The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-15
AFTERNOON, deer is, Ie47
For President
GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR.
Subject to the decision Of the wing National Convention

If the great question of the pacifcation of
Mexico shall not swallow up all other ques-
tons that may come before Congress, the
subject Of penny. or two cent postage will
command the earnest attention of that body.
Mr.. Johnson went into the General Post Of
flee the enemy Of low postage, and two years
have sufficed to convert him to the Rowland
Hill theory. There is no good reason why
the Post Office Department should be made
to pay its own expenses, and the other De-
partments Of the Government be charged
upon the General Treasury. The public
interest alone should be consulted in franz
sent tariff has worked SO well, we hope that
| it will be reduced to two cents per half
ounce. and under ON letters for any distance
great or small, and that newspapers and pc
riodicals will be transported over the whole
country free Of charge. These are modif-
cations OF the present postage law univer-
sally demanded, and we firmly believe that
the Department will speedily sustain itself
since that is considered a desideratum-u
der such a system. But whether it will sus-
tain itself or not, the low rate ought to be
established and the deficit Of receipts be sup
piled out of the common fund. We shall
not stop to argue the necessity there is for
abolishing hostages in toto on newspapers,
&c. This subject will come up again in
connection with the means Of transporting
| free newspapers, and we shall then dwell
upon it more at length, and show that there
is no difficulty about it.
Akin to the modification of the Post Or
fee laws, is the appropriation by the Gov
eminent Of the existing telegraphic system,
and the extension Of it under laws Of the
United States This engine of commune
eating intelligence ought not to remain an
hour in private hands. An appropriation
ought to be instantly made for buying out
all the parties interested, and a regular gov
ernmental system ought to be Organized
And the first grand principle of such an or
ganization ought to be the lowest possible
rates of toll. We would make the rate Of
transmitting matter over all the lines for any
distance whatever, great or small, two cents
per hundred words. Let the expense of sus-
tanning the system be paid out Of the public
treasury, until it should reimburse that ex-
pense, which it ought rapidly to do. And
here we may express hope that, both un-
der the mail and telegraph systems, the frank
ing privilege may be entirely abolished, ex-
cept in the transportation and transmission Of
intelligence for the press, which shall always
go free, no matter what its length, and
whether printed or written.
The next most important subject perhaps
that demands the attention of Congress, is
the disposition Of the public lands which are
subject to private entry. Under present
circumstances, with a war debt hanging
over us, there is no hope of distribution q
the proceeds from the sales of the public
lands, which is, to our minds, the only con.
stitutional plan Of disposing Of these fruits.
The great object Of Government is now the
increase OF the revenue, and to achieve that
object, the question is-how shall it be done
to the best advantage Of the country p
These unsold lands cover an immense area
OF country, and it seems very proper to look
to it as a great source Of revenue, if they
could be sold. The graduation Of their price
downwards has repeatedly been suggested
as the proper mode of arriving at the result
sought. II will be for Congress to pass up
on the policy Of the measure, in view Of all
the circumstances Of the country and the re-
quirements Of the public treasury. If the
graduation policy be adopted, we hope that
Congress will extend the prescription sys-
TEN to public lands, whether surveyed or
not, if t'ae Indian title be extinguished to it,
In connection with this subject is the ques-
ton of bounty lands and bounty land war
rants, We must differ fofo coeJo With tho
Secretary Of the Treasury, who is in favor
Of forbidding the sale Of bounty lands until
the patent is obtained. We think that such
course would work vital wrong to the
soldier. Nine out Of ten Of the recipients Of
the public bounty never intend to occupy
the ar lands granted TO them. II ia the val,,e