Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-06-19


cots will again he running on the now desolatc
Hemnseld track. This is matter for the sin
cerest congratulations OF the people of this city,
and of this county, as well as for that OF the
town and county of Washington, Pa. There is
every prospect that the road will pay very
considerable revenue over its running expenses,
once it is Fut in good and proper trim. We
have as yet only had forctaste of the good re-
suits which it is destined to accomplish for our
local trade The move is creditabe to the char
acteristic public enterprise of Mr. Sweeney, and
to the gentlemen who have come forward to his
assistance.
TAG FnAxEIxe PnlvmEaE AND OUR LETTER
PosrAGR.-It may not be generally known that
the Senate of the United States, the other day,
SO far undertook to stultify the civilization of
the age, as to raise the letter postage from three
to five cents, back to tie old price. We say
that it may not be generally known, for it has
had bat yet mere telcgraphic line of an
nouncenent But such is the fact, and we call
the attention OF our readers to the proposition,
md ask them If it is not of the smallest
pieces of petty attempts at retrogradation that
they have seen for some time back. 1t is not
TOO much to say that the popular mind of this
country has warmed, as ii We're, to newness
and vigor of life, under the cheap postage sys-
lem The poor, and thoseTof but few advan-
tages, have been melted by these increased OF
facilities to try their hands at the noble art o!
letter writing. They have, prompted 10y the in
stincts OF friendship and affection for absent
friends or kindred applied themselves to the
culture of composing and, consequently, think
ing. The high price Of the old system had
always chilled and repressed there instincts,
except in urgent cases. But the reduction
has tended, and is tending to foster spirit OF
frequent social intercourse between absent per-
sons of every style Of life. ANY one can see Mt
a glance that the effects caunnt but be happy,
antIin the end extremely beneficial, not only for
the people, but for the Post Office Department
itself Thelreduction in price certainly has, and
is largely increasing the amount of mail matter,
and by and by tho revenue, With prudent OK
penditures, cannot but make the Post Office
self.supporting concern But suppose the Post
Office for these fifty years to come, should fall,
annually, million dollars short of expenses,
what is that sum, compared with the incalcni
able advantages which cheap postage affords to
the poorer classes Did our government but
the corrupt appropriations which are eternnlly
slipping through Congress into the pockets of
sharpers and spectators, there would be no
need to levy this tax upon the rising thirst of
The people for social Improvement.
1t is worthy of note, that while most of those
Senators (nineteen to ifteen) who voted to take
away this valuable auxiliary t6sthe public intel.
ligence, when it came to vote on the abolition
9 of their precious privilege of frankipg tons of
bore-ish eleetioneering speeches and Patent Of
fee Reports, why, then, these pseudo economists
took quite another view of the Post Office sys.
tenn. We do not mean to blame any of them
for voting to retain the franSingi privilege. On
the contrary, we would not ask or wish them to
abolish IT. tits BETTING the station aud require
ments of member of Congress, that some ex-
c,nptions and privileges of thesert should at
tach to it. We want to see every possible in,
5 iuce.nent thrown around membership in either
house. because then we shall DO more likely to
secure the best men for legislatofs. They ought
to be and are well paid. But VIC are opposed to
their tampering with any provision that makes
for the popular welfare, If reeds be, let those
meddling reductions and alterations in our tariff
system, which were made some time ago, be re-
placed again. Let the Injuries and the tancies
in our importations, which are of no essential
benefit to anybody, and which are patronized,
for the most part, by psOple possessing more
means than they have use for, let them pay the
balance necessary to square the government ac-
counts t-
In the vote upon the question to raise the
postage, we are sorry to SEQ such display Of
sectionalism as there was, Every vote given
for the t,Do tsfths advance, was from the South,
with but two exceptions while the northern
Senators, who represent the great bulk of the
readers and writer's of the country, were for the
low rates. The aniaus of such a vote cannot
be mistaken. 1t was of piece with Alabama
Gays iabored invectives and final repeal of the
Fishing bouhties, and his. afterwaTd, advocacy of
the Dismal Swamp bounty. We hope and trust
that the House Of Representatives neither next
session nor at any future session. can be brought
70 aeqaiesee in this nnsiatesmanlike move of the
United States Senate.