Arkansas intelligencer., 1844-04-06
For the Arkansas lnteli gencer
TIE POST OFFICE SYSTEM.

Every one that has evor reflected on the subject
a: all. must have been struck with the enormous
disparity between The, rates of letter postage, nd
ne .grncral cost Of Transportation. r. len
traveller could 90 last summer from St.
Louis. 10 Baltimore for S2l. This, supposlIg that
passengers WIN average l5olbs each, baggage in
clud'd, would be IA cents per pound .,1,In'u
Rating single lete $, at haitian ounce each, the
letter postage for The same route is IS per pound,
more than 81 times as much as lie charge for
transporting passengers. yet the excess in Ibis
case is comparatively trihing. n.e ..... --ra.
on Twelve routes detailed in mother part of this
article. selected nddferenty, varying in length
from Az 10 lGCO miles. and embracing Rail Road
Stage nd Steam Boat conveyanco, he average
excess rs one hundred and fifty fold. 81
Passengers are often conveyed from bany to
Troy, distance OF l56 miles, for 80 cents. or
one third of one cent per pound. while lct,ers pay
postage at s6 per pound. 1850 times as much.
AND 1t cost less To convey barrel Of -four from
Albany to Buffalo, 324 miles, than the postage, Of
u single letter.
he cost of transportation constitutes two thirds
OF the expenses of the Post Office Department.
o every dollar expended for transportation Of
'e'tciS subject 10 postage, should be added fifty
cents FOR other additional expenses. For each
do'inr and a half thus expended, the Department
eNacis one hundred and fifty don rs - hat is
'"kInS the average referred to-. and leaving GU,
OF We" the extreme cases mentioned.
II canno, he Wondered then that some writers
contend "that the Post Office System. is an obi.
ol's monopoly, and ought to be abolishcd;' nor
that private posts are engaged in the bnsi-
ness of transporting letters, and mail mator
Tor pay, to a great extent and shat the revenue
OF the Department has been greatly reduced by
their operations Post Master Generals Report.
December IS43.) 30 .ty.a.'s--g-r .~.. ! rs
The complaintthat letter postage is too high. is
met by the official statement, that the revenues
Of the Department for 1913 fell short of its ex-
pondltures. a nd the Post Mas,ei General proves
by the recent experiment in EngIand that there
IS no reason 10 expect Hn increase in The number
Of letters mailed, sufficient TO compensate for a re-
dnction of postage equal in extent 10 the reduction
IN That country" !. .''' -'.
HIS arguments conclusive against reductions,
while the general principles of the Post Office sys-
'em remain unchanged. Blu, the case NIGH: be
different if "a ~
ISL me franking privilege were abolished;
~u enarSes Tor postage were uniform. as b.
tween different articles, except far as weigta
is concerned; 1.rgyog .-.r ,r,-l ~ .. %. ....c,t
81 postage were paid in advance; ol.-r,,
4A4 no more were paid for carr wing the matt
than ~ charged torotherJ freight or pusseng
other things being equal; and
o''' iiio""'oeS ioT transportation and changes
Tor postage were based upon the aceigM ofthe ar.
ticles carried. ...-.0
Tho tranklng privilege is wrong in principle.
It places the Department in Il faIs, position, for
it is in direct contradiction to tho principle upon
which the establishment at present rests that its
expenses shall be paid by the matter it ransporsl
And the Dopar tment y thereby compelled to pay,
over and above its, legitimate expenses, a tax in
definite, vague, and fuctuating in amount, Thus
its accounts give 20 clue to the true, cost ofui,s
management. for they fil'to show how ia ithas
contributed TO the emoumenls of office holders
or TO the necessary expenses Of the Government.
Moreover the amount of this contribution is
irresponsbIy expended, The people know nei-
Their how much of their money goes in this way,
nor how goes. Otber expenses incurred, and
emolumen's derived by public officers are sub
jected 10 the, most rig 4 scrutiny. lfa dlsbursng
agent pay on. the; smallest fraction of putiic mon
oy for expenses, INCURRED in the public service,
It vii not be allowed him without a receipt. But
member Il Of Congress may receive hundreds
nay thousands-of dollars in the shape Of postage
on letters and documents received and sent, with
OUT rendering my account, and without anyicheck
or ' restraint other than his conscience mny inn
Pol97SS. odW ipys6A 80 sgod iat naaF s2aos 20
'Note.-A bill now before the Senate, intending to
liIuff r,rV la,uAF :. :.