New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-20

OF Iue OcpdItuCub mISnI NC hCPt "A''A
much greater facility, accuracy and at less
cost, if unpaid letters were charged nearly
or quite double the prepaid rate, so as to
constrain general prepayment. We trus
the Senate will reinstate the Committee
rate of five cents for each unpaid letter.
2. The sweeping provision THAT the
compensation of Postmasters shall not be
diminished in consequence Of the passage
of this act ought to be qualified and de-
fined. 1t would ruin the Department to
have it construed so that each Postmaster
should be entitled to as much compensation
in the aggregate as he would receive under
the superseded law on the amount of business
he will be required to transact under this;
yet the proviso is plainly susceptible of
this construction. But it will not do even TO
enact that a Postmaster shall receive as
much Postage each year under this act, as
he did under the law about to be super
seeded. Suppose an office last year paid
the Postmaster one hundred dollars, must
he have hundred from it this year, though
his duties should be considerably diminish
ed by the establishment of a neighbOring
office or general stagnAtion of business!
The ProvisO clearly says so; but that is
wrong. So is the broad proviso /" that no
post office now in existence shall be dis
continued" The next proviso to this is
sheer humbug, and can never be enforced.
The Postmaster General will establish Post
Routes and POst-Offices as he shall judge
expedient, precisely as if no such provisO
had been foisted into the bill.
3. The Rates ofNewspaper and Pamph-
let Postage are on the whole liberal. That
they are especially so to the Local or Coun-
try Press we rejoice and, while we detest
the principle of carrying anything free
that is, making one mans package sent
through the mails pay for carrying another
man's-and earnestly believe that it would
have been better to charge a mere nom
inal rate on Newspapers sent less than
thirty miles-yet we are willing to see
them 60 free for while by way of expert
ment. 1t may be we'll to consider that the
Local Press has been abominably over
taxed hitherto, and that little favor to it
now will be only a restitution for past in
Justice. We think it would have been but
fair to let Newspapers circulate any dis
lance less than 100 miles at the same Rate
of Postage as within their own State, as
has hitherto been the case.
4. We don't quite understand the policy
of allowing Magazines to be sent at half
price when paid in advance, and denying
the like privilege to Newspapers. But
this is a small matter-let it go.
5. The permission to send Bound Books
weighing less than thirty ounces at News
paper Rates is very liberal, and will large
ly increase the business of the Department.
AS Railroads overspread the Country, this
will be found to afford valuable source OF
revenue to the Service.
6. The new Three Cent Coin, of Silver
and Copper, will be universal favorite.-
The Branch MINIS oughtto be set to coming
it at full speed within week. Messrs.
Senators won't you hurry up the passage
of this bill!
7. Counterfeiting Postage Stamps ought
to be punished definitely and severely
We think the five hundred dollar fine
clause of Sec. should be stricken out.
8. There would be no need of appropri-
ating One Million and a Half from the
Treasury to carry on the Mail Service if
Congress would only just abolish the
Franking Privilege. Surely, anything
worth receiving at all is worth paying for
under the low rates provided by this bill.
How long, o how long must we plead
against the Government robbing Peter to
pay Paul by taxing some men to pay other
mems postage! No matter whether this
free matter is balanced by charging high
er rates of postage than would otherwise
be necessary or by taking money out of
the Treasury to supply the deficiency in
Postal Revenue, the wrong is the same.
9. When Letters were formerly charged
from six to twenty-five cents each, it was
perfectly right to advertise those uncalled
for at considerable expense 10 the Depart
ment, in the hope of notifying the persons
addressed and thus obtaining the Postage.
But at the low rates now charged, and at
the still lower proposed by this bill, it is
madness to incur any such expense for