Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-11
CON G. R ESS.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1851.
The SENATE did not sit to-day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

n,,o,.sJ hin 10 refund to the State Of Mchi.
gan the amount Of money advanced ana Tug ,ansPofaoa
furnished 10 volunteers by that State during w a1e war WIN
MEXICO which was read twice and eerrcdso the Committee
on Military Affairs.
MI YOUNG, ty unanimous consent IN pursuance OF
nreyious notice. introduced bill granting quantity Of land
to the State Of Illinois 70 aid IN the construction Of ra'hoad
from point opposite Terre Haue, Inana TO point at or
near qainois,own in Illinois; which was read twice snd
ferred 70 the Conmttee on the Public Lands.
CHEAP POSTAGE BILL.
The House resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on
the state Of the Union Mr BuRT of South Carona in the
chair and RESUMED the consideration OF the bill to modify anu
reduce the rates of postage in the United States.
Mr. FEA rHERSTON, lwho was entitled TO fne floor
said that heobtained the floor merely for the purpose ogv
ing notice of amendment which he should offer at the
proper time and which, required expanatica or defence
he would prefer making at the time he shosd offer the
amsndmect for adoption His amendment made the dety
of the Postmaster General application OF
upon ou increase the service thereon sso made the
in the mails periodicals. magazines
and newspapers free within the State where published
Newspapers sent Of the State oneha cent and on pam
phes periodicals and magazines one-ha cent not weigh
ing ounce and oneha cent addionai or every ad
diona half ounce fraction.
Mr. GERRY regarded uniform rate Of five cents as an
immatea mod6caonof the present law 80 as related
to- of the letters transmitted throughout
the United States and he had no peon winch sought
of this knd that asked for the repeal OF that
portion of the law which required ten TO be paid
on all letters that ransmted beyond certain number OF
miles the Eve POSTAGE 80 fsr as ne understood
public sentiment against which discomfort was manifested
He believed that by proper reduction Of postage, great
portion of the reyenue which diverted from the mail
service and paid private ndivduas for CARRYING letters BY
private c,nveyance would be thrown into the Treasury and
thereby the mail would be Increased he could see
no sort Of justice uniform rate Of postage, and for that
reason utterly and entirely opposed to IT. certainly Tor the
present. and opposed also to establishing at ye cents
He intended, at the proper ume 70 ouer an IN
effect that all letters transmitted through hemas which are
carried five hundred miles shall be taxed vo cents postage
all letters carried five hundred miles and less than one
thousand miles, shall pay five cents Posage all letters car
Yied over thousand miles, TO any point In the United
States shall pay postage. He did not see why
there should be difference made between letters transported
beyond mountains and those transported to remote place
this side of the mountains Gentlemen seemed to appehend
that by reducing the present law they would throw upon the
Treasury Department expenses Of the Post Office Depart
nent. He very great reason to spprehend such
result It possible but could never be determined ex-
cept by actual experiment it did throw the roet oce
upon the Treasury, why uch apprehension
such result especially when such disposition was mani
tested by the committee TO appropriate the money OF the
Treasury local purposes the granting
Of immense tracts Ct land, from which millions OF revenue
might been derived for private mere corporate pur
pose which local in character and which must be local
nthe benefits derived from hem They would also appropriate
millions for the purpose Of improving rver haroots and
lakes that must necessarily local in character though such
proposition would receive his vce-though might
receive the appreciation of the House And yet gentlemen
were alarmed dollars being taken from the Treasury for
party or interest From tho effects the law Of ls45 they
had to suppose that still greater reduction would in
the Of the Department. as there would certainly
be very great increase of mail matter lie was not pre-
pared to say whether the ankng privilege should be abolished
or not 1t him matter Of entire indifference though
he thought much Of the matter cent was trash for the
purpose of tickling the constituency OF members.
Mr. WATKINS gave notice that at The proper time he
would offer amendment making the transmission OF newa
papers under fifty miles free, and repeating laws authorizing
the Postmaster General diminish mail service routes
where the receipts unequal to the expense Of casge
Mr.. w. expressed himself opposed to the bill under
considerations because, in his opinions, would prevent an
extension of mail facilities The effect Of the law Of ls45
was to curta the mail facilities and the inevitable effect of
the reduction proposed would be to impair or discontinue
such as they now have thereby depsg ,he agncutural
sections Of the country of portion OF the advantages result
ing from the present organization He against the abo-
on Of the ankng privilege, which be believed was one Of
the greatest safeguards that could be thrown around Repub
can Government this means the constituent was made
acquainted with the actions of Representative He thought
that the Post Office Department should be sesusaning,
and did think that the agricultural portion Of the commu
nifty should be taxed for the benefit OF the large commercial
cities He desired the improvement OF rivers habo akes
the construction of railroads. and the extension OF mail fac
ties by which the of the country could be develop
ed and the people brought into closer conHexion
Mr. SWEETSER had taken the trouble to examine the
numerous petitions praying for low postage end had found
them all precise in FORM and believed that they had
ed from common He believed that the bill under
consideration would reduce postage SO low as to throw the
Post Office Department upon the general treasury Tor sup
port He called upon Western men not to vote for such
proposition as would benefit their section OF the coun-
ry but merely the commercial parts OF the United States
He expected in favor OF high protective tariff
not only willing to make the Post Office Department depend
ent ON the Treasury advocate all kinds OF expenses
He was opposed the abolition of the frankng privilege be-
leving be beneficial in its results to the people OF the
country and the principal of forming the farmer bra
r He opposed the proposition to tax the people OF
Oregon and California triple and quadruple amount Tor
POSTAGE and favor Of extending to those regions every
facility was possible extend them and make the Post
Oce Department sustain ITSELF The Government should
encourage the settlement of those vast Territories, instead OF
throwing obstacles in the way.
Mr. ROOT willing to concede that the Post Ofce
DEPARTMENT should sustain ITSELF institution Or
the benefit of all citizens Of the Government and all who use
it should be made pay their propoonate share OF the eK
pense He was opposed to any free matter going in the
mails and was favor Of the prepayment Of postage on
minsa,ion of the Government He did Hot believe the
committee were prepared up TO this doctrine but
believed be could convince any who would listen to him
unpeudced that this the true mode OF administering the
Government He opposed to the ankpg privii and
did not attach much importance as some members did
No member would say that he could exercise this privilege
mpartaly though he doubted they had tried do
but had failed The pnt abuse had grown out of this
privilege members print because they can frank and frank
because they print They went hand IN hsnd and the
people paid all He conended that matter could not be dis
bued fairly under this privilege, and that Executive docu-
men,s sent by the members should pay postage to the De-
pay for such transportation would be to pay for the trans
potaion Of Let go the people, that they might
udge Of the proPriety Of such appropriation
MI COBB, Of Alabama, said that having discussed this