New-York daily tribune., 1844-02-08
Means of Three Cent Postage.

| lie gfand OBSTACLE TO reduction Of poStag
IS the tranking privileges; from on the opposin!
influence it gives to about $1,000 privileged in
dlvlduals, and especially from the heavy burder
1t imposes on the mails.
From statement forwarded to the Senate By
the Postmaster General, it appears, that during
three 'oeeks of session of Congress, in which
an accurate account was taken, there were mailed
at Washington 466,345 franked letters, ane
4,3l4,94 franked documents, weighing 359, SIS
pounds-(upwards of l79 tons
The dongs of Congress are immediately pub
llshed throughout the land, in the newspapers
and the whole results of their doings, of genera
interest, would ordinarily, for session, make but
a small volume. This immense number of four
million pamphlets OF documents then, loading
the malls from Washington with 179 tons. not
merely for three weeks, but as may be inferred
for every three weeks of the long sessions of Con-
gress-printed folded in fine paper, and separate
y directed as well as carried throughout the ma
ton, at the public expense, are probably, for the
most part unread, and entirely useless, except
that the receipt of them, respectfully franked by
f" Honorable Members" may for moment graft
fy the influential part of their constituents
By the bill recently introduced to the Senate,
it is proposed to give each Member of Congress
liberty to receive free, any number OF letters, pa
pers or packets, not weighing over two ounces,
and to frank FIVE letters daily throughout the
year; and also to frank documents printed By
Congress, to any extent!
Here, then, is one of the namcess multitude of
abuses resulting from this anti Republican mo-
nopoly of franking privilege, granted to about
10000 officers of the Government, used by many
at the public expense for perpetuatng themselves
in office, and imposing upon the people, in varl-
Gus ways, an annual tax of some million of dol
lars more than sufficient probably, to defray
the needful cost of the whole Post Office estab-
shment of the nation.
Perhaps no class OF men receive moro useful
aid from the franking system than Editors: ye:
it is gratifying to see from their remarks, that
they would cheerfully resign this for vastly
greater good, in which all Of every class may share
alike.
Let then our public guardians have the patri-
otsm to abolish at once and entire y this lnvldl-
Gus, expensive monopoly, and reduce the rate OF
letter postage to about three cents, (Which is
double the British POSTAGE and that OF papers
and pamphlets in due and equal proportion Let
the o. S. Mail be made, as it surely can be, the
cheapest, safest, speedieSt mode of conveyance OF
letters and papers for all classes-and 1t will be
used by all friendly correspondence will soon be
vastly increased; the revenue of the Post Office
will be increased and this happy medium OF
circulation throughout the body polite, will be
felt as life-giving bond of Union to the States,
and in its literary, social, moral and religious
bearings as noble and enduring memorial OF
good government.
A few years since the British Parliament had
the magnanmity to relinquish entirely their
franking privilege; and during the last year the
British Post-O Office carrying letters for a penny
and newspapers for nothing, throughout England,
Scotland and Ireland, has cleared to the Gov
erpment, over all expenses, nearly three millions
of dollars Lord Stanley has slgniied the nten-
ton of the Government shortly to extend the
cheap system to Canada And even the Auto
crat of Russia has sgni6ed his intention to estab-
Iish very cheap rate of postage throughout his
vast empire And shall Republican America
hngcr behind the proud monarchles of Europe IN
facilities for cnlghtening mankind and ditfuslng
general happiness Must our free Government,
in this age of opening mind, when thrones are
yielding to light and love, appropriate nine mil
lions Of dollars annually to sustain a navy, and
t,celye millions for the war Department. but not
venture a cent to promote the general circulation
of knowledge and good will, when there is every
indication that the result here, as in England.
would be triumphant
Let public sentiment be fully made known at
Washington; let the common sense inhabitants
of every town and village feel their individual
responsibility-feel that God has made them the
Sovereigns of a great nation; let them at once
enclose petition Of FIVE or ten lines to some
Member of Congress and their wishes In this ma,
tional concern will be respected, and new era OF
intelligence, good feeling, respect for rulers ano
gratitude to Heaven will commence. A.D.