The New York herald., 1851-07-12
The New Posts, systen-Its Opprossavs
Char aeteF.

I Char acter.
The new postal arrangements have been in opera
ton since the LIST inst With the exception Of those
a citing letter postage, they found to be llibs-
raj and oppressive. We are continually receiving
complaints, few Of which we publish in another
column. But these complaints nothing to the
general effect of the rules, adopted at Washing
ton. The law, as it affects newspapers, Is sum-
ciently outrageous, but the rules applied to IL cap
the climax.
1t is announced in all the papers, that berford &
Co. OF this city, will take letters or newspapers
to Chagres, Panama, or San Francisco, for three
cents The law has luckily afforded loop holes
to enable individual enterprise thus to defeat
the disastrous effects Of governmental stupidity and
obstiaacy which have forced upon the people postal
arrangements at once complicated, bungling, ex.
pensve, and onerous, aud scarcely paraleled in s.
verify, even in despotie countries. The Post Office
authorities, as if ashamed of the disgusting ex ,c-
tions demanded on the transmission of newspapers,
publish the rates of letter postage, but sgnif-
cartly silent with regard to the former-probably
not willing to make known, through their adver.
tisenents, that transient newspapers when sent to
California ust be taxed ten and ff cen eRts, or
trle lees when under the weight oftwo ounces. TIE
employees of the Post Office have more sensibihy
in whose bureau the repulsive regulations of the
law conceived and prepared, for the assent of
inefficient, culpabe Congress-dessi and
imposed upon by the vainglorious and ignorant in
ventors Of this postal law.
With respect to the tran smissisn Of newspapers
to reg ular subscribers, who may ,ave temporary
residence for period less thar three months, as if
to put ridiculous climax to the absurdities of the
Law We have the annexed kref manilesto-
Po,r 0rrIcE DEPARTMENT,
APPOINTMENT 0FFcr July !, 1851. !
In reply yours the Let instant You informed
thai ali newspapers sent for less period than three
morths whether from the Office Of publcauo
otl,rwise, will under the head cf transient
pap upon which the postage must BE- pre paid at the
oGlce where ma.d. Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Now, we think the Postmaster General might
have spared Mr.. Fitzhenry Warren the trou-
lie Of exercising such yranncal cruelty upon the
people, who have hitherto been supposed, under
institutons to be the fran of their own laws
He might have paused Tor lucid interval to
visit him, that, by the exercise Of the eomnonest
school boy Judgment, he might come to decision
more favorab Ole to the thousands aud hundreds Of
thousaId DIS of individuals who visit the country
for few weeks during the summer But no
such harry conside Grafton Of circumstances, and ot
the desires Of the people, can enter the bosom OF
such custodian Of the public re ,enue, from
postal regulations, as the present Postmaster
General. Ii is, in his selfish view of the fede
raj economy, much more requisite that theory
Of bis own should be supported, for the pur-
pose of making revenue balan;e in the postal de-
partmen Of he United States, than that the people
shall have the privilege Of reading newspapers at
their own will and pleasure. England and France
stamp their newspapers, and license their publica-
tion but BY of the law, eyeled at the de-
sires of the people, prohibition is virtually placed
upon the Newspaper press; and if the Postmaster
General carry his theories fully out, perhaps ne
may he able to stop the circulation of newspapers
altogether.
We susreet that the Postmaster General has
determined TO make political man@uyre out
Of his practical exemIlifeaton o. his postal
theory On no other ground can we understand
how any man Of common foresight aud every
day saqacity, could concentrate so much folly
On any plan for postage reform. some political
aim must be hidden under the matter, for we
cannot imagine that ignorance couli perpe-
trate so much. No blunders are too gross where
a POLITICAL wiLdiall is sought, and no absur-
dit cs too grotesque where politician hopes
10 improve his condition; but il IL too much OF u
curse on the people of the United States that
politicians should ride them rough-shod, in the
share Of postm asters general mounted on the mails
ard lew ing tribute for Cesar, a., with one or two
executions has been done by those at the head OF the
uo.tal de psrtment during the last twenty years
The teorle of the United states ust endure with
patience the load put upon taem by the Postmaster
General till the next session oi Congress, when
ont of the evils Of which We are forced TO com
rlsin. NAV come larger amount OF good than
otherwise could be expected, and a nearer al-
rroach 60 the system OF cheap postage than
tLe present botched and mangied cne-which
reduces the tax on letters, 1t is true, but which more
than makes up for the vaun;cd reduction, by an
unjust, oppressive, mconycnient, and extremely
barassing tax on newspapcrs- the worry media by
which much Of the Inevitable aud Necessary cor.
f,spondenee, virtually 10 BE- 20 esteemed, OF the
toor and industrious people Of the United States
i carried on Tnc frieods of the poor iaborer Ia
California cannot nov coi4,.uuioate, without the
! trouble and expense cf writing, those OrhnAry
] udrgs which the yll,E newspaper ard the county
journal may c,ntai,, and The eortea,s Of which
afe 20 important 90 he poor laborer. 1t u
this fatare shich /. 50 odi5us to the mass Of the
r.oue of the lifted states, whose electric instincts
a,e sensitively alive 20 any operation Of the Law
! which facilitate. tie wealthy in the world on
their read to property. and placcs checks on
Il comforts and hippincss Of the poorer oiasre''
who keep neither clcrks nor secretaries, and whose
recognition of the Gains u friendsh and k'niness
is conveyed by public jOu-nils-and by public
journals alone
We tru,i that H. n.It Congress will make Il a
srst duty to give &r. Postmaster General lil
"a understand that b. u not to fasten upon the
country such stain this new laS oaers for con-
temptation. ard lor the regret Of those whose
greatest yrilc !. to witness the popular instita-
lions under our go~, rnment. administered with
wholesome regard for I'll classes and conditions o
citizens. 80 that the m)st general sense Of happi-
A., t,f.,, 4 q .crvub.r. and TINT each one