The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-07
PRICE TWO CENT S

its only means of raising revenue, has been adjust
ed for very different purposes? 1t is in the light
OF this distinction that the operations o+ttis dc
partment ought to b. examined It is no longer a
. machine composed of horses, stages and mail bags
for the Transmission mainly of the private core
Spondcnce of individuals; it has become the great
pioneer OF civilization and progress it is the agent
Of commerce and Intelligence; it visits every town
and city, and comes home to almost every dnmic
| of the country; and its high mission of individual
and national usefulness ought not to be diminished
! by any misapprehcnSiOn Of its true character and
| functions.
Applying these general remarks to the precise
question of the present rate Of postage, the Post
| master General says that the last reduction below
/ five cents and the discount allowed the al
! ready greatly reduced rates on printed matter,
have greatly curtaed the usefulness of the depart
! ment in extending our mail service with that
lerlty, frequency and uniformity to all parts of
! country which the spirit of Improvement in every
department of business and of social life earnest
| ly demands. There are many portions of the Uni
! ted States which have not yet received salts
factory mail facilities, and not likely to
do so with the present inadequate means Of the de
partment.
! In compact and dense population the present
rate might bear some reasonable proportion to the
actual cost Of tranSpOrtation but in a widely cx-
tended country, like the United States. now reach
ing from one ocean to the other, and in many por-
tlonS Of 1t thiny populated, three cents would seem
to be altogether insufficient to meet the actual e-
pense incurred by the Government in sending for
ward the letters. Heretofore entire California
correspondence has been conducted at ten cents it
being over 600 miles by the Panama route Since
the establishment of our various overland routes,
however, all our great cities of the valley of the
Mississippi are brought within the 200 miles, and
therefore will pay the inadequate postage Of only
| three cents.
| 1t Is not likely that the people of the Atlantic
States, and especially of their large cities will be
willing to pay ten cents their extensive cores
! pondence to California, Washington and Oregon,
whilst those in the Mississippi valley will have to pay
only three cents. To avoid this source of dissats-
! faction and the practical Inconvenience of having
G:"ept rates, regulated by distances it is respect
full! suh'ritted 70 the superior wisdom of Congress
whether one uniform rate of five cents for all dis
tances would not enlarge the usefulness of the
| department, diminish, if it did entirely prevent,
such heavy drafts on the Treasury, and best pro
mote the interest and convience of the people.
In relation to the franking privilege, it is mpos
sible to tell to what extent it is abused-not often,
1T is to be hoped, by those to whom it is allowed by
law, but by others, who take the liberty to sign
their names under some pretended authority to do
so, or under authority at all. 1t is impossible
for the 1000 postmastcrs Of the United States to
Judge OF the genuineness of the signatures, and
therefore they can do nothing to prevent abuses
In times of national as well State elections the
post Office cOnveyances literally loaded down
with partisan documents, for which it is evident
somebody should pay if it is expected that the de-
partment should even approximate its support.
Now, if it be desired by Congress that all these
documents be transmitted at public expense, let the
/
frank them, so that Congress may keep watch over
the privileges granted to their own members and
prevent abuses which this department has power
to detect.
NUMBER OF Posi- OrFIcEs.--Whole number 3Oth June
last y 977 of which 400 of the class denominated
Presidential.
Number established during last fiscal l21
Number discontinued
increase ,39l
Number of poStmasers appointed. 2S4
OF these 1896 were to fiji vacancies occasioned by res
bN by by
OF names and Sites and 22l establishment Of new off
Whole number of Offices December l. 1858 573
TRANSPORTATION STATIsTCs.-On the 3Oth June
last there We're in operation s 296 mail routes.
The number of contractors was 7,Ol4.
The length ofthese routes is estimated at 26O603
miles; total annual transportation IS, ,7G5 49l miles;
and cost S7,795, AIS, divided follows:
Miles. Ami Transptn. Cost
Raiiroad .;''''.' 2ld$i 2576$ 452 s. @ S2S %ol
cSS% cSasR ia2da 53oa l55S5 5S595G s55s 5sii
Inferior prades.... 165499 2SS76,695 1S23357
Compared with the service reported June 80,
1887, there is an addition of lS,002 miles TO the
length Of routes and of SlI73,312 to the cost, di
vidcd as follows:
Railroad. ,9OI S2Gs. .454
Steamboat, l.79S 2ll .9IS
Coach, : 4.37I 499,0lS
Inferior routes, 1882 lG3,9S2
The lettings of new contracts for the term
mencing lst July last embraced twenty-onc States
and Territories Of the Northwest. est, and South
west. including California, New Mexico, [ tah Ore
gon, and Washington.
The following table shows this service including
the great overland route and the Tehuantepec route
Conveyance. Miles of Miles of fannual
length transportation Cost.
Railroad.... S6O3 S9T2,S5 81 .022. .427
Steamboat. 1G1l6 1921 400 1861 75S
Inteormod's 1l5.547 1S9g7.Ol6 sos
Total. lso,a5l 45,aa5.o55 G4s5,2lo
Compared with the services on the 3Oth June
last, in the same States and Territories. the
length of routes is increased 27973 miles the an
nual transportation thereon 9,026,GGG miles; and
the cost 81, 2i3 1856.
On the 30th June there were in the service
$40 route AGENTS at Il compensation
OF S35I $50 %
% express route agents, at a compersa-
tlou oi............ ................... ZNOuU w
- local agents, at a compensation off,. 2J9S9 90
1.4Gl mail messengers, at Il compensation
Observation-Disclosures. S4GS4 Al
Total. Observation-Disclosures. S577. .373 Il
This amount. with the increased cost Of ser
vice under contracts commencing
July 2243 15G 90
Added to the cost OF service, as in operation
June 30................... ........ 7,79j41s 90
Makes total for current year.. 10 6lj, ,947 Al
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES.
The expenditures OF the Department in
the fiscal year ending June so 1858,