The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-01-25

THE UNION.

in favor of it, 1t was said that the British steamers
getting all heproh of carrying our letters across the
Atlantic. Great Britain was TO gain enough by me
transportation of letters to pay oil her national debt
Gentlemen talked about the income expected lren these
letters as The lrenZied imagination talks about The
eXhaustess wealth of California. Just give this line
OF Steamers and we will raise from the transportation OF
our letters such will make the very mouths
OF senators water 10 contemplate.
Well, sir, have had this experience; we have
laid out our mcney-Sl0O0 900 year-and What Is the
income The Postmaster General tells YOU moJesty,
in sou OF corner of his report--lt is thrown IN
as a sort of parenthess, which may be omitted with
out spelling The sense-tha this great INCOME this
yielding up of all that is over, this disgorgns OF The
long secreed treasures OF the Vastly deep" all OF II
amounted io--what? Sir when heard these vast ac-
counts of anticipated profits that we were to have,
thought that might be able. from the oveplus OF Inn
ess wealth. construct your bead, sir, panopy
something like that described as oveshadowng the throne
of the Great Mogul. which made of solid diamonds;
the four posts and canopy OF which were OF The ma
eTia and at the OF which sat peacock OF the
full size and all made OF diamonds And yet, SIR, all
this immense amount of wealth comes down TO the waist
coat pocket of $4,000! 100000 have been SPENT
be SPENT under this contract order to compete
with the Englsh-to break down the English monopoly
in carrying letters; and by holding that enormous source
of revenue further to embaass our great ocean enemy
In order do this, in order 10 crafty love OF money
and hatred of the Brtshanl in that last feeling
do most profoundly participate, SO Tar as the government
is concerned for do not spetk OF their peoplen order
to do this, sir, make this expenditure OF $i00O00and
here is profit; II amounts to $4,000 and some
fraction.
MIR DIX inquired who sustained this.
Mr. ALLEN. Some of did not vote for it, We
predicted tina, it would be bankrupt business.
But here sir starting upon the idea that our post Office
system should pay ol itself, although the constitution
had imposed the obligation upon MS oil establishing post
Offices and post roads, In our parolmony we had adopted
the principle that the establishment should pay Tor ilseiI
and we acted upon that idea until the obbes about
As long, sir as serving the people, and acting
according the behests of the people acted upon the
constitutional obligation TO establish these post offices
but when we went beyond the constitution, and went
into business upon which had no right TO enter-to
establish mail r0ues-then we abandoned the ldea
of making the post Ofce system pay It's own expenses
Ii we did not abandon it, what would have been our
condition upon the subject Here line that Ins over
nothing but wilderness OF waters carries 'he letters
for CIV merchants only for which we pay 100000
From that line we get in return $4,000
But sir, the very same year that we had these, we
Knocked down two hundred and ninety post Offices from
among the people. We knocked them down, sir; and
for what Because the arising from these post
offices did pay for keeping them up therefore down
they 60 They not in England, mind you, nor
in Bremen nor in Havre. They are among the people
Yes sir, while you putting up these European post
offices and establishing your ocean steamers, where the
expense quadupes, five times the ircome you are
Knocking down the post offices where you are consu
tionay bound TO keep them up because hey do not pay
for themselves Because the people IN Iowa or Wiscon
post Office every ten niles and 10 pay expenses you
make them travel thirty miles every time they wish to
enjoy the privileges of this medium OF communications
and tell them that the postolce system must pay Tor
itself Your Office does not pay for ITSELF and therefore
down with your office, we say to them
But not so, sir, with the polished and elegant gentle
men who usually visit this city about The opening OF
Congress- and who take up their quarters at the great
hotels the gentlemen who 10 get magnificent Jobs
done by the servants of the peeope-ihe gentlemen who
spend the vacation between the sessions OF Congress IN
planning, and plotting, and pa'avering. employing all the
resources of finance and mathematics determining the
shortest and most nallibe method OF enriching them
selves of the public treasury, and that IN single
session. When these gentlemen swarm about the cap,
toll and take up their abode in the splendid hotels and
have their papers in here Tor carrying the MAJ, be-
tween New York and Liverpool-when they come here,
and after they have spent three months IN billing and
cooling with the mcmbers-in iatterng this man with the
declaration that, " if only get your support such is
Your influence the Senate aud the country, that my
bill will be sure to go;" in telling another man,
"such Is your influence, my dear sir that you oppose
my bill, your very name will crush 1t, Tor your name
stands the natural antagonist OF corruption, AMI In
natural contrast to corrupon;" ana ending their soft
and soothing story with the request that i ne can
not vote for it, he might just step out of tho way
when the bill comes up, and offer no opposition &c it,
after all this billing and cooling, this laterng and pa
averng in which dozen or twenty ACCOMPLISHED gen
tlemen are engaged around obbes from one week
| end to anoher-aer all these appliances, visible or IN
visible have exerted their intuence-we lind it far more
easy pass bill, under that kind OF influence, than II
would be TO pass it under the influence Of the whole pub
lie mind of The country besides Yes, sir, these lobby
men, these undertakes, these jobbers these polished
tnanciers, whose ardor OF patriotism prompts them to
come here and suggest these gigantic schemes 10 the
government every year-they say, exert more infiu-
upon the action OF this government than million
OIL farmers Hdfu Al WUIk .iHSS
be got through in that way which all the petitions, and
all the memorials, OF all the farmers in America could not
stir in the houses OF Congressional not stir, sir
because the difference great between remote
and present personal importantly
Hence il is sir that though we started upon the prnci-
Pile that bound 10 keep up post Offices and post
roads, but would make each locality pay It's own expenses
yet, sir when we came to the matter OF melting obs
and forming contracts, abandon the idea upon which
we started and appropriate as we nave done ~ the
last three years. money for contracts to The amount OF
81 }3 1000 per annum. Why, as Will show IRON
other data the whole transportation OF the mail OF the
United States between thousand post offices, and
over forty millions OF miles per annup IN steamboats,,
BY railroad in coaches, and horseback the whole
gegate Of the internal transportation cost only lte over
two mlions--l believe about two millions and third
whereas thsex'enal transportation which has grown up
in four years-siven out as Jobs to Individuals where
Congress had right 10 egsa,e for an object alien to
peope-~hs external transportation has run up IN
four years than half the expense OF the entire
internal transportation.
When we ask, in behalf of three millions Of people,
that you would diminish your taxes the privilege OF
reading, to the extent of $4,000 per annumthat you
would encourage the intelligence OF the countrythat
you would open the communication still wider between
the people and each other, and between the people and
the government-that you would afford us still greater
guarantees by giving larger publicity to the institutions
of country when this is asked, the money-idea is
instantly started, and we say cannot do it, Why can
just about so much to carry the mail 10 Liverpool; and
so we give TO the Liverpool and New York man the
amount of $393,OOO.
We did this too by the advice of the Secretary of the
Navy who is of skilled in these matters, who has
ciphered it all up, who has grown pale over the mid
night lamp clpherng 1t up who has grown CHASTITY and
pale in this study sir--by his advice,
g hot,r