The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-02-16

4 Some Of our cotemparies are violently oppos-
ed TO revision Of the postal laws, particularly
to the adjustment Of the free exchange allow
ed to the newspaper press. This is hardly fair
or considerable, as no plausible reason can be
adduced to show why the members of congress
should deprive themselves of the franking priv
ilege, and yet allow the press the freedom Of
the mail. The letter postage should not be in
creased in the slightest degree, as the general
/ government ought to afford the citizens Of the
United States to say the least every postal facil-
ity and benefit accorded by Great Britain to her
subjects In republic the masses should be
the recipients of the good accruing from every
department the government. and that too with
out regard to what may be the cost in dollars
and cents. There is no more business IN the dog
ma so repeatedly advanced that the postothce
/ department should be ''self-sustaininS," than
there would be in proposition 70 make the
army, the navy, the departments at Washing
ton, our ambassadors abroad, and congress it.
self selfsustaining. or that the president and
postmaster general ought to pay out of their
own private pockets the salaries allowed them.
The people at large are more directly interested
in and have more business with the postofice
department than any other branch of the gen
eral government, and no reason whatever can
be given why it should not be kept up at the
expense Of the treasury. If the government is
too poor to continue the present system, let the
franking and exchange privileges, together with
all cumbrous and useless encumbrances and
subsidies be cut off, and the fines be collected
from all contractors failing in their duty. The
revenue might be materially increased, and the
mails relieved of a large mass of lightweight,
by making it imperative on publishers to pay
quarterly in advance the postage on all news
papers and periodicals they mail to distant sub
scrbers The adoption Of this rule would re-
lief the mail bags Of ell deadweight-tbe let
ters and papers being prepaid-lessen the labor
Of postmasters, and, in the end, rebound to the
benefit Of the publishers themselves.
=
THE REvENUE.-0n the Sd inst. the secre-
tary of the treasury communicated to congress
a long report on the subject of the revenue,
and the deficiency in the treasury. He says
that the receipts of the first quarter of the
present year amount to nearly S25, ESQ., OOO |
The receipts Of the remaining three quarters
are estimated at S38, 5000 Ofthis amount
it is estimated that S37 600, 900 will be derived
from customs. He believes that the quarter
ending the 31st Of December last will yield |
SIC ,000,0 900; the one ending 3lst of March /
81 5 600, 900, and the quarter ending June 3Olh |
SIS, 100000, He reports that information re-
'eiyed at the treasury department confirms
5hese estimates. During the fiscal year ending
Tune 30th, 1857, the importations were very
leaVy, amounting in the aggregate on dutiabe
goods, exclusive of expectations, to over $294,-
100000. The receipts Of customs during that
'ear he says were over 1858, 250, OO0. For the
iscal year ending June 3Oth 1858, importa-
ions were very much reduced amounting in
lutiable goods, exclusive of expectations to
5000 100000. He says the imports of duta-
lie goods during the present fiscal year must
each $3.50, 100000 besides these exported,
nd for the next fiscal year he estimates the
IMPORTS at $3.50 900; therefore he con
udes that the receipts will not be adequate to
be public exigencies unless the expenditures
# the government be reduced considerably
elow the estimates. But he does not antici-
'ae such a result, and says that if the bills
which have been passed by either house be-
ONE laws. the expenditures of the government
,ould be very largely and permanently in
reased The pension bill alone, he says, adds {
everal millions to the regular annual expendi- |
lres. He says the expenditures must be re-
uced to the estimated receipts or other means
{ revenue must be provided. He considers :
ne first of these remedies the most desirable e
lie further states that plans will be submitted t
} congress for codfying the revenue laws,
nd for regulating the collection districts. If !;
1ese measures are adopted, he is confident n
will greatly facilitate the operations of the c
easury department. and largely reduce the c
expenses Of the collection Of the revenue
he secretary recommends aboishing the {
anking privilege and raising the rate Of letter {
ostage on all distances under three thousand P
tiles to five cents. He also advises modif- c
alton of the present tariff for the purpose of Z
creasing the revenue. S
Caught A TARTAR THE Washington u
correspondent of the Louisville Courier gives a
e following doleful account Of the officers of p
e house Of representatwes:-"D Didn't the de- e.
ocracy catch Tartar when they elected the P
Ulcers Of the house last winter? Orr, the I
,eaker, defeats the admission of new demo /,
attic State, and one which is reliably demo 81
attic so long as general Lane lives Allen, W
e clerk, turns Douglas man, and uses the
'eat power Of his position to defeat the party -
the admission of Kansas Steedman, the ia
inter, takes the same course, goes home and al
]enly repudiates the democratic marty. and 81