Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-02-22

postage OF letters TO uniform rate Of two cents The bill
from the House proposes uniform rate of three cant, and
makes an appropriation Of no less than one million Eve hun
ded thousand dollars to make up any decsncy that there
may be In the Of the Post Office Department in con-
sequence of the reduction. The honorable Senator from
Texas has proposed substitute making the rates three
for prepaid letters and five cents for unpaid letters This he
tells us, will in his Judgment and in the Judgment of thu
General be adequate the Of the
department. and therefore be does not propose any
ton of q million and half Of dollars. "A u'n-
The honorable Senator from New York. however now
proposes the rate Of two cents to be prepaid but does not tell
what appropriation would be necessary in order to meet
the deficiency in the OF the department. which NAV
accrue in consequence Of it. Undoubtedly il will be- more
than million and half Of dollars. presume will be me-
cessay, if adopt the proposition of the honorable Senator
from New York, to make appropriation Of not less than
millions of dollars in order the deficiency that
will certainly in the of the department For
one decidedly in favor Of cheap postage the one
hand and the other am for supporting the department
of the that will from postage letters
newspapers &c. would not insist, however, in this bust
of reduction that the in the very first instance
should be adequate to meet the expenses of the department
II had believe that they would become adequate
within any reasonable period of Time might be prepared to
support the measure Of reduction that proposed by my hon.
orabe friend from New York But not prepared to
agree this reduction do not believe that
the of the department would be adequate support
for years to that rate 1t must be recoleced that
present postage ten cents for letter for any distance
exceeding three hundred miles, and five for all distances
IL
letters the very low of cents for any distance
matter how greats only for the transportation of letters
within the United States only when the transportation
Of letters is by land but also in all the where by
The rate will comprehend letters transmitted Oregon
and to California; where, venture to say, the actual of
transportation will be altogether than the rate proposed
by my honorable friend from New York. If we the
report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury, which hold in
my hand, will find that for the next fiscal year the es
Of the deficit in the of the Government are no
less than $685. To this he says to be added the
interest the stock be issued in favor of Texas and that
amount Of stock all know, is ten millions of dollars
making the deficit estimated by the Secretary Of the Treasury
for the next fiscal year about million and half of dollars
Now, If pass this bill it from the House,
we add another million and half Of dollars, making deficit
Of three millions And say that if pass the
bill from the House making those land warrants assgnabe
which we have issued bones to those who have been
gagged in the various Of the country since the
ment OF the present century, shall lose every dollar of
revenue which to from the public lands, which in
the report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury estimated for
the next fiscal year 600. All that would be swept
away and then, if pass this bill it from the
House, there is to be added appropriation of million and
half of dollars; and how much is be added in the
event OF the sweeping reduction proposed by the honorable
Senator from New York, know But do not believe
the treasury is in condition justify this enormous
reduction of postage. am in favor of cheap POSTAGE am
in favor of very considerable reduction but for pro-
ceedng in this business Of reduction with caution making
further than the condition Of the treasury would authorize
1t would to that the proposed by my hon
orabe friend from Texas proper reduction
three cents in all where the postage prepaid and five
cents where it is not prepaid makngia distinction, be-
eve the substitute Does between where the mails are
transported by land and where they transported through
foreign country in part, and partly by Or in other
words requiring, in the Of California and Oregon
addition to the rates. in consideration of the very great
pense which the Government is obliged incur in order to
perform the service between those parts Of the country and
other sections of the Union. 1t would me, therefore,
that the amendment proposed by my honorable friend from
Texas is udcious amendment; that it is safe and proper
that under it the Of the department
will probably be adequate to all the expenses and there
fore am decidedly in favor Of it, and not in favor of the bill
came from the House, in favor of the amendment of
the Senator from New York.
Mr. HAMLIN. had made some investigation of this
subject and bad prepared myself with certain figures which
desired to have presented to the Senate rather
the Senate the conclusions had drawn from facts which
had examined It neither wise e1pedien in my judy
ment to address the Senate at this late hour of its session in
long speeches. forego, therefore, the views which pro-
posed to present. But nasmuch design for the
amendment which has been offered by the Senator from New
Yok, desire to state briefly the which will control
my vote. ,a%g.gs
am in favor of maintaining tho Post Office Department
as separate branch of the Government general princi
pie, from its would fasten it the
treasury. would not make it dependant the treasury
Tor its support general system, and while adopt that rule
would not shrink from imposing slight burden temperate
y on the treasury for good In my judgment the
department. should pay for the services they receive, and
ii these very few years past all matter which properly
onged to the General Government every Senator knows
transmitted through the Post Office Department free of
charge Now, is working injustice to the people of the
whole country for them to contribute to the support Of this
Department. to pay for the postage Of the General Govern
nent Nor, is it working any injustice to them II should
ask of them to pay for what they have already received
Memorials have poured in upon from every section Of this
country. do not know how they may be- do
not know that the chairman Of the Committee the Post
Office and Post Roads could tell that They almost
ike sands upon the seashore. They from every hill
op and every valley There subject upon which there
been decided and general expression Of public
sentiment through the medium of petition upon that which
relates to cheap postage. What have they asked They
asked, believe almost uniformly, Of two cents
prepaid postage The substitute of the Senator from Texas
proposes nothing of the kind II proposes rate Of three
cents on prepaid and FIVE cents unpaid letters.
am in favor of adopting the amendment which the Sena
Tor from New York has offered, because believe within
very limited period of years will yield adequate
10 the support Of the Post Office Department. have aea-
tribute produce that result limited extent, and for
temporary period.
think the history of the penny postage system in Great
Britain should not be lost upon u.s. and that Senators should
not be alarmed have their fears excited that throw
ing this department upon the treasury, by establishing here
low a rate that which is in operation in Great Britain
The mercantile community all classes Of people in fact
competent the English the advantages of the
cheap postage SYSTEM And whatever may be Of that
system will be than true here The system that has
been found to effect such great results there may in my
opinion, be relied upon with the utmost safety here.
member, too very well the humble part took in ecting
the reduction Of postage in the other branch of the national
legislature, when reduced from the old the present
and a.