New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-04-24

it is not uncertain. Herein Is proposed bret,
definite glance at reform under themes, thus
il, The Frnuking Privilege
"a The time Of paying Postage.
"a The nnly proper busE Of Postage.
lh The ra'e OF Postage on 81 F Fsne 9 paFeei
9Th Parcel delivery.
I. The Franking Privilege
Comprses as well the rsccrjar the sending Letters md
PapeS free.
Cuslom-or the habit Of looking upon old
usaqes as correct, without examining their relc
vancv-has induced false reflections on this
Franking Privilege. The correspondence OF the
several State Executives and of the members Of
the State Legislatures, has ever been paid the
Mail Department, and no rational man ever pre-
tended the department should transport that cor
respondence without compensation. Why then
pretend the correspondence Of the National Ex-
ccutivc. or of the members of the National Lcgls-
laturc, should be transported free, more than that
of any particular State The several States and
National correspondence pertains, ono so much
as tho other, no,ninaiiy for public veal, and to
move on the wheels Of Government. 1t is true,
one is National and the other State; but the sew
eral States make up the Nation, and separately
their several rights are no less important than
their aggregate rights; and if the several States
be less extended in their territory so would their
correspondence be less.
No one would hazard his sanity by contending
that Common Carriers Of goods throughout the
United States ought TO transport the National
Army or Navy supplies without compensation.
With no more justice or equity is the present
United States Law, prescribing that the Mail De-
partmcnt shall be the exclusive Common Car
riers of correspondence. Also that the entire ex-
pcnse of transporting the correspondence of the
National Government and Of its officers and ex-
officers, shall be assessed nolens voens, upon those
whose necessities impel them TO send their cor
rcspondence by Mail. Such laws are anti-Rc-
publican, aristocratic and caste-crealing; abhor-
rent to that equality of privileges which is the
fundamental principle of wholesome Democracy.
All citizens must be on par as to private prlvl-
Ieoes whether in or out of office. All services re-
oucsted of Government must be paid for. There
is no exception in right to this uniform rule
The Posi-. Office Department correspondence for
its own management though not charged, is not
an exception to this rule; its correspondence for
itself is part of itself, and is as much 4 part of
the expense of the Nai-transportation as the Post
Office Agents, who are transported by mail car
riers as hut another or additional Mail bag for the
Mails use, and deemed part Of the original con-
tract for transporting the Mail.
Strictly and cquitably, P"Jlic-JusinesS co
pondencc should he paid by the public's Treas
uly. None mher correspondence should the
public Treasury pay. By public business, too, is
intended not that lattudinarian perception that
whatever public oGcer writes is puJiic-nor
what he writes as politclan-or for his party
nor in his private or literary walks.
Why should the Post-Oilice Department re-
qure of the perhaps more talented, humane and
phanthropc citizen, a compensation for services
to him sufficient to equal not only the cost TO the
Department of services requested by him, but to
equal the further expense OF transporting the en-
tire correspondence of his neighbor, to whom &C
cident, or possibly depravcd cause, had given
an Office correspondence, too, whose entire OBJ
ect may be 10 thwart and deprcss the plain ctl-
zen, or, possibly, more honest and more useful
competitor for Office! Such cannot be the OBJ
ject of a Republican Government. 1t is not Re-
publican, it is not equality it is not Democratic
and the members Of our National Legislature
cannot prudently resist the force of this view of
the case, when in perspective of the past may
well be anticipated the uncertainty of the future.
The otice-hodcr to-day may not be the Office
holder tomorrow. BY what reasoning then will
it be pretended that to-day his pirate correspond.
encc should be carried free and at the expense,
for the expense must be borne in mnd) at til
expense, l repeat, of his no less worthy neigh
Dor; but that tomorrow his neighbor, on being
appointed to Office sends heaps Of private cores
pondence TO the detrlment and chagrln OF to-day's
oiiice-incumbcnt; free, aye, and the expense to
be enforced by the laws upon the correspondence
Of to.day's incumbent OF the same Office; but then
no less worthy ex-incumbent? Obviously, the
natural, original rights of individuals not thus
to be transferred, not thus violated; nor let this
violation of right be attempted to be concealed
the more conspcuousy, by the netting scliishneSs
of the apology, that this being amcrced to help an
otficc-hollcr the more cheapIy 10 prosecute his
private or similar ends is one OF the surrenders OF
personal rights to communities. Such tnsel-
work philosophy is fit for a DISBURSEMENT meet
for Republic.
Let the public officers accountability be fixed
and definite, and make his amendble certificate
quarter yearly, monthly or weekly, Of his postage
disbursement on public business, and lei it be
paid by that public National or State) for which
he as an officer disbursed the same. This plan is
formed upon the obviously Democratic maxim,
that no private nor public correspondence can
equitably require the services OF the Mail Depart
ment, as Common Carrier without paying
therefor.
.NeeTbc Drepayt, Postage herein coutended for dvess
The public officer OF beng taxed with unpaid poe;age Army