Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1848-03-23


Tribune remarks upon uniform two cents postage for
letters and one cent for newspapers, as follows:
We do not think two cents enough for carrying a
letter from Passamaquoddy and delivering it at
Oregon City, Saltillo or the Bay of San Francisco
We would prefer to say-Under 500 miles, 2 cents ;
under 800, D cents; 1900, 10 cents; and we
think these rates ought to pass for cheap postage
As TO Newspapers they ought 10 be prepaid unless
regularly to subscribers who pay their Postage
quarterly In advance, which consider the best sort
of prepayment.
We think Mr.. Greeley cannot have reflected with
his usual force on this subject and must have failed to
get clear view of the grand principle of Rowland
Hills system. According to Mr.. Hill, distance is so
tring element that it does not deserve to enter
into the account Of the expense of postage however
large the country. Your mails once established may
as well go full as empty therefore that rate will
pay best, well the people best which draws
the letters into the mail. The people of Oregon
City and PassamaquOddy are like oil the rest of the
world. They will write five times many letters at
2 cents at 10 cents. Let US see whether their
letters can be carried from one place to another for
cents.
Buffalo robes, weighing have tested Silbs.
each are brought from the foot of the Rocky Noun
tains TO Boston and sold for S450 piece, yielding
satisfactory profit to all parties That Is only one
cent and sir mills the half ounce for transportation,
first cost and all, and surely it costs something to
down and skin the buffalo, to say nothing of dressing
i
provided there Is any truth in the rule of three, IT
might be made to appear to any body, that if $50
half ounces of buffalo cutcle and wool be got off
from the creatures back and brought from the head of
the Yellow Stone Missouri to Boston, 200 miles,
without counting the bends of the rivers, at profit,
for S4 So then go half ounces of dry paper may be
brought from Oregon City to Passamaquoddy, say
800 miles further, for $3.50, or two cents the half
ounce For, counting the first cost of the buffalo
skin the low figure of 80 cents, then the will
be, as
1900 miles to 5000 miles, so is
S4.O0 to S5.45,
which means that government would make a profit,
far the weight is concerned, carrying letters
from Oregon Passamaquoddy for less than
each. The only financial question which remains IT,
will correspondence increase In proportion to the
diminuton Of the rate! On this point the best and
only light we have is experience and common sense,
both Of which unite in testifying that it will
i But we are ashamed to argue the question with a
mind so patriotic and humane as Greeley's SO low
a ground. 1t to that every consideration
which pertains TO the value of union and domestic
trade in such an extended country ours proclams
that the government should carry tho letters of the
people for even less than cost On that principle un
productive mail routes through our remote settlement.
have always been justified, and doubtless the enhance
ment OF the value of the public lands by their infu
ence has been far greater than the cost Of those
routes to say nothing of the comfort and convenience
of the settlers Let postage in the hearof the coun
try be what may, 1t seems TO US that sound republic
can policy should lead US to make intercourse be-
tween the extremites perfectly free-that is to i'm
pose a postage upon 1t no more than sufficient tC
prevent wanton abuse of the privilege. Dimes may
be nothing TO city merchants, but they much t.
struggling settlers in the forest, and decide the ques
ton whether or not they to keep up their ties o
affection with the land they have left.
= A word on newspapers. We do not understand the
Tribune TO object to cent postage newspaper
for all distances. Surely it cannot insist upon cent
in advance for transient papers. If newspapers
to pay cent postage from publisher 10 subscriber
then any person should be allowed to send through
the mail by attaching cent stamp to it. This wout
not discourage the present law does, the newspape
intercourse of people in the city with their friends
customers in the country. But we think in repub
lie like ths the least that government should do 70
the intelligence aud education of the people is TO lie
all papers regularly taken and paid for 90 throug
the Pos, Office free. Other printed matter should b
, allowed to pass through the mails at one cent tia
half ounce for oil dstanceS-whIch, in our opinion
also, would be tie right postage for lctters.C Chrome
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