Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1845-02-27
,Whole No. 77O.

!, rate OF postage, send thirty three millions
/ of letters, what would be an equal por-
ton for population ofiwenty-e mii-
! lions Of people The answer is, sixty
two millions. This agrees within s<nac-
tion Of the number sent in England as
! we are informed.
I This examination establishes these two
/ propositions. First, that when the rates
! of postage were high 10 both Countries,
the spondence was as great here ss
IN Eng according To the number of
letters in each country beng the same
! III proportion To their respective popula-
| I.tion Second, that ifa reduction of post
! age iotw cents in this country should
increase correspondence and The busi-
I ness of our mail in the same ratio that n
reduction 10 penny sterling has increas"
ed thai of England, we could pay the
expenses Of the Department at The re-
duced rate, (oi two cenis,) and have AN
annual surplus Of two hundred thousand
dollars. So confident am that like
causes produce like results, thai for
one would not hesitate TO make tho re-
duciion at once 10 two cents, II ] could
be assured of AS fair trial, and for the
same time five years. as ~ England,
and without a doubt OF The same result, -
But the amendment offered does moi pro-
pose So large n reduction; ("ith tho
! present views of Senators, il would he
use less 10 offer such proposition y do
not, therefore, expect So gfent an M
crease IN the correspondence here, as
has taken place IN England, although
believe, that we have all the same strong
! motives for it, il the same time and CIR
cumsances were given 10 bring them
into action. But do expect sufficient
! increase to meet the expenses OF the De-
/ partment, in less time than has uaEsp,red
in England. The increase necessary
TO effect this is not SO great as many
seem to suppose il is but about one-slx'h
the increase which has taken place IN
! Great Britain, provided we secure to tn,
/ l. niied States mail the carriage oil letters,
! of which no one can doubt.
Il 1t has been already stated, that to
meet expenses, there must be collecisd
from letters and printed matter four mil
lions Of dollars annually. We have re-
ceived heretofore half Il million only from
newspapers, &c. which leaves three
f and half millions TO be supplied by let
ter postage From the reported speech
Of the chairman, (fron which many of
the facts | rely upon are taken,) 1t ap-
pears that the number OF letters which
would now pass through the post ofhce,
according TO the number paying postage
| in 1886, with our present population, Is
| lorty-two millions Add TO this those
which have heretofore gone free, and
are now to be paid for by the different
departments, Sc, viz three millions,
/ and we have toriy-6ve millions without
any increase from reduced rates oi post
! age.
i Ii requires an increase upon this num-
Der, of little more than fifty per cent. TO
! give seventy millions which, at five
cents, will yield the amount required,
! three and halfmillions.
/ The increase from the reduction M
! England has been about three hundred
aud fifty per cent. Can there be rea-
sonabe doubt that The increase will be-
onc-sirih as great here as il has been
! there, from Il similar cause
X 10 the correctness Of all the data on
! which these estimates are made, have
! the admission of the honorable Senator
/ from Maryland, chairman of the com
/ mittee, who also yields his assent TO the
| fairness Of the conc nclusiois resulting from
| them but he does not agree to the
! amendment from an over caution. This,
! think, will be destructive, if the amend
mend should not prevail. There arc
other facts presented by our returns,
which should give confidence Of greatly
increased correspondence among our
people with low postage. | refer TO the
number OF letters which passed through
the mail the last year, at The two lowest
rates Of postage, embracing letters car
ned not exceeding eighty miles.
An examination will show that, as tho
number of square miles embraced IN a
circle, with u diameter OF one hundred
and sixty miles, bears to the square
miles in the inhabited parts Of the unii'd
States, 50 is the proportion OF those who
can correspond at the two lowest rates oi
postage, TO the whole number Of per sons
Il in the country estimating the nnnher
az If equally distributed over tbuse pats
of the country which are settled, and
have mail accommodation.
II For, as these circuits surround ev"'v
one ul the fourteen thousand post oiiir~-
in the country, those containing the p"".
ple who can communicate with each
/, other by letter, at the low rate OF postage,
Icomprehend the sparsely Ms well ~
thickly settled portions oi the country
and make, ~ the aggregate, an evprags
of about twenty FIVE to the square rnllc.
I'll The Two lowest rates N, lude leli.rr
sent not exceeding eighty miles. md
embracing, at any and every pos, oth"e,
all within a circuit ol that distance. ~
one bundled and sIAty mll"s ~ dlam'i
; aud containing an area of less than twrn''
thousand square miles which, NJ twenty.
p five TO the nile, conialns u poPnl"'Ion ~
+ halt million being, al n pnpuIs''"n 81
>, twenty millions, one -lorieih Pau >"
: that, for every person who can he cot
responded with, at these Two low rates
+ r postage, there are forty who cannot
= Yet we iind by the returns that there are
: u th1nuuh ths tuaIl4