New-York daily tribune., 1844-12-06
The Postage REFORM. /.

Wetrust the public attention will not for one
moment be withdrawn from the Importance of
Reform Of our Post-Office system, including
radical Reduction of the Rates of Post age. The
Report of the Postmaster General, tho ugh hesl-
tating, tmid and equivocal, involves AN adms-
sion that these Rates may and Of course SHOULD
be reduced. IL charges of five and ten cents
per letter will sustain the Department, there can
be no possible reason for retaining charges OF
eighteen and twenty-five cents. On the other
hand, the Social Intercourse the Intele :tual Cul'
ture, the Business facilities of the People would
all be greatly aided and extended by the reduc-
ton. Thequcstion deeply considered will be found
linked not only with the convenience and happi-
ness but with the Intelligence and eve the Moral
well-being of the People.
We regret that MIR. Wicklife feels his way to
the right so haltingly and timidly. ASK smy ten
thoroughly experienced, widely connected basil
ness men whether ten cents each on letters be-
tween our great Northern Cities and charleston,
Augusta, Mobile, New. Orleans, Louisville q nd
st. Louis would not, in the course of five years.
produce more Revenue than twenty-five cents,
and there cannot be doubt of the al lswer. In
our own small business with those Cities we
should certainly pay, and cause TO be paid, twice
as much if the Postage were ten CEN 3 as we now
do. Letters between kindred and Fl lends, letters
ofinquiry or designed to open Ira, lie, would be
multiplied in a still greater ratio. OF the One
Million sons of New. England now settled South
Of the Potomac and West of the Oaio, not half
write letter to their kindred around the old
hearth, so often as once year. The Postage
tax Of twenty five cents, which seems q trihe to
the Merchant or the Member of Congress 5, is 20
most of them considerable iter. Man, have
abundance of food and clothing who do not see
dollar once month, and V no could / ,ardIy
raise one on the instant by selling any thing they
could conveniently spare. There cannot b . a
rational doubt that thorough Reform of tt ne
Rates of Postage would be followed by > larg e
and steadily growing increase of Correspo ndcnct
throughout the Country.
The great fault Of the proposed Five nd Ten
cent Rates of Postage is their lack of d iscrimi-
nation. Three cents for short distances would
produce more than FIVE. Let the CHI arge for
transporting letter from this city to A lbany or
Troy, Philadelphia, Providence. and .eyen Bos-
ton, be reduced to three cents, and e are conf
dent the Receipts of Postage would be greater
than now-not, indeed, the first year, but within
Eve years. Meantime, il small draft should
be made on our welIfiiled Treasury to sustain
the cost of ehecting SO great and univ ersal
benefit, who could object But even the imme-
diate deficit would fall far short of Mr.. Wick.
bffe's obvious expectations
But nsthing will be we'll done on this su ibiect
until our outrageous Franking Privilege 9 NJ
formed and the only change that we have faith
In is analogous to the approved Recommendation l
for reforming vicious dog-viz. to cut Oft his i
tail close behind his ears On its face the II
Franking Privilege is harmless affair now but
when we see the whole land cversprcad with
letters aud documents marked II
Free-Saul. Snoohs, n. Co. as often SIS there
isa political conyulsion, we feel that no restric. H
hon will be of much avail. Cut OFF the three
hundred privileged characters at Washington, II
and the Fourteen Thous and Postmasters would
Till impose an unreasor iahlc tax ON those who
,ave to pay for carrying their letters. The sim.
lie policy Of making every thing pay its just
'roportion. and charging the lowest ra.es that
vii defray the necessa ry cost is the right policy
1actly. II
Mr.. Wickliffe infnms US that ne cannot find
who Wi perform the duties so cheap
! as those of Great Britain. The reason isthat
u Postmasters are hungry Politicians, who OBJ
.in the Office as reward 70. Partisan service,
lille those of England are not. 1fthe only oS- :
ct were to have the duties performed on moder
e terms, it would be easy to find in every town
lip some poor but intelIgentand honestcrpPle, /
me widow veal qualified, or some student who I
ught the mesns of subsistence without depriv-
g him of opportunity to pursue learning, who L.
ould act as Postmaster for one-half the present
pend. Whenever Mr.. Wickliffo is ready tolf fg
* for Pcstlnastcrs with single eyeto ther fti to
IS and their Willingness $ to accept moderatei pu