The Arkansas banner., 1845-04-16

his lriend in the eXtremest East, while com meree acknowledges itas an invaluable hand maid in all her operations. The system, as fl now exists, sir, has not failed and l nev- CT heard from the farmer, or mechanic, or professional man, in my region, murmur at the slight compensation which he was called upon 10 pay to government for carry ing his letters. Whence comes, then, the demand for this great change? Has 1t been from the head of that deparment--him who
 Is most familiar with it's operations. and with
 the wants of the community on the subject: l No, sir. He protests against ths sweeping
 revolution ill the system Has Ii come from
 Hc PeoPie? ? No, sir: the cry that IS heard
 here comes from editors of magazines, not
 subscribers; from editors of city daily pa
 pers, not their readers; from merchants of your great cities, not from their country GUS tomers from brokers, not from their vic 1 tims.
 Boston, New York, Cincinnati, Philadel- Phia, Baltimore, Charleston, Mobile, and N. Orleans, and those in immediate communi- cation Nith these great cities may have called for a reform in the department; bul |, as well as my friend from Georgia, MT. Cobb, am lgnorant of any call proceeding from tte peo- Pie of tde country. Not based, then, upon the failure of the present system ill its gen. efai principles, nora upon the call of the Post master General, nor upon the call of the great body Of the people who are so deeply interested, this bill comes before us a bill merely to eheapen postage 10 the inhabitants Of the great cities, aud 10 tax accordingly the consumers ot iron, sugar, salt, cotton, and woollen goods
 The only argument which has been urged in it's favor has been that five cents postage will pay all the expenses of the department, and, of course, ought 10 be the rate adopted. If so, sir, agree to it. l am not opposed to reduction when 1t. ean be made without creating demand for higher tariff duties up- on imports II one cent postage will pay the expenses of the department, am in la- vor ot rate oi one cent. But ask for the reasons for this assertion and all that have been given are based upon the operation of the post office reform ill England Sir, there can be no correct conclusions drawn from the operation ol that system in England which will be at all applicable to it's operation here. The countries are greatly dissimilar Eng land IS ot q small territorial extent It's roads and other means of intcrcommuneaion are excellent far superior to ours Mail con veyances are therefore rapid and cheap. l.
 IS denseiy populated with manufacturing and commercial people whose business require frequent communications by meil- England IS in fact q hive of commercial in-
 ercsts which spread their influences over
 the whole civilized world
 Onr country is one of vast cXt,nt-a7moSt bouudless. In the main 1t IS thinlv peopled Nith but slight exceptions upon the north eastern Atlantic seaboard, our roads are bad or difficult for rapid travelling, and Ill very large sections of the Union, public roads are as few IS tho towns which dot them.- hall eonrcyanees are therefore slow and ex- pensive.
 Our people too are all agricultural people, whose business requires but few communi- cations by mail, and who rarely use it for any purposes. This fact Is strikinglv shown by tue following statistics, for which | am indebted to the speech of Senator Merrick
 lh England there are 7,155, ,I69 persons over twenty years of age who can read and write. For each of these there passes throa the mall annually an average of 2Sl letters
 In the United States there are 5,S92. .SG6 persons who can read and write For each oI these there passes through the mail an average ot but four and half letters
 It will thus be seen that on an average, each individual in England use the mail six told more than we dc.
 The quantity of malable matter regulating. Tn great degree, the rates of postage, 1t will at once be seen that the operations of the English mail system furnish us no correct criterion by which to guide our dolibcra- tions
 Again, sir, this bill differs essentially from the English act that were there no disparity between the two countries YOU could not expect the results of inc operation of this oul to conform to those of the former.- there are two main features in the English system which constitute it's very essence. to wit; the abolition of the franking privleqe. and the principle of prepayment. II there k one feature Tn our present system more complained ef than another, or one privilege more abused, il ls the flanking privilege; vet thls Is leil untouched by this bill, aud it re- mains, with all its delormjies, an incubus upon the system. In England so valuable has the principle of pre- payments been held, that all letters not pad are charged dou- Ole postage / Yet this bill adopts the credit system in full, and thus transforms rem our present Its worst features, discarding it's best.
 What will be thc effect of the rreat cbanoe contemplated; Either to ruin great mum. ber ol mall-routes in the Soulh and West, and In the sParsely populated regions of the older country, or fl they are still kept up, to make then support charge upon the treasurv.- The bill coniesscs that the revenues will be decreased by this sudden change of rates.- What routes will fail then to meet their ex- pensess The routes in tho new counties and new Shies, and in the poor counties of all the States Their mail facilities. then, if kept up' wlll be paid for out of the treasury. The post office now pays its own expenses; but this shango destroying it's ability to dc so, ir must be supporte out of the treasury. of course, then, as you increase demands upon the treasury, you increase the reasons for imposing high tariff upon the country. As postage rates are diminished custom duties will have to be increased. For whose bene- ht! The increase of duties will benefit the manufacturer of all articles consumed bv the Nafnln lhh. T