Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-06-23
DAILY NATIONAL ERA.

Post Office Department will, ia the year ending
next June, load the people with the loss Of
$4,O00000 Will the people be patient under
these enormous, and rapidly increasing, losses I?
They will not be. And they will not be patient
with the present Congress- if we do not, and that,
too, before the close Of the present session, pro-
vide for the speedy termination of these losses
TO protect myself from Misrepresentation, /
would disclaim all imputation of Encouragement
in the Post Office Department. | presume, that
il is as well managed at the present time, as 1t
ever was. / believe, that they, who have the
control of it, are upright and able men. But the
Post Office Department is itself wrong and,
therefore, every administration of il must neces-
sariiy, be wrong--because every administration
of it, however able or weil-intended, must par
take OF the inherent wrong of that, which is adj
ministered.
Again, the Post Office Department broken up
and there would be no more making Of books by
Government In this wise, too, the people would
be relieved OF another great tax. There is no
danger, that there will not be books enough
There will still be enough books made, even if
Government should make none. Let Government
throw open the Patent Office, and the Coast Sur
vey Office and other offices, to persons, who coll
lect materials for book-making; and such books,
AS Government, now, loads the mail with, and
scatters among those, who do not one in three,
read them, will be published at half to three
iourths of the expense, at which they are now
published: and, moreover, they will get into the
hands Of those, who will read them--for, it may
may be presumed, that they, who go to the ex-
pense Of buying their books, will read them
But the saving of money to the people by the
breaking up of the Post Office Department will
be OF little account, compared with the saving,
by that means, Of both Government and people
from no small amount of corruption. There are
more. than twenty-three thousand post offices.
The postmasters, their deputies and clerks, must
altogether number more than fifty thousand II
is Of course, expected, that they shall all wear
the livery Of the Administration and alas, too
large a share of them feel themselves irresistbly
tempted to fulfil the expectation Then, connect
with this patronage the negotiations for mail
contracts, and all the powers and influences Incl
dental to the Post Office Department, and it will
be strange, indeed-nay, inexpressibly honorable
to human nature-if an immense and ever-swell-
ing tide of corruption should not attend upon the
organization and operations of that Department.
But, it will be said, that the individuals and
associations, that would take the place Of Coy
ernment, in carrying the mail, would be as cor
rupt and corruptng in the work, as Government
is Admit, that they would be as corrupt-nev-
ertheless they could not be as corrupting. The
corrupting power Of individuals and associations
is as nothing, compared with that of Government.
For whilst Government remains pure, it will be
both disposed and able to control guilty individ-
uals and associations. But when Government
itself has yielded to corruption the restraining
barriers are broken down, and all is in danger
of being lost
/ must close. | have not said ALL that in
tended to say But, as the remainder Of our
session may be very short, so we must make our
speeches short. If this Congress would do a
better thing than any Congress has ever done,
let it declare, that the Post Office Department
shall, at the end of two years, cease to exist
and shall then give place to such machinery, as
the people shall select and employ; and to as
perfect freedom, on the part of the people, to
carry their letters in what way they will, as they
now exercise in carrying their beef, and pork,
| aud -four, and themselves.
What | have said is in harmony with the
| amendment, which sent to the Clerks desk
cannot be ignorant, that many, who hear me,
| will believe, that my amendment will be unpop-
ular in some quarters, especially in the new and
| scantily peopled portions Of the country. But !
! am, yet to be convinced, that il will be unpopu-
| lar, there. ! am, yet, to be convinced that
| so just and wise measure, as the abolition OF
| the Post Office Department, will work loss to
any portion of the country. A monopoly in the
hands of Democratic Governmentl-copied, in
| the ignorant infancy of that Government, from
monarchy and despotism at war with the whole
genius and framework of that Government -
tell il not that any section, or any worthy inter
ests, of our people be injured by the abolition
of a so entirely misplaced usurpation
Twill admit, however, for the sake Of the argu-
ment, that my proposition is unpopular. Hap
PLY for me, have no popularity to leopard. |
belong, as said, in this place, few months ago,
to "A solitary party; or, if the honorable gentle
man from North Carolina Mr.. CLNGMASl will
permit me to say so, to that dual party, composed
of himself and myself. Laughter. But, though
have no popularity to leopard nevertheless,
many, who hear me, have. | hope, however,
| that they will not allow themselves TO be tram
meled by it, on this occasion. ] hope, than they
will remember that justice is more important
than popularity, and that he, who honors the
demands of justice, win acquire an increasing
and enduring respect, which is infinitely more
valuable than any popularity, and, especially
than that vulgar and mushroom popularity
which is the poor pay for trampling on justice.