The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-06

been disbursed without the loss Of dollar In psymen
Of the public creditors, in due and proper time, it
Prior to LIST Of July 1885, there debts due tn.
Department. many of long standing, amounting Il
ssi9sso. ofthis sum there has been collected within
the past year $10SO9, and credits allowed upon the
settlement Of accounts of $517l0. leaving yet bs-
lance due the Department Of s257 $751; A very large
The present rates Of postage viii afford ample mean,
to meet the and probable increase Of the
service, and leave surplus, that will in few years
amount received from 1t since the passage Of the act
of1S45.
Under these circumstances, shall further reduc.
ton Of the hostages be made The means which a
well dgested cheap mail system affords, OF rapid In
terchsnge Of ideas between different and distant
tons Of the country and the consequent increase of
knowledge: its influence upon society but little, il
any less than that of printing; its Importance to
every interest social, commercial, and political,
would justify the answer that 10 rate of postage
should be adopted, If 1t can be done without depsr-
ture FROM that principle heretofore maintained the
country-that this department should be sustained
from it's own resources
A symtem intimately connected with all other
interests and the happiness and prosperity Of the
peso diversified in its operations, minute in its
details requires careful Of any sugges-
tions for Its Improvement and the adoption OF such
only as expe will be useful to the citizens
The Importance as well general desire for cheap
postage system has attracted much of public atten
ton to the subject not only in this, bat other
tries, within the last few years To this object
In most countries it is placed under the control of the
government, though perhaps not strictly of its
attributes Had 1t been left to private enterprise the
more wealthy and populous portions of the community
would no doubt have been amply provided for, but
Others less favored would have been left destitute of
the means Of dnusDg intelligence among the people
or 80 much Importance was well regulated system
teemed by those who framed the constitution of the
United States that the States not permitted
to have any control It, lest the diversity of legis
aton should destroy its uniformity and regularity,
and impair its usefulness 1t may, indeed, be ques-
toned whether free government over such extensive
Qanfth a Tnifn
tanned without It, The perfection Of every such sys
tenn consists in the cheapness, speed, and security
with which communications fnterchanged between
different and distant portions of the community,
between different nations
Whatever may be the system adopted, the means for
Its support must be paid in some way by tax on the
people, for whose benefit it is established In the
United States, upon this point there has been little
no diversity Of opinion That 1t .hould be collected
charge on the matter conveyed in the mails obvi
ously just, as scarcely to have been questioned 1t
dition in life does not enable them to participate in It's
advantages, should be called on by other modes of
taxation to contribute to It's support. The
arising from 1t have not heretofore been applied to any
other purpose except for short time during the
of 1872 nor have the enues derived from other
been applied to it's use except to aid in the eff
fort recently made for its Improvement It has been
made to depend upon itself and thereby giving to the
government the beet security for the faithful admins
traton Of It's finances. Perhaps other could
be adopted more equitable and just.
large number of the people have little or no con-
nection with the mail system. To subject that class
to share the burthen Of its support by direct tax or
by imposts levied upon the necessarie, Of life, would
meet it Is believed the appreciation Of but few disin.
terested citizens If this be the correct principle of
which the undersigned has doubt. every letter
package conveyed In the mails should pay just and
fair proportion Of s cost Of transportaton and other
expenses attending the delivery There should be
exception Any departure from it would unnecessarily
ncrease the amount to others who taxed for It's
If the government does not seek revenue from it
other than that necessary for the support Of the sys
tenn higher charge should be made than the cost Of
and the expenses attending the dev
cry Of each letter package 1t is difficult If not i'm
possible to ascertain with any degree of accuracy the
actual cost of each letter package conveyed in the
mails In country like ours, extending from the At
laDtic to the Pacific, and from the Lakes to the Gulf
one portion of it covered with cities and villages, de-
facility for speed and cheap transportation Others
sparsely populated, without any improvements
whatever, scarcely requiring weekly mail, the
cost of transportation must necessarily vary, aud
change, often contracts have to be
made. In two sections Of the country, pro-
badly on NO two mail routes. would the cost of
be the same short time since, the
mail was transported daily over one route IA miles, In
four horse post coaches at the rate of Ave cents
annum. On other routes similar service will cost $50
to 81 0O0 In all such cases, the cost of each letter
or package must depend, in some degree, upon the
every years. the price the service depends
upon considerations onnecte6 with travel over the
route the chances Of competition, cost Of supplies &C.,
as well as upon the distance. The expense of re-
ceiving forwarding, and delivery will slightly increase
the cost Of each according to the distance 1t s
veyed or the number of persons through whose
It must pass but neither these nor all of them toge
ther will more affect the cost Of than the number
conveyed in the mails and that depends in . great
degree upon the rate of postage.
IT, however cost of each could be easily and
curatey it's want Of uniformity would pre-
In ascertaining standard by which the rates to
be adjusted the cost different routes in the several
sections Of the Union, the distance to be conveyed
the expense in the Offices Of receiving forwarding and
delivery, are too minute and unmportant to deserve
much consideration.
The best and the only practicable criterion, will be
the expense Of the whole system compared with the
venue, and the adoption Of such rate experience
shows to be enough to make the one meet the other
approaching as nearly as possible the cost.
Prior to the passage of the Of lS45 the rates of
postage letters adjusted according to the
Fsrent sums paid according to the distance they
conveyed as If that was the principal element In esti
mating the cost The principle was not entirely sban-
doned by the act Of 1845 though much simplied and
improved; while charging by the piece is entirely sur
rendered, and the more just and equitable mode BY
To- the of s
purposes For series of years prior to that
Time the expenditures regularly exceeded the income
for the eight years preceding the passage Of
The act These deficiencies occurred while the trsns-
poration gradually diminshed within the last four or
that If the high rates of postage had been continued
the service must have been greatly diminished large
sums of money drawn annually from the Treasury for
It's use.
This result may be mainly attributed to two causes
First the multiplication of railroads and steamboat
lines augmented the expense of the mail transporta-
ton from $4o412a in 1885, to the 3Oth Of
June, 1876; more than double the former mail pay,
whilst to individuals the expense of
diminished than half Second, the high rates Of
postage and the reduced fare for travel enabled the
presses to enter into with the Department
by conveying letters out of the mails. This business
was extensively carried on, Notwithstanding the
penalties Of the law and the energetic and determined
efforts Of the Department to enforce them.
ha Nt nf Id kho ofoa of ato0o
than onehalf and substituted the halfounce for sim
sic letter, in lieu of the single piece Of paper.
Al the close of the first year, Both June, 1s46 the
deficiency proved much less than was expected only
to 1897 09s and at the end of the second
year only to $254 while at the end Of the third year
there found surplus 232 beyond the proper
expenses of the year, notwithstanding the very great
increase in the service in each of the This
caused not only by IL Of the but by
a reduction of the expenditures nearly equalns the
increase That, however, exceeded the expectation Of
the friends Of the act.
The increased business in the Offices, and the i'm
prOvement of the uder the rates of