Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-01-05
DO JUSTICE TO ALL.


:, :, liam. amethyst, with gold guard and rich golc
> rated scabbard.
S DO JUSTICE TO ALL.
: No one rejoices more sincerely than oursclve
r in The increased diffusion OF intelligence anon
!. the people, by means OF the cheapest po,aces
provided they are sufficient 10 sustain the De
: partment-but, in The name of justice and righ
VIC protest against any system, which, by exclu
sively benefitling The commercial and manuac
/ turing communities OF The North, would Law
heavy bur,htn upon The great agricultural inter
esls OF The Country. We are in favor Of sucl
rates as will deiray all expenses and agains
+ those which would be charge upon he Treasu
~, 10 be paid by taxation oui Of the common
fund. Mr.. Gogsin's BILL reported to the House
proposes the following reforms:
Postage three cents, pre- paid, for all distances
for halt ounce letters.
Not prepaid, five cents for all distances
Newspapers over 1900 square inches and under
500, one half cent, prepaid.
Over 1900 square inches, one cent prepaid.
Autographed advertisements, one cent prepaid.
Transient newspapers Two cents prepaid.
Thanking privilege 10 continue as il is. Pamph.
lttsi TWO cents Tor ea( q
copy when Of no greater weight than one ounce,
repaid.
Our objection 10 the prepayment on newspa.
pers is obvious; it would destroy The smaller
newspapers Tor the monopoly OF the larger Jour
mails. We pass over this ilem which we cannon
believe will be seriously pressed, and come to The
main questionable proposed reduction TO three
nn,I an lof,a ~; L..
fcient 10 sustain The Department. So far from
il, Major Hobbie, the Assistant Postmaster &C.
neral, whose long, able and very interesting Re-
nort is universally commended by The press, and
WAC advocates the reduction OF letter postage 10
three cents without regard 10 distances, bases his
government is 10 pay million ef'dolia,s 10 sus-
tain the Department. Is this fair and Just a.
and can the people al large be satisfied with III
We cannot believe SO; and we ask The communi-
" 10 study the following conclusive article from
the Union OF December 18Th, which is reple,e
with ruth and good sense:
CHEAP POSTAGE.
Tni, suffice, tacts much attention since the
report OF the Postmaster General has been pub
sideraion in Congress. The subject has been
taken up by the Cnrap Postage Association in
New York; and We regret to see that the associa-
lion, as well as certain editors do the greatest iC
justice 10 the Postmaster General, in the strong
declarations they make Of his former hostility 10
the cheap-postage system, which is mainly in
TERED from his having vocd agans, The bill OF
1915. The Postmaster General was favorable to
a re.uction Of postage whilst in Congress bur
wished 10 reduce The high rates gradually So as
not 10 make ii charge upon the treasury, and
opposed 10 The acl OF l6a5, under the impression
lha, the reduction was too great 10 be made al
once. He apprehended that il could mo- be made
10 sustain itse. under SO great reduction. If
lhn Ghean p4s." o.,-vt No A'vssIiass,i ucuc-
raj, they would have seen that The present Prcs-
porous condili.n OF the Departments is As much 10
be attributed 10 the reduction IF crpsalssS as 10
the increase Of business in the Offices. The IN
crease has been Very great; but without reduction
in The expenditures, the revenues would have
been now near han million Of dollars below
them; and such would now have been The case,
if the increase Of business in the Offices had
produced a corresponding Increase in The ex-
penses, as il did in E0gland. TIE tables Due-
lished by the Cheap Postage Association in BoS.
ton show, lha. The expenses oil The cheap. postage
system in England increased more rapidly than
those Of The hostages, as great as they are repre-
sented 10 be. The association does not seem 10
remember tina, The laiif Of hostages may be too
low, as we'll as loo high for the purpose OF reve.
nue.; and the great objec. OF getting revenue
enough 10 support The system MAJ be defeated, as
well by The one as The other. The report Of the
Postmaster General proves, beyond question, hit
the rates prior 10 The act of 1925 were TOO high
for thai pur pose-a deficiency Tor eight successive
wears is conclusive. l; will be easily shown that
The rates proposed by the Cheap Postage Associa-
ion. as we'll as the bills of Messrs. Mics and
Gogsin are 100 low 10 raise the requisite revenue
The expenses Of The present year will amount
% near tour and half millions, and Tor Inc next
wear about three hundred thousand more, a esii-
mattel in The report OF the Postmaster General IL
is not probable, as the whole Union has been lei
10 contract under the law OF l645, lha, inrIher
reduction of The expenditures can be expected
Indeed il the service continues 10 increase, as II
mus, 10 from the Iecen! extension Of our terrific
IT,, We cannot safely calculate upon less ex-
,endilure than about five millions OF dollars al
Ter the rresen, year. Nearly that sum must be
raised from hostages on letters and newspapers
Il will be seen from The report, thai less Than
sixty millions OF paying letters passed IN ough
the mails the las! year, yielding revenue oil So
| 55O,3O4. About one-touilh OIL this sum arises
| from The len-cent rate. II The Two cent rate had
been in operation, and The same number oil let
| tiers passed IN me mdus, INC IeFtuue WYNN hase
| been but ono million two hundred thousand dol
lars; leaving a deficiency OF more Than three
millions, 10 lie supplied from newspaper postage,
which only amounted last year 10 about S75OO
near twenty per cent. higher than any former
wear. How is this deficiency 10 De supplied =
The Cheap Postage Association says, IRON the
great increase OF leters II the letters were tre-
bled in The next year-which no man could rea-
sonably expect in This country-still there would
be left great deficiency 10 be supplied from The
General revenues The number OF letters 10 the
mails have been doubled in four years under the
present rates. II upon the reduction TO two cents
ihey should be again doubled in The next four
years, the drain from the treasury would be over
one million annually, if The expenditures shoult
not increase. II such great increase in the bu
siness OF the Office, should follow, The expense:
in every branch OF the service would increase a:
i! did in England, and would probably exceed si'
millions before the close OF the next adminisIa
ton.
Grea, stress is laid upon The operation OF III
cheap postage system in England and lis ope
ration wholly perverted or overlooked by some o
its advocates. Upon examining the tables a
published by the Cheap Postage Association il
Boston, ii will appear that for the last year o
the his ID rates OF postage ending 5th cl January
1910, the whole revenue was 20 800, 10
And for The first year under their
penny system, ending The 5!h Of
January, 1S4l, amounted 10 1883 46
Deficiency 1881 20
/ Making deficiency for the first year oil abou
: tour and a half million OF dollars.
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