The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-12-19
EXTRAORDINARY RECOMMENDATION OF THE
P. NJ GENERAL ADVANCING BACKWARDS

ne report Oh the Postmaster General j. ,
busness-ike document and deserves CONNECT.
ton in many respects--but not in all An -
lightened correspondent calls our attention 70 .
Recommendation in the report which had esc,no1
our notice. IL is as follows: -
81 recommend that the inland letter nos,,.o /.
reduced to three cents the SINGLE letter when ~
paid, and be fixed at the uniform rate of FIVE can,.
when not prepaid and, also, that the Postmastsr
General be required to reduce this prepaid rote
to TWO cents the single letter, whenever il shall he
sscertaihed mat the revenues Of the Department
ai'er .he reductions now recommended, shall have
exceeded its expenditures by more than Eve nor
cent. for two consecutive fiscal years.
In recommending reduction on letters TO Cal.
ifornis and Oregon, he also advises that the post
age be charged on the single letter. Now. what
does all this meant We were under the impress
sion that, if there were any well settled principle
Of postage reform, it was, that letters should be
charged by neigh, and not by the piece. This was
one OF the grand features of the reform in Eng
land. In this country, charging by the piece was
found to be troublesome, uncertain, incompatible
with the confidence Of private correspondence
admitting Of great abuses. When charging Nv
weight was substituted the whole country was
satisfied, and since then, not dissenting voice has
been uttered. The subject has been considered
so completely settled, that nobody has dreamed Of
the necessity of discussing it, And yet we find
the Postmaster General, without assigning anv
reasons, without intimating the slightest dissati8.
faction with the present mode of charging, with
out pretending that it is not the safest the most
coUvenisat the best in every resI1c., rscSmu.s
ing that letters be charged by the piece, Instead
of by the weight! This is advancing backwards
viz n. yaaS"en>r (e RE seceg.s, n i-1,i3 1c
adopted, the use of envelopes, now 50 import
ant as guard to private correspondence, and es
pecially to money-letters, must be discontinued
for it will subject the letters to double postage
Every clerk will be obliged TO examine into
letter so far as he can manage without breaking
the wafer, to see whether it be single one.
mere note, not weighing quarter of an ounce,
must pay as much postage rs a huge thick folio
weighing an ounce or more
Where has MIR Hall been living? We thought
he was New Yorker people of that ilk are not
apt to be 30 far behind the times, or to take the
lead in q retrogrsde march,.
What is the use of haggling any longer about
the necessary reform? Our own experience, and
that of England bear witness to the fact that two
cents letter postage on half an ounce or under
for all distances will defray all legitimate charges
for conveyance and distribution The Depart.
ment was full of apprehension when the rates
were reduced from % and 49,, to 0 and cents
that the Treasury would have to be taxed TO make
up the deficiency and when its appreheusons
were proved to be groundless, 1t ventured with
fear and trembling to suggest that, possibly Eve
cents uniform rate might not endanger the estab.
lishment! So we have gone on, tnkering and
trembling, until, with the whole burden of frank.
ing ssddled upon it, the Department has in its
Golfers net balance of eleven hundred thousand
dollars--and now, we have another faiut-hearted
Recommendation that the postage be reduced to
three cents on single etters-a half step in adj
vance, whole step backwards o, Common
Sense, when shall thy mantle fall upon our Exec
utive officers
We do hope that Congress will put an end to
all this trifing
Give us substantial and final reform The
People have decided in favor of 2 cents uniform
rate, for half an ounce all distances Give us
that, and no half way measure; and to put the
working of it beyond peradventure, relieve the
Peoples correspondence of the burden of the
Fraukiug Privilege and make an appropriation
out of the Treasury to pay the correspondence
of Congress, as well as that Of the Departments.
Let every tub stand on its own bottom" Two
cents half ounce will amply pay for the PEG
pies correspondence all distances lfit be neces
sary to pay for the correspondence of Congress
and the Departments, pay for it as you pay for
their services--out of the Treasury.