New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-07

Office OF this Cry, aud eau co ne hete AM real
the papers and 90 home sgsin before they could
read the sane papers at home. Taat l., one miy
travel over the mail route twice or three times
while the mall il ooy travelling il once, iacllll'g
the time consumed in getting it ready to '-art
sud getting il in order TO be delivered. Uldl
the Postmaster- General can improve tle work
ing Of his Department, be need not tex OF
doubling the postage upon newspapers. Lit him
improve it, and he will need noting more.
We fnd in thIs Report that she sun 1913
GIG 80 were paid to Postmasters and their clerks
for their services last year. Now. from Whist
we know of the m4Dner of doing business ia the
Department. Of the absolute waste of tine ia
sortDg, marking, counting. rating. registering,
and keeping accounts, we know tia. one-h,lf OF
that sum may be saved. The POstmaster-G neral
proposes to adopt the English systen Of Regis
tered Letters 1t ought to have been adopted
when it was urged upon the Department more
than ten yeas ago. And what is more, no let
ters Of ally sort should be registered as they nov
are. Let every man put up his letter as he sees
fit, ard unless be pays five cents to have some
tan entered in book, let the officials put it into
bog az soon as it is received, aud send it forward
as fact as steam can carry it TO its des iDatjon,
where it should be delivered as soon re ,eiged.
In all the great Cities, the Post-Ofiice never
should be closed, dsJ or light. Men should not
be driven to teek other chanGels OF comnuui-
cation.
The Post Office Department Of the United
States, whenever it will adopt the prepaid sys-
tenn, and abolish the Thanking privilege teetO.
tally will not only support Itself, but will pay
revenue at the present rates for papers, and two
cents for letters. 1t is idle to say it cannot
support itself Make it so that the people will
look to it as the most speedy most certau Of all
modes of transmitting intelligence, and we
never shall hear any more OF these annual com
plants about its not supporting itself The Post
master General says:
"While shall take care that the expenditures of
the Dppar not unnecessarily mere tsed, AMI
that il shal dae from the general Treasury only
much us its absolute wants require which, fe it
must necessarily do for years under tbs prese Il
rates of postage, il would be neither wise expe
dent TO deprive or keep from our people the mail "a
ces which they require. The principle adopted
Department should sustan itself from its
enues was in my opinion most wise and salutary.
postage then laid sufficient to meet the wants OF
the service aud uuder this system, each citizen paid
the expenses of the pOrta0n of HE letters,
and Others were not taxed for bis benefit, ne they
must be whtn sums have 10 be drawn from the gem
era TreasuTy to meet deficiencies in the Post 0ice
revenues.
If the author Of the above means that the ex-
penditures shall not be unnecessarily increased,
let him labor night aud day to abolish the trans.
portaton of hundreds of tups OF documents from
Washington and elsewhere that never pay pot
age. Let him abolish q system that requires
hundreds of turs of blanks 10 be printed and
transported to the country Offices, there TO be
written thrice over aud sent to the General Post
Office. Then let him abolish three-f1urtbs Of his
own clerks who are nowrequired to handle these
uteless manuscripts. But he fears the Depart
ment must draw from the Treasury for some
years under the present rates of postIge;" as
if the principle that the Post Office shall sustain
itselfwas a whit more "wse and salutsry" than
it would be to make either the Army or Navy
support itself. But, indeed the self supporting
system is Just what we want restored to US. II
20 90 for that. As newspaper publishers, we
viii give ND the free exch lnge system. We will
pay all that is necessary upon letters and papers
to cover all the honest expenses Of transportation,
but we now psy double as much as we ought to
psy, al for the benefit Of somebody who has the
privilege of sending all that he wishes, aud re-
ceivipg all that is sent him. free of postage; and
also for the benefit Of some thousands of persons
who are paid for handling and carrying this free
matter and other thousands who are laboring to
keep unnecessary accounts.
We gladly give the POstmaster-General credit
for his suggestion of requiring prepayment on all
letters originally mailed in this country, aud of
system for registering letters. With these
changes, and the abolition of the present cum
brOus system of accounts and the infusion Of
little life into the Department, so as to regaa the
confidence bow lost, We cannot see the necessity
Of increasing the postage upon aoy descrip
ton Of mslable matter; and if the franking
privilege were abolished, so that leach citizen
would psy the expense of the transportation Of
his own letters" we should have Mr.. Campbell
knocking at the door Of Congress for reduction
Of postage-giying as a reason, /" Because the
revenue was greater than the wants Of the De-
"partment."
KANSAS FOR SLAVERY: