Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-12-11
WASHING NEWS AND GOSSIP.
IDEFERRED ARrIcLESl

expenditures, contained in the last Animal
Report, the Postmaster General uses the fol-
lowing significant language:
- But IL IL be desired to relieve the Treasury
f'on the acquisitions upon 1t, for the service Of
this Department, II will be necessary not only to
reduce expenses, by disconnectng the mails from
the transportation of passengers and freIg hit but
10 increase the revenue, By ths imposition of
raIKs, or eoSt, Of transportation aud delirsyv of
letters aAd BTiHted matter. move, in this d.
rection was made al the last session Of Congress-
by the introduction Of bill, In the Senate
having, for its chief objects, the raising of the
fl-es-oSHt rate, BPoa Letters, 10 fre esnss and
the abolition Of the discount now allowed by
law, for the payment Of newspaper and pamphlet
postage, quarterly or yearly in advance"
This We consider tantsmount to a recon-
mendatiOn for increasing the rates of postage,
and must, therefore, be allowed to say that it
ia the only opinion expressed in the report to-
wards which We entertain the slightest obJec-
ton. To this we do object, because experience
induces US to favor the lowest possible rates of
postage; and because we believe the advance
would be found unnecessary, if the abuses to
which our postal system is subjected were cor
-ected. To some Of these abuses the Postmas-
ter General has alluded, and for that most no.
tOrious and extensive-of the franking privi-
lege-he has suggested remedy. We do not
believe, however, that he attaches to that
even due Importance; or, rather, that he esti-
mates its approximate extent 1t is q we'll
known fact, that by the fraudulent use of this
privilege hundreds Of thousands of bulky and
weighty electioneering documents, packages of
books, and letters of the confidential friends of
members of Congress are annually transmitted
through the post offices Of the Union. There
IS no reliable data, rs far as we know, for a
computation Of the cost of mailing, transport
ing, and delivering these, or Of the amount of
revenue which would accrue to the Govern
ment if the postage were paid upon them. The
substitution Of some system, less factIe Of
abuse than this franking privilege, has often
been urged, and it should be done at once; or
else the penalty for the fraud, which is now,
we believe, a fine of $500 and costs, should be
reduced more nearly to level with the Of
fence, say to s3 or So fine and costs, so as to
insure enforcement of the law. The extreme
penalty now provided acts as an effectual pre-
yentiye to any regard being paid to violations
Of the law, because of its exOrbitant injustice
But there is another expensive abuse of the
postal system to which the Postmaster General
does not make allusiOn. This consists in the
existence of post offices in localities where they
might be dispensed with without any serious
Inconvenience. Rival store-keepers through
out the country, seeking to attract custom,
have urged their friends to sign petitions for
the establishment of post offices in the vicinity
of their stores, and in a multitude of instances
their efforts have been successful. Politicians
seeking to reward their friends, have often, no
doubt, used their influence, to effect similar
objects, with success, until the whole surface
of the country is dotted over with post Offices,
in localities where if the citizens had been left
to themselves they would hardly have thought
OF asking for any such Governmental estab-
ishment. These unnecessary post Offices not
only increase the expense by the amount re-
quired to sustain them, but they add largely
to the cost of transportation, by auguenting
the stoPpages on routes, and frequently by
rendering new routes necessary.
While we are not disposed to sanction any
measure that would affect our country friends
unfayOrably, We cannot think it just that the
entire people of this country should be taxed
for the accommodation of a few thousand, espe-
cially when that accommodation is not of ma
terial Importance. Nor, again, can we regard
ii as anything else than decidedly unjust that
the entire community should be taxed in order
that politicians may be able TO disseminate
matters for the promotion of their own indi-
yidual interests; or, that the friends Of mem
bers Of Congress may carry on correspondence
through the mails free Of charge. We think it
would be well to institute reforms Of the par
ticular class Of abuses We have mentioned, and
Of others ably pointed out by the Postmaster
General, first; and, then, If deficiency still
exists, it will be ample time to tax the whole
people Of the Union with higher rates of post
age.
But the Postmaster General says, further,
that another cause for the increased ex-
penditures is the extension of aid, by the
Department, to commerce, &c, in giving con-
tracts for carrying the mails to lines of ocean
steamers, railroads. &c. This is but too true.
Yet in that case we no impropriety in
drawing from the Treasury to pay any de-
hciency that may occur in the finances Of the
Department. This extension of commerce ben
efts the entire population, in degree 4 great
deal nearer an average than that whence the
postal revenue is derived; and there is no good
reason for sustaining it by an increase of the
tax on those who contribute the much greater
proportion Of the latter. In short, the Gov
ernment surely has no right TO exact more for
the performance Of the postal service than a
fair equivalent; and there is but little doubt
that, If left to private enterprise, the present
rates Of postage would be found to be, on the
average, rather above than below what would
then be charged. In these animadversions We
mean not to find fault with the Postmaster
General While we coincide with him most
sincerely in every other Recommendation he
has made, and in his opinions respecting the
service generally, We cannot help regarding
this single suggestion as being contrary to the
true interests of the country.
JOHN LErcHER--This distinguished gentle
man, now SO prominently before the public as
the Democratic nominee for Governor of Viz