New-York daily tribune., 1844-02-09
~, . Postage reform.

L H. i1Nup
row selfsbness and misery averice,' tfa' ", w,
nrefess to be the true organ of the wing p''ss,
&c. &c. What can be the use OF making .,e. suG..
statements, or of copying them, hhoN'he ~ % ,ba
pntruth? When did we ever claim - 10 80
true organ Of the Wing party Z" 1io'0 ,'' Ionr
s-onosod ., 70 1estr0y the Country Press ho's
Hopo 49,, discussion arose on this SUBJECT We
o.lo.. - washington mainly to do what we couio
"e.1s cp,s.arc Reform. and there submitted 10 'he
paet D., office Committees and such Members OF
CONGRESS as we were acquainted with Proposl,
t;on that Newspapers conveyed less than oo
miles in the Nails should be charged o"1 one
ovo,ter of a cent Postage on eacd, while those
cont over that distance should be charged eight
cents per pound wrappers and all II caffleo i0S'
than 500 miles, and t,celre cents II carried oFc'
5O0 miles-to be doubled if not paid IN advance
This would make the Postage on the 'eeh'y
Tribune certainly double and tFeblc-"e peile'e
treble and quadruple-that on Country papers
within so miles of the place of publication. In
other words, we urged Congress to reduce tue
Postage on Country Papers to one:joaEtn t'i0
present charge, but that of the Weekly tribune
and other large City journals but one-thr@ TO one
half and then only on condition OF payment IN
advance, and of drying tie papers 50 ''o' t"ey
should ucigh but oue-haB as much as aow' o'ilci-
wise the Postage would be hardly, II at ALI lower
than at present, while it would be materially
digher if the papers were not dned' ana not Pa'o
=, advance Our proposition would rather IN
crease than diminish the Postage on huhored
pounds of Newspapers mailed as at present. eS-
cept Country Papers circulating manly IN thelr
own vicinage, and on these 1t would DC reducco
three. .fourths How can it be, then, that any
fair mind can accuse us of seeking to promote our
own interest at the expense Of the Country Press
We do, indeed, object to Mr.. Merrlck's propo-
stion with regard to Newspapers, as unsouno IN
principle and defective in detail. we are op-
nosed, from deep conviction to having any lhlhg
sent free in the Mails except the official cores
nondence Of the Post Office Department with Its
spbordinates and agents. If the Government
wants to exempt Members of Congress and other
functionaries from paying Postage, let it DC So,
but let it pay for them, and not tax the letters
and papers of private persons double in order to
screen itself and it's favortes. There is no JUS
tice no republicanism, in this franking profusely
and calling on the unfranking people to pay the
piper. We object to carrying Newspapers within
their several Counties free, because here is the
old mischief in a new disguise. 1t will be mon
strously unequal, too; since several States have
no Counties, while in the others the Counties are
of all sizes, from three square miles to two thou
sand. What justice, then, in carrying one paper
forty miles free, and charging Postage on another
which is only carried two miles? Why won't
some of our abusers attempt to answer these OBJ
jections?
The Auburu Journal is quoted by the Courier
as talking of carrying Printed Matter two
over crossroads and by-paths of the interior."-
What wretched stuff is this. What part of our
Country is even .fre hundred miles from Rail
road or Steamboat transportation We are con-
fident from an inspection Of our books and some
knowledge of the topography of the Country,
that not one in twenty Of the twenty-six thou
sand papers we send out by Mail is carried even
too hundred miles "by stages or on horseback"
and every year israpidly diminishing the COM
parative amount of such Mail transportation and
increasing that by Steamboats, and Railroads.
We do also strenuously object to all attempts
to exclude Printed Matter other than Newspapers
from the Mails, by exorbitant charges, as alike
unjust and futile; unjust, because the monopoly
Of Letter and Newspaper er-carrying by the Gov
ernment dimnshes the facilities which publishers
would otherwise enjoy for disseminating their
works, and because the Mails should benefit all,
so far as possible without injury to the service ;
futile, because any arbitrary restrictions can and
will be evaded Mr.. Winchester, for instance
publishes Martin Chuzzlewit' in an Extra or Sc
rial, and it is excluded from the Mails by Letter
Postage; but Col. Webb may publish the same
story in his Weekly Courier and Enquirer, and
send it all over the land at Postage of six cents
per pound Is this just I've say, charge a falr
price for carrying all Printed Matter, according
to distance and weight, make reasonable dis
elimination between that which is sent stately
and frequently and that which is sent fitfully and
casually-make it only because the latter KIND 10
more difficult to carry than the former-and then
exclude nothing, but let the Mails be open to all
who choose to pay for using them, Why is not
this right
We do not expect the Courier or the Auburn
Journal to do Us justice on this subject-blter
experience forbds the hope-but the Waldo Sig
nal will, we trust, correct the wrong impression
| it has given TO its readers.
u Some Ibcral-minded genius has got up
petition to the Common Council to haze the Rails
Of the Harlem Railroad belo,o Spring street ia
ken up! He has not yet proceeded against the
Ommbuses in Broadway nor the Steamboats, on