The New York herald., 1851-12-23

u.
aise club Of from twenty to one hundred sues'rb-
e Sss s95 Y1.i rssf ss 70 E. aa0s
,usion of the local papers, which, Is must De al
ably edited, and withal, nlled with miserable
luack medical Advertisements. No wonder, in
ised the local papers are excluded IN fAvor OF their
more distant city rivais sne wenasr tnst socn
'ould be tolerated for one moment, by intelligent
md respectable people. The country paper-pro.
,erly so understood be the cheapest az well
IS the best, for all the purposes OF rural popula-
ion. 1t should be the cheapest. because labor,
rent, and living are scarcely half as high in country
villages as they are large Cities and these are all
the elements that enter into the bona tde value OF
newspaper, mental capacity being equal he re-
venue derived by the postmaster on the circulation
of these papers, is sufficient to pay the contractor
for bringing the mail once or twice week, while,
the postmaster keeps store, or an inn, or any
other general business, is the source OF attracting
the people of the surrounding country to his place
of business, by which an Incidental advantage ac-
crues.
Now, although there is the widest distinction be.
tween post ofices-a distinction which is marked in
every shade and feature-yet they are all conducted
in the same manner and their accounts are kept IN
precisely the same way This is, in my opinion,
wrong. In the first place, the expense of creating
of these small offices, owing to the political ele-
ments which nearly always enter into their estao
ishment, is far greater than the benefit derived
they are com plinents bestowed on such persona as
80 John Smith, Esquire, Of Smithvlle, or ames
Brown, Esquire, OF Bro 6ntown; and after existing
a year or two, die for the want of support Iae
spirit of land speculation, characteristic OF our
country, gives them ephemeral existence, and
when this subsidies they sink with 1t. Tne depart.
ment here loses all the trouble and expense OF
establishing them, which, were II caretaily cacu-
lated, would in many instances appear amazing.
A large force is employed in the appointment
Office to attend TO these matters, and every post
Office established is registered In score OF BOOKS
enters into score OF printed ana Written 1orms'
and becomes the subject of extensive correspond
euce And what else Why, after lingering a
short time, it is discontinued, and new one estao-
ishsd mile or half mile adjacent, and thence
ollow entrees and correspondence recordins lts oe
cease. AT a rough estimate, (and II must neces-
sarly be SOY each post Office established costs the
de partment forty dollars. About the same expense
is incurred in every case OF name cnahseo' as
well as for every one discontinued. now, last
year, there we're upwards Of three thousand
offices established, changed, and discontinued,
which, at an average cost of $40 each, would give
the almost incredible amount OF Sl2O,0O0. Besides
his changes of postmAsters are continually oeinB
made, at very considerable cost TO the depart
ment not TO say serious embarrassment of the ser
vice. Within the last two years. not less than nj
teen thousand removals of postmasters, and other
cicers Of the service, have been made, which, esti-
mated at BIO each, gives the astounding sum OF
sl50,0O0. A corresponding inconvenience In eacn
ease, prof. ably entailed upon the service for
time, in conse quence of such wholesale removals
To reform this expense, as we'll as to correct the
notorious abuse Of the appointing power, (wnicn,
in this branch Of the government, prostituted 10
party purposes; the very branch, too, OF all Others
that should be most exempt from it, would lodge
the establish ment Of the office and the appointment
Of the incum bent in the postmaster OF the proper
county office, who may be supposed to know all
about the region of county where 1t is proposed TO
be located, as well ~ the individual desiring the
ppoiltment. would render it an essential In the
establishment Of al Offices, that the postmaster or
citizens interested guaranteed its continuance ior
Eve years. or If discontinued in the meantime, they
to pay . stipulated amount; that they give secu-
rity for the payment Of the contractor and require
him to run specified number OF trips per week,
subject to such schedule rs the appointing post
master might impose; the number of trips, and the
running time liable to be increased at his discre'
tlon subject 10 pro rata increase Of pay Here we
have foundation to stand on, without ioss ana
some ground to hope that the service VIII De Wen
performed, since the parties, directly involved,
have the wbsle matter In sthelr ewn hands. IL
the mail contractor neglects his business
rs is too often the case, he VIII De hned,
noienS roi,nS, without detailed report OF
All the trihing circumstances to the Postmaster
or be will be summsrily discharged, and
> new contractor placed on the route a. increased
pay, which the sureties will be liable Tor. Inc
duties Of the postmaster will be simple, and his
accounts such they are will be with the appoint
ing postmaster. All the matter that he receives,
after paying the mail contractor, will be Tor his
own exclusive benefit, and no account whatever
need be kept Of it. All the matter he sends lex
pt the commissions on money erders), Will accrue
10 the Department, subject to DO commissions or
charges whatever from him. Thus, all necessity
or keeping accounts is entirely overcome. Inere
nothing TO do but TO deliver the matter sent him,
and collect the postage, and to despatch Al tnat
8 brought him, and retain the postage to the
credit Of the appointing Office. The VIII Die thing Is
30 simple that no explanation is required, and this
Is just hat has always been needed for consider
Ing the service performed no class Of oicers In ths
or any other country, assume half so much respon-
sibity or perform one fourth the labor, for twice
the amount receive d. as the ten thousand postmas-
ters Of these special Offices. No wonder, indeei,
that their accounts are Kept IN a wretched manner
The wonder is, that any sane man could anywhere
be found willing 10 assume q task so responsible, so
perple King, and, after all thankless in its nature
The circulation of from enc to two hundred weekly
newspapers, mag azines, &s with . proportonate
number OF letters, would, alter paying the con-
tractors, leave the postmaster q larger average
com pensation than Is afforded him under the pre-
sent expensive and COM Ilicated commission system.
For their further benefit, however, the present law
prohibiting postmasters from carrying the mail,
should 30 far as relates TO special 9th ,es, be re-
pealed. They could generally afford TO carry IL at
cheaper and upon more accommodating rates than
Others; and whatever benefit Is to be derived from
this service should at least be ut their disposal
By the foregoing plan, very perplexing duties are
removed from the mailing postmsster, besides all
the expense and r.uble, and liability to err. IL is
incredible what an amount of csrrespondence,
blank forms, instructions, receipts, reports &c, are
now thrown away on postmasters OF this class, an
what fculties arise in the settlement OF their and
the contractors accounts The amounts involved
are sometimes not worth the sheet Of paper con-
sumed in auditing hem, while the great delay, aad
numerous Off nal forms required In the auditing and
Of Claims and, in fact, the principal
reason why the cost Of transportation is so high
for mail contractors invariably exposed TO every
description Of delay in receiving their pay and al
ways make their bids correspondingly high To
show the anDoJ Of the present contract stem,
will illustrate a case. A. b proposes 10 carry t.e
u all, once or twice week, over certain route, ten
miles in length in tso horse coaches lie bids ten,
twenty, or thirty dollars year, AMI the depart
nent acsspts. Fret, be receives letter from the
General, informing him that his offer
4 accepted. Second, 1.-TWO or three months atter,)
wo blank contracts lodged with the postmaster,
which he is required to hll up, in,luding two 70
ponab suTeties. 1bese contracts must DC certi-
led before a magistrate- (Nhy could not the
postmaster he clsthed with the necessary ma
yis'eriAl power )-frequently mile or two
iittant at cost OF 6fty cents or more. One of the
ia tracts Ia then returnel to WashinntOn. the