolutely necessary for its vitality.
1t is seen every year that this department of our
| government is becoming more and more powerful
political instrument to be used on every election by
the party in power. lis ramificatons arc numerous
| and extending from extremity of the Union to
the other. Post roads opened to sectsns innab.
tied by few people only, and mails or rather mai
| bags carried over them at an enormous expense,
| with no return but votes. This expense comes
| out of the revenue derived from the profit.
able routes running from one great CONNER
| cial city to another, and from the pockets OF
| merchants in the shape Of postage extortion.
ately high. To keep up these small routes,
which are only many small post roads to Office
we are compelled to pay twenty-five cents for what
the English Government charges but two cents. II
is clear from this, that reorganization of our de.
parment is necessary in order to meet'the wants Of
those who use it as a means Of communication, and
to save The department from ruin.
It's TO be hoped that Congress will take this sub
ect in hand during the ensuing winter, abolish, to
reasonable extent, all Improbable routes and lessen
the rates OF postage. Something of this kind must
be done and the sooner the better.
| MACRFApy's SrcoND NiaHf IN RosroN The Ma.