Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-04-14

As q miserable compensation for this exaction,
bearing upon the People Of the United States
generally, ocean postage, in which but few are
interested, il to be reduced to the same rates
Another provision raises the tax on the trans
mission Of newspapers, which are to pay one
cent in all cases, instead Of the half cent they
are now charged, when prepayment is made.
The only resison assigned for thus increasing
the burdens of the People is that the Post Office
Department, Instead Of maintaining itself, AZ Is
the true policy, shows deficit annually, OF
about two millions Il dollars which must be
paid out Of the Treasury Not word is said
Of the reason for this deficit for example, Of
the immense quantities Of free matter, books
papers, documents circulars letters, passing to
and fro under the franks Of members Of Con-
gress, the transportation Of which is paid for
by the People who write letters and read news
papers not word Of the vast appropriations
made for steam companies, saddled upon the
correspondence of the People, instead of the
Public Treasury; not word Of the largo out
lays for carrying the mails in new and distant
States and Territories, which yield scarcely
any revenues ia return not a word Of the de-
tict Of moro than half a million Of dollars in
the Slaveholdng States, which has to be made
up by the postagcs collected in tho free States.
We're the cost Of ranking and the cost Of
supporting those expensive Injuries, Tor neces-
saries, as some think them the Liverpool and
New York Steamship Companies betrayed out
of the Treasury Of the United States the def
cit in the slave States on the Pacific, and in
our distant Territories would DO at least bal
anced by the excess Of postage revenues in the
free States, even under the present system of
cheap postage. And will John Smith tell us
what justice or decency there is in taxing him
and me for every letter We write OF receive. and
every newspaper sent us by mail, SO heavily
as to enable members of Congress to frank
their own correspondence and public docu-
ments, and steamship companies to compete
with Great Britain? If such frsnking be ne
cessary, if such competition be necessary to the
public interests, let the Public Treasury pay
the charges There is no more reason for lay
ing the burden on the Post Office Department
than on the Patent Office.
L Again Look at the cost of transporting
the mail in California Oregon, Utah, and
New Mexico--24lS cents a mile, while in
the free States Of the Mississippi and Atlantic
quito eight. The revenues, of course, are still
less, comparatively. Suppose the Sandwich
Islands should be annexed and new provinces
acquired from Mexico, it is evident that
the expenses Of the Post Office Department
would be enormously increased, without any
Corresponding augmentation Of the revenue.
The deficit would be still greater than it is
now, and we should Of course have another
wise report from committee under the advi-
sorry powers of such progressive gentlemen as
Messrs Houston and Jones, recommending an
increase Of the rates Of postage, so as to make
the Post Office Department selfsustaining
concern
IL is time to have done with such nonsense.
The best disposition Of this Bill of DR.. Olda,
when it shall come up, will be to lay it under
tho table There ought to be no trifing on
this subject The reading and writing People
Of the United States are vitality concerned in
the maintenance Of the system Of cheap post
age. They will mark every man who shall
attempt to deprive them of its benefits Prog
ress backwards may suit the capacities Of the
Chairman Of the Committee on the Post Office
and Post Roads, and communities where there
are no common schools and the masses of the
People are excluded from profitable employ
nent and political prclerment by domineer-
ing aristocracy; but it is not to the taste or
wants Of the fifteen millions OF freemen who
wonld have the poor to share equally with the
rich in the benefits of Democratic Institutions
Free-Soil and Cheap Postage are the demands
of truo Democracy whatever Dr. Odds may
think