The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-11-26
The Great Meeting In Favor OF Post Once
Reform At the Exchange Yesterday.


Reform At the Exchange Yesterday.
very large and most respectable meeting of the
merchants, and all ohersfin favor of post office re-
form, was held yesterday at the Merchants Ex-
change. The large room was well filed, and we
observed a great many of our most influential citi-
gems, of all parties, amongst the audience Athalf
past twelve o'clock the meeting was organized by
the appointment of CURTIS BoLToN, ESQ.,, as Presi-
dent, and the following gentlemen as Vice-Presi-
dents and Secretaries
| TTce Presidents.
| MARK SPENCER, w. w. Topp
| Secretaries.
PROSPER NJ. WErMoRE, WILLIAM b. TOWNSEND.
PARK BENJAMIN, ESQ, after reading series OF
resolutions, which, as they are embodied in the
petition published below, we do not here insert,
said
| Mr. Chairman-These resolutions were handed to me
with request that would read Them and introduce them
by few remarks The subject is with which all
Familiarity acquainted that at all hope to
throw amy new light upon it, II one in which every
Also in the discussion Of which parizan feeling
be enertaned- entirely free from all political Preu-
dice or tendency or feeling and from them il should be
kept carefully discovered Il concerns as have Just said
every one-one well as the other--the dweller in
the bustlng commercial city, and the inhabant Of the
rural district Few words therefore necessa
ry introduce to public attention and regard matter OF
such obvious and acknowledged universal interest The Post
|
trust eventuae in the establishment OF cheap and
uniform system of postage Various attempts have been
made by previous Post Masters General the car
riage fwhat they termed maiabe matter" out of the
mailsthat is letters, newspapers
believe that in the exercise OF their frankng privilege,
members Congress have thought proper extend this
dinition considerably, transporting, 'maabe matter
their shirts and pantaloons-(a augh)-bu whether the
Postmaster General goes far as that does not appear
from any of his sapient letters the subject-a laugh
He claims however that all printed matter Of period-
character shouls be carried in the mails Now period
cal matter through the mails in large bundles,
usually by the proprietors of the penny newspapersa
class of periodical publications which enjoy very wide
and have pleasure in being able to add very meried
circulation applause Well this paper thus transmitted
in large masses come to the printer blank goes back
meaphy to be able to discover the reason why
that paper, when printed and packed up in masses,
paper before that ink was put upon it, could
be transmitted by whatever mode and manner the con.
venence and interest of the manufacturer suggested am
utterly loss to know how the process of printing made
its transmission difficult and vastly more expen-
sive-appause) yet such is the decision ofthe Posmas
General and such is the purpor Of his instructions to
his deputies throughout the country They forbidden
allow any thing to pass over the mail routes OF pero
deal newspaper character without subjecng TO full
postage and have been put in OF fact which
came to my knowledge the other day, which places in a
enactment. Certain publishers in this citya most
spectacle firm the Messrs Harper and Brotherssent to
the city of Philadelphia large package of books with
per The package seized and deposited in the
post office This is going perhaps a little beyond Mr.
they tend Mr. Wicklife has lately published letter in
which he very srenuously attempts vindicate himself
on the ground that he is only out the legal pro
parment which he presdesthat he desires only to
execute their far as he has been enabled to
understand them can only say Mr.. Chairman, in refer
to this vindcation, that Mr. Wckles predecessors
felt official duty rigid in its demands to lead
did not possess such an extraordinary deveopmen Of con-
scientiousness laugh At various times efforts have
gulations which Mr. Wicklfe rigidy determin-
ed to enforce in all their stringent severity but uniformly
been abandoned The regulations discovered be
burdensome that the people could not and would not
submit to them You are all familiar with the fact gen.
tlemen, that during late years, when great scarcity OF
specie allied the oppressive character Of the present
post office system has been severely felt because the
great mass Of the people in the Western States were en-
trey unable to pay the postage. Very often could
obtain letter from his father the Atlantic border
and from whom he had heard perhaps for years And
since entered this have been told by gentleman
that the ola friend of his in Boston, residing in ILL
nos heard only twice years his father his po
vety and the scarcity of specie altogether preventing
him from taking other letters out of the post Office Now
nothing is clearer than that the post office department
should be managed as to promote the accommodation
and convenience and comfort OF the people We are tax
ed to support army and navy why not to support in
interests and capable fconfeng vastly greater bene
tsl (Appausel Why told that the post office depart
ment support tsel that there be
rendering the carriage of letter expensive than
that of barrel of houri Appause) Why are to be
for this and that object not nearly of much importance
the post office and that the atteris to he made
|
that his object not only to make the department pay its
expenses but also to bring in revenue to the govern
| never could have been established-(Appl Why
sir not have system of postage adapted to the
Of the people similar that which has been intro.
duced with such.marked success in Great Britain All
the ancipations of the friends of reduced rate of post
age have been fully realized by that experiment the
other side Of the Atantc-(A ppause) And it is conf
IDENTIFY expected by the supporters that that in
the of few yearssay five years at farthestthe
of the postoce department in Great Britain will
be than before the adoption of the
| cheap sysem-(Appause) There can be manner of
of the system iuto this country. Any gentleman
who has travelled steamboats, other public
veyances must have repeatedly experienced the annoy
to which every is subject from young and
others who to him with great parcels Of letters
not quite SO bulky bag of flour barrel of pork
him convey them to the place Of his destination and de-
post them in the post Office there. And why all this
yond what in Justice it ought that every.
body unwilling to pay it. and rather than do will in
the greatest inconvenience Were the system which
this day meet to Congress adopted all this
inconvenience would be avoided; and at the time,
the correspondence of the country would be increased
that the revenue OF the department would be augmented
tenfold in short time. ! hold in my hand
draft of petition to Congress and shall take the liberty
OF reading it, II is drawn up somewhat differently from
the usual mode. It does not humbly pray
at Washington to grant any thing. We their
ers and command them to grant this reform-(ap.
plause)and allow me to say that regard the form of ne
ttioning Congress generally adopted unworthy of
free people Why come before them in this suppcang
attitude And it seems to that this humiliating
| course has not unfrequenty met proper
buke in the contumely with which those thus
addressed have petitions. Gentlemen, they
hear the voice of the people and this subject speaks
in tone from end of the Union to the other The
following is the reton:
| PETITION SENATE HOUSE REPRESENT
| rvEs UNITED STATES
| The undersigned citizens and payers OF Postage re-
| spectully represent =
l. That the Of postage imposed by the govern
mcnt cxorbitant oppressive to the people and cac
lated defeat their avowed object of making the Post OF
flee Department pay its expenses.
, That the franling privilege il is authorized
and exercised unjust unequal anti-repubcan, and
ought to be utterly abolished except may be expe-
dent to allow to the strictly official corrcspon.
dence OF the Post Office Department ITSELF
That not onethird of the correspondence the
try pays postage in the mails nor will it until the
postage greatly reduced and the ankno