The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-12-26

HOsC tOiSitSl dNiOIiS iOuNc bu
little ground to hope that, within
any reasonable time, the eXpendi-
lures can be so reduced as not tC
require the aid of the treasury. Thi,
=. branch of the public service wa,
founded upon the principle that il
should sustain itself. Congress ne.
yer made it source of revenue fol
general purposes, except for short
period during the late war with
Great Britain, nor permitted the
general revenues to be applied tc
its support. To tax that part of oul
citizens who do not participate in
the advantages of the mail service
{ for the benefit of those who enjoy its
exclusive use, is so manifestly I'M
Just, that it has been seldom presen-
ted to the consideration of con-
gress.
The numerous agents Of the de-
partment, identified with every inte-
rest in society, reaching every
neighborhood-its tendency to en-
large the circle of its operations,
and to increace its power and pat
ronage, now so large as to be a
source of jealousy among the peo-
plc-require that every restriction
should be thrown around it that will
not impair its usefulness, or inter-
fcre with its legitimate functions.
Among the best restrictions that can
be imposed in the limitation of the
expenditures to its income. Should
it be thrown upon the treasury for
its support, there is great danger
that the demands for the extention
of the service may be made-as
much with a view to distribution of
the revenues in the different sec.
tons Of the country, as to the ne
ceSsary mail accommodations-that
the same watchful supervision of
its conserns now required to main
tain its credit may not be kept up,
nor the usual and necessary precau-
tons against wasteful expenditures
Of its resources be observed.
SO far as calculations can be re-
lied on, from the returns of the de-
partment of the operation of the new
postage law, for the quarter ending
30th of September last, the defcien-
cy for the current year will exceed
a million and quarter of dollars !;
and there is no reasonable ground
to believe that, without some amend
ment of the law, it will fall short a
million Of dollars for the next year.
As the public interests and con-
venience will not admit of such a
curtailment of the present service
as materially to reduce the eypendi-
lures, and in the opinion Of the I'M
dersigned, the deficiency should not
be made a permanent charge upon
the treasury, the revenues must be
increased, SO as to produce the de-
sired amount of money, by a revi-
sion and modification of the act Of
the Sd of March, to which in a
great degree, the deficiency may be
attributed.
The rating of letters by weight,
instead of the single sheet, as for
merly, has led to practices little less
injurious to the revenues than the
expresses which were kept up prior
to the passage of the act just refer
red to. Applications were made to
the department, shortly after its pas
sage, for permission to take letters
out of the mail over post routes, the
applicants proposing to go to the
post Office and prepay the postage
by weight. The consent Of the de-
partment was sought to avoid the
penalties for taking letters out of
the mails over post routs. These
propositions were rejected. The
right was then claimed of envelop-
ing letters addressed to particular
individuals, and directing them to
their agents for distribution, and
paying the postage by the half-ounce,
and probably receiving pay by the
single letter. This practice is be-
lieved to prevail extensively in some
of the cities, producing great profit
to those engaged in it-probably
more than the former express lines
realized, as the department is now
burdened with the transportation,
and those engaged in it receive
the profits of the distribution. An
incident recently occurred which
will forcibly illustrate the injurious
effects of such practice upon the
revenues of the department. A
large bundle ofletters was envelop-
ed and sealed, marked "post paid,
81 CO." By some accident in the
transportation, the envelope was so
injured as to enable the postmaster
to see that it contained 100 letters
to different individuals, evidently
designed for distribution by the per-
son to whom directed, and should
have been charged ten dollars. The
continuance of th;o r.,o+;oo ,,Il