New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-10

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estabaiahed M to Iuy, 1850, is 29s, she revenue
OF the wear ls49 Increased TO g greater &uoaas ~
$4,000 than bad ever before been collecseu ~
any one year by the Post0hiee since lss go
shmens and after paying all its expenses nesr
remained e69l6a2 81 as surplus OF s sos 10 70
and on the lat Of jay, 1850 there were 90''''
the credit Of the Department ,;.,,ted They
These arc facts which cannot oe disPvss-d o,orons
stsye ma in the face as coDnadcting al vs.
and alarming predictions OF the ~ asitared in
posthga wben the subject W' ~S -acnt condition
Congfess This statement OF su rr9ssnts atriking
Vi soe oSF ~. oantsioed in the report OF hoh'
contrast ~ sn Grjnuen and jerks presented 20 the
Messts 0S p saanssseptatves in May, 1874 Under
100 linn Of the old s5stem Oh nsn coatees W
which the Department. ana many aieinoers " o'S
We 81 that time chung with Unfinchlng parfnafi-
the Reoort staten that Is the expenditures OF tue
Sost Office Experimentation 1910 70 l843, inclusive,
exceeded the receipts by s568.00O and Inc mum
berof mica of Post Roads, in the same period, nad
been diminished 243, $40 miles MISUNDERSTANDING
these beneficial resuts from the postsi reouc1on o
nostese there are some who, not having examined
the subject no doubt honestly believe that further
redpctign 70 q uniform rats OF two cents prepaid,
will nrove AZ disastrous in its effects 90 was pre-
dicted by the opponents Of the law OF 1919 Many
hesitate to support tbs measure fearing 'nst IL WIN
not pay the ex penses OF the Post Once, and toat
tbis will furnish an excuse to the Department FOR
vent the extension Of them TO places where shey
are needed Bat IN reply 70 this objection 1t 10 Only
necessary 10 state thai it will be the duty OF Con
eress TO provide for any deficiency which may ARISE
from the adoption of cheap postage Tor one OF swo
years and a very ANAL amount. WIN the surplus
now on baud, will bs amply autticlent TO meet all
the wants of the Department 10 maintaining ana
extending the postal facilities OF the country
The large amount, computed az S9,000,00O Is
now due TO the Post Offce for the services 1t mas
rendered TO the Government without charge ana
surely Congress will not hesitate to appropriate
Unnecessary, email portion OF that sum, to afford
to the people the blessings OF cheap postage.
&, This anbiect should not be discussed without an
examination Of the question in financial point OF
view. Some may think as the preSeht rates OF
postage have proved 30 successful that we had
better continue them as they now exist, or II any
change ia made proceed cautiously, and Others are
willing 70 adopt three cents prepaid aod hye II not
TO neither OF these propositions are We willing 10
accede because they ere at variance with the Pc
titions Of the people, and sound policy.
The Millions who have pesitioned for two cents,
will not be salts fed with the above rases-nor
would these measures If adopted, ylslo 10 Inc We,
nsrsmept the revenue which two cents prepaid
will produo To those who fearthat itwould be dan
gerous to adopt this low rate, We would submit the
following results OF this plan in England, where 1t
has been in operation for the last ten years. by
the official returns Of the British Post Oitics, we
learn that under the old hgh-rate sJstem the num-
Der of letters remained nearly stationary for seve-
raj years at 76 600 600; but during the past year
Of cheap postage, they increased to l69, 900 Oo0-
The number has been annually increasing, and the
last wear there passed through the Post Office IN
Great Britain upward of 356,000,000 of letters.
This remark able increase has taken place IN ten
years. What has the revenue derived from she
cheap or penny two cents) pontagei
The grofs OF tho Post Ocsin l8l9 wasSl0 1859
Cost OF experimenting the IO6,zs
70 G this se@ should be added $3.50 for the
conveyance of tho mails by railways in previous
years, which makeB the net revenue in l849 amount
to a. 6s2659 This is the financial result OF Cheap
Postage in Great Britain.
Perhaps it will be said that we cannot expect
suoh an increase of letters in our country as In
Great Britain. viii any one give substantial
reaaon why they will not increase In proportion to
our populations La not education more widely Dill
fuaed among our people? and is not the proportion
of those who read and write vastly greater than in
Great Britainf
Are not our citizens as enterPrisiug in the pur
suits ofindustry, trade and commerce. Are we
not as inquistive, desiring to derive Information
from every source, upon all the subjects connected
with the active business of life Are not oar peo
pie more migratory, extending from Passamaqusd
DIV to the Gulf of Mexico and thence 30 the Pacific
Ocean, carrying with them the love OF home, and
desiring to hold conatant epstolary intercourse
with the friends they have left behind I Who
will then say that If we give them as cheap
postBge and equal facilities to those enjoyed by the
people of Great Britain, that we shall not have as
great an increase OF letters in proportion to the
number of our population
10 prove that this would be the result, we will
again advert TO the fact that during the old system
the number OF letters for eevera years was nearly
stationary at "a Oo0000 and that under the present
partial reduction of postage, they have Increased
in fDuPy RI IN then
conclude that ii our postage were "a cheap ae III
Great Britain our people would write four fold what
they now write, and all letters would be sent
through the Poat Office,
Its believed by some that in consequence OF our
large extent Of country and sparsely settled pop
uaton we oannos afford 20 carry letsera for cents,
or as cheap as In Great Britain, where the pupula-
ton Ia more compact and the expense OF transport
ing the mails much less We will examine she
force of this objection. According to the beat in
formation the oost OF the transportation Of our
msils in l84s, Notwithstanding the extent Of our
country Inclusive OF Terrisores), was not ten per
cent greater than that Of Great Britain, the differ
ence for that ysar amounting only to S2lS,793.
This shows that the extent OF country does not
greatly increase the coss of the transportation of
the mails, because we do our work in the Post
Office and carry our mails much cheaper Our
rivers and lakes enable us to convey our mails at 3
cheaper rate than by railroads. If tho cost Of car
rying cur mails is 10 per cent greater, the manage
nsnt of our Post Office costs much leas as will ap-
pear from the following statement;
The coat OF the management OF the British Pos oce
Do do Of The o. D. Poss Ones in 447S o6
iSess Than that Of Great Britain by...u.$2 5S7 2l
These facts are founded on official returns, and
We would AJAX, What force is there in the objection
that I'VE cannot sustain the Post Office Depart
ment with as cheap postage as ia now charged in
Great Britain
Che Bill presented by majority ofthe Commit
toe on the Post Office and Post Roads, recon.
mends cents for single letter weighing half an
ounce, If prepaid, and cents il not
&c this provision of the Bill the undersigned
have two general objections, One H, that it is not
In accordance with the petitions presented to Con-
Sreas and the seeced ia, that it Is not the rate
which will satisfy the people, or promote the true
intereats and prosperity Of the Post Ofice Deparr
ment' fust Ths thousands Of petitions contain
ing hundreds OF thousands Of names of the best oit
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