New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-05

part Of bis Report nc gives iuc C"rt VI 'i"''N'N ''
TOR Going out Of the Washington City Post-Ohcc
alone in ono month, aud shows that, If this month
is fair average, the yearly amount must be
81 A6-, SO, at prepaid rstts. he admits that this
i less than fair aver &c estimate for the year at
tlot one Post.Of lie ISell knows that the full
amount Of franke6 matter in year IN the United
STATES was estimated Nv the pOst-Ofice COMMITTEE
At not less than 81, 500 600. He gives in one item
Of the Post-Ohice revenue tie sum Of S1U'ooV as
"the annual appropriation made IN compensation OF
Email service to the Government; while We see
hv tbc shove that this Government mail service
cost. tbe country -, 500, 900 And vet, with these
6ynres before him. nc tells the country that the de-
felt or "cxcess Of expenditure OF the Post
Office Was S2,G26, 2O6, a statement that ne well
knows 70 be- false to the extcut Of at least
Sl.eOOC00. Indeed, the expenditure for the fiscal
wear was $500 2OG less than the Legitimate income
What paltr? piece of reasoning the Postmaster
General gives US on this subject of franking. lie
saws the number If letters and documents franked
by Members Of Congress while absent from the
seat Of Government has not been estimated, but
that il "must be very considerable AS to any
suggestions on those franks, which be says "coyer
" nriyate correspondence of every description,
he gives none, but is perfectly noncommittal. Ana
vet hardly evc r had any public officer the oppor-
tupit of doing more for the country or for his own
credit than the Postnaster-General in this very
particular. But the golden opportunity has gone
aud to him it will never return.
When Mr.. Rowland Hills famous Penny-Postage
scbeme had got fairly under way in the face OF the
bitter opposition Of Lord Lowther-then the Brit
isb Postmaster eneral-and Leut.-COl Maberiy,
the Secretary, these officers took every opportunity
10 throw discredit on it, and that long after Its
success WAS certain One method was to get up
fallaeous report, which Col. Msberly did, by put
ting over E6O0,O00 ga, 1000 000) of packet ex-
penscs into the Post-Ofice expenditures. This
was o naval expenditure given for naval purposes
and though the packets carried the mails, IT mad
never been reckoncd among the Post-Ofiice ex-
penses at ALL But by this report the profits OF
the Post. Office, which, before the penny postage
amounted to over four million dollars appeared to
have disappeared altogether. Mr.. Hill showed the
Parliamentary Committee that this was false
return, and the Secretary was forced to admit IT.
Col Maberly not long after had full leave to re-
tire from the postal service; and Mr.. Rowland
Hill is now the virtual head of the English Post
Office Department. The lesson is one Mr. Camp
bell might profit by.
But let us give the Poslndster.Gencral credit for
one thing that will add something to the
funds of the Department. He has not the courage
10 advise the abolition of the fanking privilege, nor
the honesty to propose that Government should pay
for Transporting its own matter The Post Office is a
mill 10 grind the gris for those who enjoya little
brief authority" but the toll is all taken out OF the
people's corn. The only way that the funds can
be obtained is to raise the postage rates. That is
his proposition He docs not like the idea that poor
peoplc. honest farmers, and labOrlOus mechanics
should get their weekly newspaper, their religious
journal or their literary magazine at one halt the
rate, of transient matter, on condition that they
pay the postage in advance. This reduction on
REGULAR papers and periodicals by the law of 1852
is q perpetual eye-sOrc to our Post-Offce chief tie
speaks of ii as special privilege" to partic-
Mar class. as if the benefit of low postage did not
extend TO the inmates of every house and log-cabm
from Aroostook TO Astoria. And how much does
he propose to make by raising this class OF postage
We will see. Printed matter furnishes to the
postal revenue $636,927 and large share
Of this. third OF more, is transient leaving
say 100000 for the postage on regular
newspapers and periodicals BY the Postmaster
Generals proposition this sum would be doubled,
= 70 tha N
$500, 900. Is there man at Washington who IS
such very simpleton as to believe the people OF
the United States are going to pay higher postage
on their literary religious and political intelll-
eenee-as necessary as their daily bread-and that
too while one million eight hundred thousand dol
lars is ssddlcd on the Post-Ofce by direct
swndle 1t can't be done, Mr.. Campbell.
This Report travels out of its course to read a
lecture to Congress on the prOproty of discontinue
ing the present rate Of pay to the Collins line OF
steamers. We cannot be accused OF being III the
interest of the Collins Company, as our course on
this subject is we'll known. Mr.. Campbell con.
siders the continuance of the present cOmpensa-
ton a mere gratuity.' Unless MIR. Campbell
can show that he is Secretary of the Navy, or spe-
cial protector of the Treasury Department, We
beg to rer2ind him that his advice on the compen-
sation to the Collins Steamship Company is purely
gratuitous. The money for star ting and keeping
up the various lines of ocean steamers is in the
navy estimates, aud was granted with visN to
naval purposes, and does not affect the Post-Ohee
baaoce sheet at all. But why does not Mr..
Campbell give us statements and make suggestions
on necessary improvements of the mail service
and the increase OF mail facilities to the people