Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1851-12-10

VIC pEeSeub year. the increase being Oe-
casioned by the additional mail service on
the Pacific coast and the construction of
the dock in California, authorized at the
last session of Congress, and some slight
additions under the head improvements
and repairs in navy yards, buildings and
machinery.
deem it of much importance to just
economy, and correct understanding OF
naval expenditures, that there should be
an entire separation of the appropriations
for the support of the naval service proper
from those for permanent improvements
at navy yards and stations, and from
ocean steam mail service, and other sPe-
cial objects assigned to the supervision OF
this Department
The report of the Postmaster General,
communicated, presents an interesting
view of the progress, operations, and con-
dition of his Department.
At the close of the fiscal year, the
length of mail routes within the United
States was 1856, 800 miles the annual
transportation thereon 53,272,252 miles;
and the annual cost of such transporta-
ton $3,421,754.
Ie ienELu OF foreign man ROUTES 10
ted at Is $40 miles, and the annual transportation
thereon at 6152o6 miles. The annual cost of
this service is s1,472,ls7, of which s44s 1887 is
paid by the Post Office Department, and s1,o23,-
$50 is paid through the Navy Department.
The annual transportation within the United
States (exeludng the service in California and
Oregon, which is now for the first time, reported
and embraced in the tabular statements of the
Department. exceeds that of the preceding year
6l69 s55 miles, at an increased cost of S547 ,l1O.
The whole number of post offices in the United
States, on the SOth day of June last, was 1875.
There were l ,6S3 post offices established, and 256
discontinued, during the year.
The gross revenues of the Department for the
fiscal year including the appropriations for the
franked matter of Congress, of the Departments,
and officers of Government, and excluding the
foreign hostages, collected for and payable to the
British post office, amounted to $o,727, 500 49,
The expenditures for the same period excluding
SEQ, 500 40, paid under an award of the Auditor,
\ pursuance of resolution of the last Congress
for mail service on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
in 1882 and 1888, and the amount paid to the Brit
ish post Office for foreign hostages collected for
and payable to that Office amounted to S6,024,-
500 70; leaving balance Of revenue over the
proper expenditures of the year of s703,299 80.
The receipts for hostages, during the year (eX-
Guiding the foreign hostages collected for and pay
able to the British post office) amounted to &c.
345 TAI 81, being an increase of $9s7, Gl0 70, OF
IS 65-1OO per cent. over the like receipts for the
preceding year.
The reduction of postage, under the act OF
March last, did not take effect until the commence
ment of the present fiscal year. The accounts for
the first quarter, under the operation of the re-
duccd rates, will not be settled before January
next and no reliable estimate of the receipts for
the present year can yet be made. 1t is believed
however. that they will fall far short ofthose of
the last year. Tho surplus of the revenues now
on hand is however, so large that no further ap-
preparation from the treasury, in aid of the rev.
enues Of the Department is required for the cur
rent fiscal year; but m additional appropriation
for the year ending 3Oth June 1913, will probably
be found necessary when the receipts of the first
two quarters of the fiscal year fully ascertain
ed.
In his last annual report the Postmaster Gene
raj recommended n reduction of postage to rates
which he deemed as low as could be prudently
adopted, unless Congress was prepared to aPPro-
pirate from the treasury, for the support of the
Department. n sum more than equivalent to the
mail services performed by it for the Government.
The recommendations of the Postmaster General,
in respect to letter postage except on letters from
and to California and Oregon, were substantially
adopted by the last Congress. He now recon-
.ll.erer,ee tl.~ PE~aornt lattor rates. and
advises against a further reduction until justified
by the revenue of the Department.
lie also recommends that the rates of postage
on printed matter be so revised as to render them
more simple, and more uniform in their opera
tons upon all classes of printed matter. l sub
nit the recommendations of the report to your
favorable consideration.
The public statutes of the United States have
now been accumulating for more than sixty years,
and interspersed with private acts, are scattered
through numerous volumes, and, from the cost OF
the whole, have become almost inaccessible to the
great mass of the community. They also exhib-
it much of the incongruity and imperrection of
hasty legislation.
AS it seems to be generally conceded that there
is no common law'' of the United States to sup
ply the defects of their legislation, il is most inn
portant that that legislation should be as perfect
as possible defining every power to be conferred,
every crime intended to be made punishable, and
prescribing the punishment TO be inflicted. In
addition to some particular cases spoken of moro
at length the whole criminal code is now lamen-
tnbly defective. Some offences are impcrfectly
described, and others are entirely omitted; so that
fragrant crimes may be committed with impuui-
ty. The scale of pu nshmeut is not in all cases
graduated occordiugto the nature of the offence;
and is often rendered more unequal by the different
modes of Imprisonment, or penitentiary cOnfne-
ment, in the different States.
Many laws of permanent character have
been introduced into appropriation bills, and it is
often difficult to determine whether The particular
clause expires with the temporary act of which ii
is part, or continues in force. Is has also fire.
queutly happened that euactments and provi-