Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-12-15

y whole theory on which the Post Oaiee DEPARTING
. vas originally founded has been in q Rrsas measu
Q departed from. Its g-eat function for many year
was the transmission CT mail mstier proper, such
letters, newspapers, and light pamphlets, from OF
part Of the country 70 another. The idea Of Il
Government becoming e0mmon carrier Of person
! and merchandise vas never entertained. Bal VII
is the Transmission of the immense mass Of boOl
matter, amounting annually to hundreds oftohs. hT
merchandise whether seut from private book estaA
lishments OF from the two Houses Of Congressf
single instance he transmission Of the books Sc
Of one member (frOn Utah) has cost the Department
between six and seyen thousand dollars. Why eau
not these be forwarded under the direction OF Ii
Secretary az the Senate and CleIk Of the House
either by the ordinary modes Of conveyance, or B,
the application Of postage stamps as on other ma
matterf Another consideration ferclbly presses u
self on the mind in relation to this Department
Many ocean steam lines have been established, no
really 10 meet the postal wants Of the country, bu
to give aid and sssistanoe 10 orr growing and ex
banding commerce. The Department could have nd
returns in hostages that would all compensate foI
their responsiveness; still, as it Wss Of the hrs I'm
portanee to commerce and agriculture to have such
lines the duty Of establishing tbem il thought
had well be devOlTed upon the Post Office Depart
ment as any other.
The great necessity and propriety Of establishing
connection with distant possessions on the Pa
oihc beth by and land, was universally aeknoW-
| lodged. The route By Panama has never repaid il
passages hslf its expenses; yet the nation has been.
in her trade and commerce. remuBerated thousand
fold So Of the great overland rou,ss the main one
Of which has been established By the express enact
OfCongress. None ofthe latter ever make postal
returns alta llpFOpOrOnate to their cost but through
their agency nearly half Of Republic viii be
developed in its Agricultural and mineral resources
! Other references might be made clearly showing
| that the Post Office has Of late years been made
/ the instrument Of accomplishing many things Of
al
scope and purpose Of merely sending letters and
newspapers from one place to another. IL is not
fair, therefore, 70 measure its usefulness hy the
mere receipt Of pOsiages nor to complain that in
eompishing great and lasting benefits 70 the com
merce to the settlement and security Of the eounS
try, it has brought some charge the Treasury be
yOnd its contributions The other Departments sub
sist wholly on the Treasury, bringing no returus
whatever into it. Why, then, should il be thought
strange that the Post Office Department when
charged with opening new sources Of commerce to
the merchants, new markets for our agricultural
products, aud placing Government aud people in
direct and independent communication with the
other nations Of the earth should not be able
complish these great results upon three cent post
age on letters, and upon printed matter almost no
postage at all?
The exact principle Of Justice on this whole sub.
ject conceive to be, that in conducting its ordina
~ business oftra1smittng correspondence lie should
be thrown entirely on its own resources But when
ever any service, on the sea OF the land is re
q0ired Of it, mainly, If not exclusively, for national
Obects-sueh as the extension Of our cOmmeree, the
spread Of our population, and the development Of
the various resources our eOuntTy-the cost there
Of in all fairness, ought to be borne By the national
Treasury. These national purposes, If accomplish
ed through the action Of the Navy and War De
partments as they might be- would necessarily fall
on the national Treasury. What difference, then,
should there be in this respect, when the same du-
ties ora st1neraddpd tn fhe Post Office nenertrna
whose rate Of hostages, lis only means Of raising
revenue has been adjusted for very different pur-
pOsess It is in the light Of this distinction that the
operations Of this Department. ought to be examined
I5 is no longer machine composed Of borses stages
and mail bags for The transmission mainly Of the
private correspondence Of individuals it has be-
come the great pioneer Of civilization and prOgr Sc;
it is the agent of commerce and intelligence it visits
every town and city; it comes home to almost every
dOmieile of the country; and its high mission Of
individual and national usefulness ought not to be
diminished by say misrepresentation Of its true
character and functions Applying these general
remarks to the precise question Of the present rate
Of postage, feel bound 10 say that the last re
duotion below five cents aud the discounts allowed
on the already greatly reduced rates on printed mat
ter have greatly eurtsied the usefulness Of che De-
partment in extending our mail service with that
CELEBRITY, frequency and uniformity to all parts Of
the country which the spirit Of Improvement in
every department Of business aud social life so
nestly demsnds. There many portions Of the
United States which have not yet received satisae-
tory mail facilities, and not likely to do 50
with the present inadequate means OF the Depart
ment
In compact and dense population the present
rate might bear some reasonable proportion to the
actual cost of transportation; but in widely ex-
tended country Ike the United States, now reach
ing from one ocean 10 the other, and in many pOT,
lions of it thinly populated, three cents would seem
to be altogether insufficient TO meet the actual
expense incurred by the government in sending
forward the letters. Heretofore entire Cslifor
MIA correspondence has been conducted Al ten cents
it being over three thousand miles by the Panama
route. Since the establishment Of our various
overland routes, however, all great cities Of the
valley Of the Mississippi brought within the
three thousand miles, and therefore will pay the
inadequste postage Of only three eynts It is not
likely that the people of Atlantic States and especial
ly Of their large cities, will be willing TO pay ten
cents on their extensive correspondence to Caif0r
MIA. Washington, aud Oregon, whilst those in the
Mississippi valley viii have to pay only three cents.
To avoid this source Of dissatisfaction and the prae
tical inconvenience Of having different rates, regu
lated by distances, 1t is respectfully submitted 70
the superior wisdom of Congress whether one uni
form rate Of i've cents for all distances would not en-
large the usefulness Of the Depar ment, diminish
If not entirely prevent, such heavy drafts on the,
Treasury and best promote the interest and eonve-
nienee OF the people.
IN relation 10 tue pilFilcEt ~ - pua-
sible to tell to what it is abusednot often, it
is to be hoped, by those to whom it is allowed BY
law bet by others, who take the liberty TO sign
their names under some pretended authority 10 do
so, or under no authority at all IL is impossible
fer the % 900 pOstmasers Of the United Stats to
Judge Of the genuineness Of the signatures and
therefore they can do nothing to prevent abuses.
In times Of national as vel rs State elections he
Post Office eOnyeyanoes are literally loaded down
with partisan documents, for which 1t is evident
somebody should pay, il it is expected that the de-
partmcnt should even appointments own support.
Now, if it be desired by Congress tina al these
decdmenjs be transmitted at public expense 1t the
stamps be furnished and charged 10 members who
franz them so that Congress may keep watch over
the privileges granted to their own members aud
prevent abuses which this Department has no power
to detect.
NUMBER OF POST OFFICES.
The whole number Of post Offices in the United
States on the Both June last, was p 81, Of which
400 are Of the class denominated presidential. The
number established during the last fiscal year was
2I2I and the number discontinued $50, being an
increase Of 1891. The number Of pOstmasters APP
pointed during the year was 8,2s4. Of these 1895
we're 10 fiji vacancies Occasioned by resignation,
99S by removals, 278 BY deaths, 292 BY change Of
names and sites, and 2 l2l on establishments Of
offices. The whole number Of Offices on the Let Of
December, 1858, was 2S,573.
On the both Of June last there were in operation
8, 296 mali routes The number Of contractors was
7,O44
The length Of these routes is estimated at 26o 60S
miles, divided as follows:
Railroad 2i.43l miles
stembOa, H0t3 .
Coacns S3,suy