Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-12-13
act Of 1916 by three hundred thousand seven hun
Il red and forty EIGHT dollars

hundred and eight miles i'm extent--beng In
crease during the last year Of nine thousand three
hundred and ninety miles. The mails We're trans
ported over them, during tire time, forty-one
million twelve thousand five hundred and seventy
nine miles; making increase Of transportation foi
the year of two million hundred and twenty
four thousand six hundred and eighty miles, whilst
the expense was less than that Of the previous year
by four thousand two hundred and thrty-fve dol
lars.
The increase in the mail transportation within
the last three years has been five million three hun
dred and seventy eight thousand three hundred and
ten miles, whilst the expenses Were reduced four
hundred and ffty-s thousand seven hundred and
thirty eight dollars making an increase of service
at the rate Of fifteen per cent, and reduction in
the expenses Of more than fifteen per cent.
During the past year there have been employed
under contracts with the Post Office Department,
two ocean steamers in conveying the mails month
ly between New York and Bremen, and one, since
October last performing semi monthly service be-
tween Charleston and Havana and a contract has
been made for the transportation Of the Pacific
mails across the isthmus from Chagres to Panama
Under the authority given TO the Secretary of
the Navy three ocean steamers have been construct
ed and sent TO the Pacific and are expected to en-
ter upon the mail service between Panama and
Oregon and tie intermediate ports, on the first of
January next, and fourth has been engaged by
him for the service between Havana and Chagres ;
so that regularly monthly mail line will be kept
up after that time between the United States and
our territories on The Pacific.
Notwithstanding this great increase in the mail
service, should the revenue continue to increase
the present year as it did in the last, there will be
received near four hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars more than the expenditures.
These considerations have satisfied the Postmas-
ter General that, with certain notifications of the
act of 1915, the revenue may be still further in-
creased, and reduction Of hostages made to Uni
form rate OF five cents, without Interference
with the principle, which has been constantly and
properly enforced, of making that Department sus-
tain itself.
well-digested cheap postage system is the best
means of difusing intelligence among the people,
and is OF so much Importance in a country SD eX-
tensive as that of the United States, that recon-
mend to your favorable consideration the sugges-
tons Of the Postmaster General for its improve
ment.
Nothing can retard the onward progress Of our
country, and prevent us from assuming and main
tanning the first rank among nations but disregard
of the experience Of the past, and recurrence to an
unwise public policy. We have just closed for
eign war by an honorable peace-a war rendered
necessary and unavoidable In vindcatOn of the ma
tiona rights and honor. The present condition of
the country is similar in some respects to that
which existed Immediately after the close of the
war with Great Britain in 1875 and the occasion
is deemed 10 be proper to take retrospect of
the measures of public policy which followed tina,
war. There was at that period of our history de-
parture from caller policy. The enlargement
of the powers of the Federal Government by con-
structiOn which obtained, was not warranted bvany
just Interpretation of the constitution. few years
after the close of that war, series Of measures was
adopted which, united and combined, constituted
what was termed by their authors and advocates
the American system"
Hha of H.,
time favored by the condition of the country by
the heavy debt which had been contracted during
the war; by the depression of the public credit by
the deranged state Of the finances and the currency
and by the commercial and pecunary embarrass-
ment which extensively prevailed. These were
not the only causes which led TO its establishment.
The events OF The war with Great Britain, and the
embrrrassmens which had attended its prosecution,
had left on the minds of many of our statesmen the
impression that our Government was not strong e.
nough, and that to WELD its resources successfully
In great emergencies, and especially in war, more
power should be concentrated in its hands, This
Increased power they did not seek to obtain by the
Legitimate and prescribed mode--an amendment OF
the constilution-but by construction. They saw
Governments in the Old World based upon different
orders Of society, and constituted as TO throw
the whole power of nations into the hands of few,
who taxed and controlled the many without re-
sponsbility or restraint. In that arrangement they
conceived the strength of nations in war consisted
There was also something fascinating in the ease,
luxury, and display of the higher orders, who drew
their wealth from the toll of the laborng millions
The authors OF the system drew their ideas of DO
htlcal economy from what they had witnessed i'm
Europe, and particularly in Great Britain They
had viewed the enormous wealth concentrated in
few hands, and had seen the splendor of the over
grown establishments of an arstocracy which was
upheld by the restrictive policy. They forgot to
pll npn thp r,lac or al.
population, upon whose daily and yearly labor the
great establishments they much admired were
sustained and supported. They failed to perceive
that the scantly fed and half clad operatives were
not only in AFFECT poverty but were bound in chains
OF oppressive servltude for the benefit of favored
classes, who were the exclusive objects of the care
OF the Government.
1t was not possible to reconstruct society in the
United States upon the European plan Here
there was written constitution, by which orders
ard htes were not recognized OF tolerated. sys-
TEN OF measures was therefore devised calculated
1t not intended, to withdraw power gradually and
silently from the States and the mass Of the people
and by construction TO approximate our government
to the European models, substituting an aristocracy
of wealth for that of orders and titles.
Without rejecting upon the dissimilarity of orr
institutions, and Of the condition OF our people and
those of Europe, they conceived the vain idea of
building up in the United States system similar
to that which they admired abroad Great Britain
had a national bank of large capital, in whose
hands was concentrated the controlling monetary
and financial power of the nation an institution
welding almost kingy power, and exerng vast
iufluenne upon all the operations of trade, and up
on the policy Of the Government itself Great
Britain had AN enormous public debt. and it had
become part Of her public policy to regard this as
''publc blessing" Great Britain had also a re-
slricive policy, which placed letters and burdens
on trade, and trammeled the productive industry
OF the mass Of the nation. BY her combined sys-
TEN of policy, the landlord and other property
holders we're pr,tcctpd and enriched hy tho o,,'r