Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1845-03-29
SPEECH OF M. X. PATTERSON,
YORK,
ON POST OFFICE REFORM AND THE REDUC-
TloN OF THE RATES OF POSTAGE:
Deiiuued IN fhe House Of Representatives.

De"tueo IN rae rouse OF Representatives.,
MARCH !. isIs.
Mr.. PATERSON obtained the floor and said that the
only bill upon which he cared 10 take up much Of the time
Of the committee had been taken Of debate by reso
ton OF the House, IN two hours after rs, taken up
He regretted that important bill postage reform
should be hurried through the committee hastily. lie
regarded II rs the most important Of this Congress
in the benefits it destined bostow upon the county
Approaching, degree. the deep soritude that
ie on the OF the county, that there should be
sion OF the post Office ta aud material reduction made
IN the rates Of postage and feeling deep personal inter
cst IN the matter he had made paaon for the
pose, and hoped that opportunity would have been at
forded him. when the bill under consider
press his views OF As had been adopted revenue
measnrc-which he feared II would prove to bc-and
would leave the subject open for agitation hereafter
TO be regretted that bearings should be little UNDER
stood as II 1t appeared 10 be by the committee. Ii he had
been fortunate obtain floor he would have ap
preached the subject with uniegned ddence, and
scious inability TO do that justice which But it
ne had succeeded IN calling the attention OF single
Der OF this House 10 the investigation Of the SUBJECT who
would have given o his ADLER advocacy he would deem
himself amply paid for the he had ed upon it,
There appears TO be difference OF opinion. from
end oil the land 10 the other that the present OF post
age are inequitabe and grevously budensoe rendering
the Post Office Department unpopular with the people
10 make impossible 10 prevent Its revenues from being
nringed upon by private enterprise thousand ways
bold and violation Of the laws As deporabc and de
moalizin9 as this state OF things will continue So long
asthe peope have before them daily evidence Of the
injustice OF the rates OF postage IN the fact that private
erprse will perform the service for third the money
The true way TO restore the department the favorable
consideration OF the people, and maintain its useful
ness and Ia sustain its revenue TO take from IL the
pc arance-whie 1t remains government moaopoly-of
being administered opprcss rather than benefit the pee
pie. While other branch OF the public service has
gone on improving with the advance ui the tnes this de-
paTiment the iIs organization, with but
few slight changes since first Instituted. And we
high postage now, with revenue Of Tour millions
OF dollars did when but hiy thousand dollars
Instead of reducing the the OF when
the hourishinH condition has been eSpcnd-
ed upon routes which have paid but little or no pos
agr. The law OF Fc5rGary 1892 fixed the OF pos
single letters passing short Of thirty miles, six
cents between thirty and sixty miles, eight
from sixty hundred, cents; bundled TO
hundred and siiy, twelve and halt from
hundred and fifty hundred, fifteen cents:
hundred hundred and fifty. seventeen cents; from
two hundred aud fifty to three hundred and fifty, twenty
cents; from three hundred and fifty four hundred and
fifty, Twenty-Five cents and all four hundred and ty
twenty-five cents; from which time there made but a
single and immatesl change in the the LIST Febr
airy. 1873, when 80 per cent added and continued 10
3lst OF March, 1916 for the purpose OF raising revenue To
deiray the expenses incurred by the war. In April 1916
Congress established the present postage which
have remained the same for twenty nine years while Eng
land and other countries have reduced their postage
so low TO enable the humbes individual in the conmu
nifty 10 avail themselves OF s benefits.
Here Nr. Z. called TO order by Mr. c. J. lnrcr.
soil for debating subject which he commended was not
before the House.
Mr.. Paterson, in reply, conended that he was debating
the subject before the House. the bill under debate con-
amendment from the Senate regulating mail routes
The Chair decided he in order, from which Mr. In
gerso appealed and the decision the Chair was sustain
ed by the Housed
Mr.. p proceeded and said:
That in the time the correspondence of the country
had been loaded down with increasing OF mail
matter transmitted free OF postage by virtue OF widely
extended and much abused frankins privilege which has
increased including newspapers, which postage paid
which literally free, and which Mr. Niles in his report
in December, 1910, estimates the loss 10 tho
D be
amounting to more than nincenhs in weight OF everything
that passes through it, An kept in the post
office in this city OF the number of free and packages
ending the 2nd OF May the ID of June, and the
9TH OF July, 1910. Taking the number tina, pass
ed during those weeks, the ave age OF the ses
sion OF Congress of ihiry.three weeks OF thai ve,r
the packages aud letters ffcm this city amour
ted As 1853 and the cents allowed 10 postnas,ers
for delivery, would amount to S95627 This was probably
more than actually paid, allowed al Offices
where the comm, exceed $500.
AT. Niles estimates that there paid for the delivery
oil free letters, and advertising the same, 81 OOO and
recommends tina, the allowed for the delivering
free letters should he discontinued. The Postmaster Gen
eal in his report Of December g. 1872 states the whole
number OF tree letters sent through tbs Office annually Is
about three millions Assuming be the average
rate II charged with postage S450OO0 would have been
received from free letters alone II appears that there are
data for determining the number OF free packages con-
veyod IN the mail, as large proportion Of them
tered upon the post bills. The Postmaster General says
that the loss OF the department does end with the $3.50
600 loss upon free letters but estimates the amount paid
for the delivery OF the same $4,000. This is doubt
less less than the amount paid, falls short Of Mr. Nj
less estimate for 1910 also that Of George Pitt special
agent OF the department, who. in his report of the
same yeaEs, estimates the TO be $4,000 All
the estimates refer only letters sent from Wash
ngton during the session of thirty three weeks referred m
Estimating the number o letters received At the same Office
to be one-thd the number IT, and the postage
would amount 500 600 exclusive OF free printed
matter, and letters and packages carried by mail during
the rest Of the year, which, ii correctly estimated would
swell the amount very considerably.
The Hon. VIM u. Nacay. in an able article published
IN huns Merchants hagozine, IN March last,
TO complete the p1simasiers estimate, as follows:
100000 Of free letters, a, Is each s45O,OOO
2.cent commission allowed deputy poslmasters
for delivery of free letters $4,000
l000,0OO Of free letters not exhibited by the re.
turns Of the pOslmasters, at Is cts.
each 100000
Cost Of advertising free letter 10000
Free printed matter charged ut the ususl 10000
100000