The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-27

Posr OFFICE REroRN.-A ErSv ., Va, n, ..
some two days since, In this city, for the purpose Of
aavsnelns the CAM ofpostsge reform 1t was hsls
''s ...erchants Exchange, in Wall street, under
the auspices Of Barnabas Bates bat none the per-
sons who took part in it knew what they were
about AS for Mr.. Bates himself, he evidently does
not know the A B G ofpostage reform, when he con-
fines the reform to q change in the rate ofpsstage
for - certain class of newspapers.
The proceedings Of that meeting, no doubt, at
tracted the attention and the pufery of certain
journals; but the speakers did not take compre-
hensive view of the subject. The Post Office De-
partment of the government was established for
something more than the convenience of ne wspapers
OF . particular class, or for that of certain
section of the country. II was organized for
the convenience and interests of the whole
country-political, agricultural, social, and lite
rary. The great difficulty is, that those who
assume to be reformers in this matter, 90 not
know what they are about. They exhibit great
ignorance of the details, of the arrangements,
the internal mechanism, and everything else con-
nected with the Post Office Department They
begin at the wrong end; and have always done so.
They start the principle of redu:ng the rates of
postage on letters and newspapers, and there they
stop. This is net the point to commence with
They ought to begin at the other end, and reform
the internal arrangements of the post Office system
the want of economy in its management, and the
profuse waste OF money that now characterizes the
mode of transporting the mails throu ghout the
country. 1t is estimated by persons acquainted
with the subject, and competent to form opinion,
that million of dollars might be saved annually
by the government, in this department, under a
different and more economical management of the
Post Office Department.
If such reforms as these were successfully carried
out, not by the present ignorant Postmaster, but
by Of business, and not politicians, there would
be some propriety in talking about reducing the
rates of postage letters and newspapers, To low
and uniform standard. The ignorance displayed
at the recent meeting in the Exchange, is melan.
choly. None but men equal to the task can efe,t
the reforms so much needed in our postal system
MINT IN NEW YoRK.-The experience of the past
year proves most conclusively that mint should be
established in New York as soon as possible. We
hope Congress will take up the subject at an early
day. not in sectional sense, as was the case at the
last session, but on national grounds simply They
ought to take up the question as an original one,
without reference to localities or the blunders
and errors that have been committed in the matter
Of establishing minis, and inquire, "Where
should minis be erected p Look over the whole
repubic-North East, South and West-and
it will be seen In a moment that San Fran
cisco and New York are the only two phases
for mints-the former being the place from which
all the gold comes, and the latter being the
point where two thirds of it is received, and whence
it is put in circulation threughoutth the whole civilized
world, to Pay the differences and balances in trade
and exchanges. These are the only two points at
which minis should be erected. There would be ns
necessity for them any where ese-in Philadelphia,
North Carolina, or New Orleans, or elsewhere. 1t
would be absurd, and contrary to all common sense,
to have minis in those places in preference to New
York and San Francisco.
We trust Congress will take up this subjec. at an
early period of the session. and act favorably upon
it. We hope they will take common sense view
Of it, and not discuss it in sectional manner in
a sectional spirit, was the last sess ion If
they do 70, they will at once the necessity Of
selling the minis in Philadelphia and elsewhere, AMI
establishing large and magnificent ones in the two
great capitals east and west, where they are abso
lutely necessary, and where they would be Of inf
mite service to commerce and to the country-San
Francisco and New York.
MIC n TT Ia hAr Ina