The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-16

From the .Ns,c York Evening Post.
Gross Encouragement Of tho Malls.
If the members of Congress who have be.
stirred themselves 80 briskly to get the land dis.
tribu,ion bill through the House of Represent
atives, would but give little of tn, same activity
to the task Of discovering what is the reason
that the government mails DO their work with
so little punctuality and regularity, they would
perform service concerning the value of which
there could be- no difference of opinion. Per
hapa,
"Now that the rage of hunger is. appeased )"
now that they have done all that appertains to
them, in parcelling out the resources of the fed
eraI government among the States which they
represent, they may find little leisure to at
tend to matters within their constitutional pro-
vince.
Complaints concerning the neglects, the de
lays and the Irregularities of the mails, were
never, it strikes us, so common as now. The
more extensive we make our mail service, with
tho less 'exactness it is conducted The private
expresses, where they nre established, are the
only conveyances which can be relied On for
punctual and sure communication between the
different parts of the Union.
| We frequently receive letters from subscribers
for the weekly and semi weekly Evening Post
in remote States, informing us that they must
give up the paper because they cannot receive it
regularly. And yet the weekly and semi-weekly
editions of our journal go to the post office with
perfect regularity, at the same precise time on
the days when they are published, never varying
20 much as an hour; and we are very sure that
they are duly despatched from the post Office to
the interior. One of our correspondents writes:
Z" value your paper; part with it very reluc
family; but do not receive it with any regu.
larity. and some numbers do not reach me at
ALL | know the fault is not yours; but the
fault Of the bad administration of our mail sys-
| tenn" While we write, two letters are laid be.
fore US, one of which, from Ohio, brings com
plant that one of ours subscribers does not get
the paper more than half the time; and the other,
from De Kslb county, in Illinois, contains the
following complaint:
| "Your paper oSthe Sd Of June arrived here on
the 18th, thirteen days after date. Your paper
of June 10th arrived here the 18th, eight days
after date. Your paper of the 18th ought to
have been here before this time the letter is
dated June 25th, but it has not core. am
unable to account for this rregularity. 1t should
not be more than four or five days in coming at
most. have read articles from your paper in
the Bradford Reporter, la Pennsylvania journal
before your paper arrived here"
~
ought to carry them with at least moderate reg
ularity and despatch. The post office depart
ment ought to deliver our paper to the subscr
bers in Northern Illinois in four or five days
from the time of pubcation--we are willing to
allow it seven, but it takes thirteen. No care is
spared no attention, no punctuality is wanting
on our part but the moment our papers are in
the hands of the government and have left this
city, they get lodged on the way; they are scat
tered on the counters OF taverns and stores;
they come to the subscriber three or four week
| ly papers together, or never reach him at all.
most shameful system of responsibility and
neglect have grown up and nobody takes the
trouble of setting it right; no agent of the post
Office department is employed to inquire into
the cause of the abuses that prevail, with the
view of applying remedy, and Congress pays
no more attention to the matter than if it was a
question of the domestic policy of the Chinese
empire. Congress has fenced the postotfic
round with prohibitions and penalties, making
it a monopoly; Congress has framed foolish
and inconvenient tariff of the rates of postage,
and having done this, seems to suppose that it
has accomplished its duty, and that the machine
will work we'll without being watched.
If we have really more money than we know
what to do with if the revenues from the pub
lie lands Cypress the treasury, 30 that we are
obliged to get rid of them in some summary
way, let part of them be expended in making
the inquiry what Nathan X. Hall, the Postmaster
General, and his creatures are doingj how they
contrive to manage 30 badly a we'll paid business,
protected so carefully from all competition
Commissioners, not nominated by the admins.
traton, but men Of character unsupported in
tegrity, and proved sagacity in matters of bust
ness, might be appointed by some coordinate
branch of the government under authority Of
an act of Congress, to examine into the affrs
of our post-office, and determine to what cause
this enormous looseness in it's management is
owing A board to investigate the neglects Of
the post Office department is at present infinitely
more wanted than a board Of agriculture, and a
few thousands judicously applied in this way
might bring about a reform of which there
seems now to be no hope from any other means
UNRULY BRITIsH SUBJEcTs-Several persons
were arrested at st Catharine's, Ca, for oelebra-
ting the 4th of July with public displays Of fire
works and discharges Of fire arms. The st
Catharine's Journal says:
"The flag of the United States Government
floats in silent majesty through our waters on
that day, without insult. as it ought, and this
should be perfectly satisfactory to the most ar
dent admirers Of the neighboring republic.
Let the lion Sleep"
The Japanese Expedition has called out mo.
mortal from the Protestant Alliance in England
to the American Minister, Abbot Lawrence. A
deputaton, consisting of Lord Shaftesbury,
Rev. DR.. Thomas and J. Macgregor, Esq, pre-
scented it. They ask that in any treaty formed
with Japan we shall exact perfect religious
freedom and federation. Mr.. Lawrence promised
10 transmit the memorial to the Secretary Of
State and the Protestant Alliance in the United
States.