The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-23
THE UNITED STATES POSTAL ESTAB-
LISHMENT.

THE UNITED STATES POSTAL ESTAB-
LISHMENT.
For several wears past the revenue of the
Post Office Department has fallen below the
expenditures; and the excess of the latter has
augmented with fearful rapidity during the late
and present Administrations. Our readers
NAV have learned, from the synopsis of the
Postmaster Generals report published in our
last, that the revenue of the Department, du-
ring the fiscal year ending June 30, was
S7,466,792.s6.
During the same period, the expenditures
amounted to $l2,722 ,47O.0l. The expendi-
lures therefore exceed the receipts S., 5677l5.
This difference is made up by annual appro-
priations from the Federal Treasury.
The estimates of the head of the Department
for the next fiscal year present a still greater
disparity between the receipts and expenditures.
The latter, we are told, viii run up to
Sl4,i76.520, while the revenue will amount
10 only s7,sS6, OS0-leaving balance to be
made up by appropriations out of the Treasury,
amounting 10 S6,99O44O.
This enormous balance of expenditures over
the receipts Of the Post Office Department at
once marks the progress which the country has
made in wealth, and which the sham Democ-
racy has made in proAigate extravaganza
Everything * now conducted on the grandest
scale. Oar national expenditures have risen
from the ten millions under John Quincy
Adams, 10 one hundred millions under Buehan-
an and, as matter of course, official jObbing
peculation, ,hieviug and fraud, Is the order Of
the day. Millions are made at one fell swoop
lIy land grants to railroads, BY clamdestine
sales Of highly improved Government reserva-
lions by contracts for supplying the army and
navy, and by contracts for running four-horse
post coaches through the wildenesses of the
Southwest, without passengers.
As the necessary result Of this prohigacy and
corruption, our thieves and peculators are be-
coming princes in wealth, the standard of
character and Of morals is deprecating, aud
the people are saddled with national debt
and heavy taxes.
The Postmaster General recommends sever
al expedients lor reducing the expenses and
augmentng the revenue Of his Department.
Some Of them are good, while Others are
characterized by that southern sectional favor
itism which has become the settled policy of
the q Democratic party.
The following are he suggestions of Mr..
Brown for remedying the embarrassments into
which the postal system has fallen. He says
An act of Congress should be passed. ex-
planatory OF the acJ OF March ,, 1915, which
makes II the duty OF The Postmaster General,
IN all future lettings OF contracts for the trans
portation OF the mails. TO let the same. in every
case, to the lowest bidder rendering sufficient
guarantees for faithful performance without
other reference 10 the mode of such transporta-
ton than may be necessary to provide for the
due CELEBRITY, certainty, and security of such
transportation And to make the law more
emphatic It should provide that the Postmas-
ter General shall no, III any case whatever ac-
cept hld tor mail service having any refer
ence TO the conveyance OF passengers or freight
OF any kind other than regular mail matter.
" The effect OF such legislation would be to
substitute stages with two horses on routes
where four-horse coaches are now employed.
while stages In their turn would give Mace to
the buggy, aud, indeed, oltentimes to horseback
CONVEYANCE In the few cases where four-horse
vehIcirs would be necessary, on account of the
large amount OF mail matter. the difference be-
tween the cost oi passenger coaches and the
palmer and cheaper wagon, sufficient for con
viewing the mails, would be very considerable.
and SO, also, proportionate saving would re-
suit IN the case Of stages, when changed to a
palmer and cheaper conveyance of equal ca
pacity."
We confess that We are at a loss TO under
stand what explanation could make the law of
March 3, 1915, more explicit as regards the duty
Of the Postmaster General, than the language
quoted from it above by Mr.. Brown. The pas
sage cited expressly enjoins what he recon-
nends; bat it may be that some other clause
gives color 10 the vicious practice which he
condemns, but conforms to; and if such is the
case, ii is to be hoped that Congress will Weld
the explanation demanded 1t is certainly a
great abuse, and great source of profitless
expenditure on the part of the Department. to
run fourhorse coaches through sparsely-peopled
regions, for the accommodation of an occasional
passenger The travelling public should foot
their own bills, and not saddle them upon the
people. Wherever the amount of travel will
justify it, mail contractors will run coaches, in
order to enhance their profits and where travel
is not sufficient to justify the running of coaches
the additional expense should not be put upon
the Department.
These splendid lines of post coaches, which
II is the custom to keep ap at the expense OF
the Department, are one great cause of its
pecuniary embarrassments. The effect of the
system is to tax the people of the more settled
portions Of the country not merely to send the
mails through the South but to afford facil.
tiles of travel. The North furnishes the revenue
of the Department; the South consumes il.
Northetn letters arc taxed, in order that South.
ern travellers may be accommodated with four
horse coaches. During the fiscal year ending
June 60 1857, the total expenses of the De
partment exclusive of the foreign mail service,
exceeded the total receipts by $2sOO,OOO; and
of this enormous sum, 81, 700, 900 went to make
up for the Southern deficit. Every slavehold-
ing S late was in arrears, and revelled in mail