The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-12-08

Ofhce Reform, has already been preached in that
body. motion has been introduced by Mr.. Mer-
mex, Senator from Maryland, for the purpose of ef
fecting a revision of the whole law in relation &c
the management, facilities, wants and Deficiencies
of the Post Office Department We are very GLAD
10 such indication of the interest that is fell
in this important matter, is afforded by motion
made thus early in the session, but we have not
great deal of confidence in the source from which
the movement has emanated
We will state our reasons. During the last SEES
sion OF Congress, this same Mr.. Merrick, Senator
from Maryland, introduceda Bill to reorganize the
Post Office Department, which comprehended prn
cpes of the most ridiculous, outrs and impractical
bic character We do not now recolect with dis
tinctness the particular absurdities of this BILL but
we remember well that they were so numerous
and fagrant as TO create universal rdcule and con-
tempt AT the time, we thought that to Mr.. Mer-
rick belonged the exclusive authorship of this ndi-
culous bill, but we afterwards ascertaned that il
was concocted by company of Postmasters
who assembled at Washington as sort of re-
presentation of the post office officials through
out the country, and which was composed of the
postmasters of Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York
and Boston. 1t seems that these gentlemen, in
connection with some of the officials connected
with the Department at Washington, met on seve-
raj occasions at Gadsby's, or some other equally
comfortable place, and cencocted the whole thing
over their wine and walnuts And, indeed, we are
confident we risk nothing in offering the opinion
that they must have made pretty considerable in.
roads on some of the wine cellars in Washington,
before such bill could have been concocted from
the hands OF any human being. We trust that
these foles and absurdites and the ridiculous at
tempts made by the postmasters of the larger ci-
ties to pass bill, whose provisions had but one
good effect, that Of showing how little their al-
thors know about the subject on which they pre-
sumed to legisate, will not be respected during the
present session.
In the Presidents Message there is only brief
and general allusion to this subject We regret
this. OF all reform, we believe none is more need
ed, and would be more generally accepted, than
post Office reform. The whole mass of the people
are clamorous for it. And on these circumstan-
ces we certainly expected that the President would
have given particular attention to the matter and
preceded by some forcible and extended remarks,
the report of the Postmaster General himself But
after ALL the absence of particular attention to the
subject matters little. Even should the President,
and the Postmaster General, and the postmasters
OF the large Atlantic cities, and Senator Merrick
to boot, attempt to thwart the popular wishes in
this respect, convert the Post Office Department
from Its original and proper object, an instrument
of public utility and convenience, into an engine
of annoyance and tyranny spirit has already
been awakened which will never rest until the
whole system is reformed, every abuse rectified,
and the entire department made in every respect
conformable to the wants and wishes of the people
The movement has commenced in this city, and il,
is spreading all over the country with rapdity and
enthusiasm which augur well for the success of the
cause.
Now what sort of reform do we want? II may
be very briefly stated. We want uniform and low
rate of postage-on the principle of being in all
instances prepaid. We want also some gene
raj, liberal, and just regulation with respect
to the transmission of newspapers and cheap
periodical literature. We have no doubt what.
ever that, were the rate of postage reduced
to the lowest possible standard, and be prepaid in
all cases, that in very short time the private ex-
presses which have proved so annoying to the De-
partment although in present circumstances 80 be-
nehcial to the public, would be altogether sup
pressed-the correspondence of the country would
instead of suffering diminution, would be soon
much augmented. And in relation to the transmits
sion of newspapers and periodicals, the same prnci-
pie of cheap postage paid advance, should be in
roduced The great facilities afforded by the rail
roads and steamboats, for the circulation of intel-
yence from one extremity of the Union the other
are well known. And have not the people a right
to demand that legislative provision be made, SO as
to secure to the public the full participation in the
benefits offered by these facilities! What is the
use of the power Of steam on the land or on the
water if the people reap not its full benefit If me-
cessary, Congress ought to enact far as the post
Office is concerned imperative laws, compelling all
railroad and steamboat companies, under the prac-
teal opinion of jury of the country, to transmit
the mails Congress has the constitutional powerto
do so, and to throw the whole responsibility of the
terms on the community, in the shape of Jury
trial
These are, in brief, few of our views in relation
to this deeply important subject We trust that the
matter will be attended to particularly, and at the
earliest possible period, by both Houses, and that
no more attempts may be made by individuals, for
petty party or selfish purposes, to introduce any pro-
positions, under the name of reform, which are
ouuo6ooub W CoiiiIOH SciiSe, anu the progress OF
society, in the present day Of enlightenment Mt.
Give us cheap, uniform rate of postage, always
paid in advance, and the public will be perfectly
satisfied; there will be no private expreeses-the
Department will be freed from all annoyance
and the whole system will go on with the ease, re-
guarity, and precision of cock-work
PRICES OF BREAD.-Why is it that the price of
bread in this city remains so high, whilst the price
-four has become so much reduced Into whose
pockets go all the extraordinary profits We re-
collect very well, about three or four years ago,
when flour was from nine to eleven or twelve dol
lars barrel, the price of bread was nearly the
same as at present. 1t is surely worth while to in
quire into this. How we have flour so low as four
or five dollars barrel, and yet we have no reduc-
ton in the price Of bread, or improvement of its
quality.