Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-12-11

lIltlINH vi li6 uuCh III OulhuI uuNhN'iH'N
t the last session OF Congress, and some slight !!
editions under the head of improvements and
ePajrs ia navy yards, buildings and machln y
Try.
| deem it Of much Importance to just econ II
my, md a correct understanding OF naval eX
,ruduurps that there should be an entire sepa-
-atnn Of The appropriations for the support OF
The naval service proper from those TOR perma-
nent improvements at navy yards and stations,
ard from ocean steam matt service, aud other
special objects assigned to the supervision Oh
this Department..
The report Of the Postmaster General here
with communicated, presents an Interesting
view Of the progress, operations, and condltloh
of his Department
AT the close of The last fiscal year, the length
Of mail routes within the United States was l9o''
800 miles; the annual transportation thereon
50 272 .252 miles; and The annual cost OF such
transportation S342l ,754.
Tne length Of the foreign mail route IS eSu-
mated ~ Is ;}4Y miles; and The annual 'ra''spor'
,atlou thereon at 6l5206 miles. The ANIMAL
cost OF This service is S ,472 ls7 of which S44o'
r37 IL paid by the Post Office Department, anu
81 1923 $50 is paid through the Navy Depart
nenl. - ~
The annual transportation vithin the United
Stntrs Z xcmdmg the seTvire III California anu
Oreuon, whlchla now. for the first tIme' report
A md embraced III the tabular statements OF
the D,pnrtut MY xceets that o' the preceding
ypar 6 1862 e55 mi es, at an Increased cost OF
547ll0
The whole number of post Offices in the Uni
ted States. on the BON day at Jnhr last, was
~ 196 There were 698 post offices estab.
h,h4d. and 256 discontinued, duing the year.
The gross revenues Of he department for the
fiscal wear. including the appropriations, tor the
ranked matter Of Congress, Of the departments
and officers Of Government, and excluding tne
foreign hostages, collected for ana "a ~ ece
The British post Office announce W.
o:rhc expenditures for the same period (exclu
ding $40. 500 40, paid under an award OF the
Audi or, in pursuance Of resolution of the
last Congress, for mail service on The Ohio and
Mississippi rivers in 1882 and 1888. and thu
amount paid to the British post Office for foreign
hostages collected for and payable to that office
amounted to $6,024, SOC 70; leaving balance
of revenue over the proper expenditures OF the
year of S7O3 800 80.
The receipts Tor hostages during the year Tex
GLIDING the foreign hostages collected for and
payable to the British post oAice) amounted to
$6342747 81, being an increase Of $997, 6l079,
or Is s. 100 per cent. over the like receipts Tor
the preceding year.
The reduction of postage, under the act of
March last, did not take effect until the com
menccment of the present fiscal year The &C
counts for the first quarter, under the operation
of the reduced rates will not be settled before
January next and no reliable estimate of the
;,,t. c.. tb,, Irot hn mod
1t is believed, however, that they will fall far
short Of those Of the last year. The surplus Of
the revenues now on hand is, however, so large
that no further appropriation from the treasury,
in aid of the revenues of the Department, is re-
qurtd for the current fiscal year; but On addi-
tlonal approprla ion Tor the year ending June 80,
1853, will probably be found necessary when
The receipts of the first two quarters Of the fiscal
year are fully ascertained.
In his last annual report the Postmaster Gen
era recommended u reduction of postage to
rates which he deemed as low as could be pru-
IDENTITY adopted, unless Congress was prepared
to appropriate from the treasury, for the support
OF the Department, sum more than equivalent
to the mail service performed by it for the Gov
eminent. The reco nnendations of the Post
naster General, in respect to letter postage, eX-
CeDl on ielltTS ltull dUu W CdIllOTHld ana OTG-
oon. were substantially adopted by the last Con
r,ess. He now recommends adherence TO tie
p,espnt rates. and advises against further re
ductlon until justified by the revenue OF the De-
partment.
! He also recommends that the rates of post
ace on printed matter be so revised us to render
them more SIMPLE, and more TN torn in their
operaion upon all clnsses of printed mailer. i
-ubmi! the reenn,ne nd ,t,0 Oh ''' 'epo'' -
The public statutes of the United States have
now been accommodating for more than sixty
years, and intrrs ptrsed wlb private acts, are
scattered through numerous volumes, and, from
the cost Of the who'c have become almost mac
Cessibl4 10 the gent mass of the community
Ihpy al so EXHIBIT much of The incongruity and
Imperfect ion OF hasly legislation. As it seems
10 ne generally conceded that there is 10 "cOni-
rlrn law" If the United States to supply the lie
tects OF their lhglSaton 1t ls most important
that that Legislation should be as perfect as pos
-lbl4. defining every power Intended to be con-
terred, every crime intended to be made punish
able, aud prescribing the punishment to be IN
hlcted. In addition to some particular cases
sp ken of more at length, the whole criminal
code is now amenrHbly defective. Some Of
fences are mperiectiy described, and others are
en,uey omitted; so that f1igrant crimes may
b. COMMITTED wnh mpunty. The scale OF
punishment Is not IN all ciseS graduated accord
nE TO The degree an nature Of the offence, and
Is often rendered more unequal b, the different
modes Of imprisonment. or penltentiary conhne
Ient. in the diff rent 5 ales
Many laws If Il peruanent character have
been inIrndn:ed mo appropriation bills, and 1t
is otte1 dltfituItto determine whether the partIc
N ,r puusp IpIih thu ;ob =,
Is part, or continues in force. 1t has also tre-
quehrIy happened that enactmnnts and proyls.
IONS OF law have been intro uced into bills. with
the title or general subject Of which they have
little or no cunnex on or relation. In this mode
OF legislation so mdny elactnents have been
heaoed upon each other, and often with but lit
lie consideration, that, in many Instances, it is
difficult to search out and determine which is
the law.
The government of the United States is EN-
phatlcaIIy government OF written laws. The
statutes should, therefore, as far us practicable.
not only be made accessible to all, but be OK
pressed in language so plain and simple as to
be understood by all, and arranged in such
method rs to give perspculty to every subject
Many OF the States have revised their public
acts with great and manifest benefit and I rec.
ommend that provision be made by law for the
appointment of a commission to revise the pub
he statutes of the United States, arranging them
in order, supplying deficiencies, correcting in.
congrues, simplifying their language and re-
porting them to Congress for its action.
An act of Congress approved S0h September,
1850, contained a provision for the extension Of
the Capitol according to such plan as might be
approved by the President, and appropriated
one hundred thousand dollars to be expended
under his direction, by such architect as he
snoud appoint to execute the same. On exam.
lining the various plans which had been submit.
ted by different architects, in pursuance Of an
advertisement by committee of the Senate, no
one was found to be entirely satisfactory, and it
was therefore deemed advisable to combine and
adopt the advantage Of several.
The urpat inject TO be accommodated wa, to