Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-05-11
CHEAP POSTAGE.
To the Editors ofthe National Llteligencer:

To the Editors ofthe National hteAgncer:
n would ask the favor of small space in your valuable
paper reference 10 subject of much nteres; party
politics. rI have desire mirge therewi h. but subject
which all are more interested and benefited by
legislation aude the proposed change in The Of post
age and in reference the bill introduced into the Senate
by Senator RUsK It appears TO me that bis bill may be still
further improved without any material dmnuton in
from newspapers and great deal Of trouble, particularly
in the small country Offices, in fifty of which pays
| adequate compensation 10 the Postmaster.
The Post Office established for the benefit Of ALL whe-
Their far removed from correspondents. If there is
deficit in the Of this Department. from whence the
supply And surplus, required by the service where
does 60 to The is from and to the Treasury Of
the Federal Government Hence the obvious justice and
propety Of making all the uniform regards distances
The justice is perceived of charging individual double
TREBLE used be the practice because his correspondent
removed hundred miles further than his neigh
boris. All cannot reside together. Few of the small
route, yield sufficient pay the contractors the deficit is
made good by hose profitable and must be in the
nature Of things. ... III. ". ......
On larger scale that certain of the States pay
larger surplus of postage the Department. and above
the of six to hundred thou
sand doars-wh other States less densey populated but
equally entitled all the benefits Of the SYSTEM fall very
nearly much shot Of the Of transportation in their
ton The Department must be sustained, even if Goes not
support itself by its originally intended
The above applies with equal force to the Transmission of
newspapers letters; but the bill proposes continue the
old vexaous rate of and half newspapers
given distance This has always proved Of loss,
trouble, and difficulty, both to the posaste the corps el
orial and those who subscribe for the paper 1t is
that the exact change be made and, although be
considered small matter is with small items that the whole
revenue Of the Department is made For these reasons the
rate newspapers, (of ordinary size if not for all zos
well letters should be uniform for all distances have
been postmaster for many years. and from long familiarity
with all the details of cce and the of postage pre-
vousy established and comparing the returns from my Office
at those periods with the present lower rates, or
single office FIRMS criterion to judge by doubt enter
tanned that the rates letters might ssy be reduced quite
low proposed by the bill introduced into The Senate,
and ''heres the rubCongress will abolish ranking
privilege 1t is incubus, and like milestone to drag
down the whole system. ... RI. &..~ ~
Few, comparatively Of the immense mass of free
matter with which the mails annually burdened. BY
reference TO the report of late Postmaster General will be
that of free packages dispatched weekly from
Washington and for period of three ,oeehs only during
session Congress- when kept there
the of about sixteen and half
per week! And this is exclusive, too of fortyw
thousand free letters and packets in transtu at the
time Congress and the Executive Departments, amount
ing numbers to 1884, $50 free letters packets, and docu
mens for the documents alone nearly 400 0O0 and for
period of three ks Taking this fair average of the
session of thirty-,hee weeks doubtless INTENDED,
and probably near the msrks would appear that four
million hundred and eghyone thousand three hundred
and fifty free letters and packets sent from Wash
ngon session y in egh, for the free documents,
| over one hundred and eighty tons
In times of high party excitement il has not been
to see from fifty hundred and fifty anked doca-
ments in single onehorse mail each weighing from
ounces most likely not in ten ever read, but
only used by the recipient waste paper Most of the
speeches of sufficient interest previously published and
widely circulated in the newspapers. of importance enough
the members of Congress pay for printing their speeches
in pamphlet form for gratutous distribution, at about fifty
cents per hundred the average cost would they also us
fy the payment of small amount of postage
How long, permit to ask, will the great body of the
people Of this country submit TO be thus taxed in their POSTAGE
that comparatively few should and then have free
document to them More frequently perhaps than other
wse if "speeches made for Buncombe they of lit
tie public utility. Dsbuden the mail of such
fueless NATTER and the contracts could be made
greatly reduced scale quite sufficient is believed, us,i-
y the reduction on haounce letters each pre-
pid, and cent each newspapers for all distances.
Congress is sufficiently patriotic to give up the ranking
prvege-and surely might expect TO find much Of this
virtue halls OF legislation they said should exist wi
the country postmasters who expected literally 10
the public for nohinghere be doubt judging from
past experience that the reduced rates will in very
brief period, not the first year. furnish ample funds in oil
the lettings contractors to compensate them literally
as they paid In many the contractors would
from onehird onehalf Of the present expense and
of could with equal profit ransT the mails pro-
: portionably low rates.
Experience hos abundany proved, both in England and
this country, that the ranking privilege is retained by the
legislative department Of the Government the rates Of postage
be reduced what they otherwise might safely
What would ask has been the practical result England
by aboshiDg this long cherished object there gives
the people the blessing of penny postage and affords the
Government clear surplus of four millions
dollars annually Isthee lees paosm less devotion to the
public will in Congress than there is the Parliament
England Nor is the ter Of dollars and the
alone inducement to advocate the change it would greatly
tend by increased correspondence, and the interchange
mind with mind, to elevate the intellectual the me ra and
: the social condition of the whole country.
There is large and increasing surplus revenue in The
Department. little short Of million of dollars and there has
been time perhaps with fair prospect of
as at the present. for the people to take this their
own hands and mpsh this long desired reform With
proper energy and perseverance il be effected for all
classes and all conditions in society, alike intere ed
True, the bill reported to the Senate proposes sbosh
fapking privilege Except in few and very proper cases.
provided any real necessity existed for the exceptions which
b believed be the CASE and so did previous bill; but
did pass No. II well remarked in the report refer
Ia