The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-06-24

Dcportmenf. ~
~ WANHiNoToN, Juno 7. 1850
Nccert investigations in the Affairs cf
the Post Office Rad Go The belief that that
department OF The governments loses one
million Of dollars year by the use of
counterfeit and rewasled postage stamps.
II Is believed that there afo two classes Of
persons engaged IN this nofafions business
--one which hmanuIacttfcs either from en-
graved or Photographed plates, and seIls
new postage stamp end another that
gathers those which have been used from
waste papercollections and by means Of an
acid washes Oft the Post Office stamp that
wasputonthem when they passed through
Under the present postal system there
is no means Of Guarding against the FIRST
named evil, for tho tnanuiachuo of tho
postage stamp Is SO simple that one man
can make bis plate and produce thousands
Of sheets without the aid Of . single per-
SON. To dispose Of them he lms only to
come into collision with some of the post
masters or their clerks, ofWhich thereare
more than fifty thovsandinaIl throughout
the country. and the constafft Toss of mo-
ney in passing through the fflails docs not
give high Standard Of honesty among
them. All Of them are entrusted with
the sale of stamps, and no check can bo
kept upon them, for there is no possibility
/ of Ascertaining how many stamps are in
the hands Of the people. When lettcrs
are posted the clerks have no time to scru-
tinise the stamp ON them, and they arc
\ rapidly dcfaced with black stamp As
the letters with the d. faced stamp ON
them pass again into the hands OF the
4 people the department can form no posi-
tive idea 70 what extent the fraudulent
Y stamps are used. 1850
4 The same difficulty of detection attends
the rewashed stamps, but they are sup
! posed to be used to 4 less extent than the
oounterfeits, on account Of the greater
facilities for selling the httcr Efforts
have been made, both in this country and
in England, where the same difficulty is
encountered, to obtain. an indehble ink
forthepurpose of deFacing the usedstamps,
but without success and the inetiicieney
Of our police system for preventing the
operations Of couhterieitcrs leaves the
manuiacturer Of SUBSCRIPTIONS postage
stamps 70 labor with impunity.s
~ IL Is the opinion 0f persons well yersed
IN Che eaifaifs of the Post Onlee Department
here. that these frauds have intimate CON
nectionwith the deficiency inits revenues,
md could the Postmaster General devise
some means to stop them. tie Department
'woald be aselfsustaining one. The only
possible manner Of doing Il seems to be to
abolish entirely the use OF posfage stamps,
and resort to prepayment by the use of
stamped envelopes, which Should be
guarded in their manufacture by water
marks in the paper, aud every other CON
ltrivance and improvement in the style
and construction Of the envelopes which
the Postmaster General can possibly de-
wise, without increasing 600 much the cost
of the envelope to the public. '7
A Democratic Paper Dissecting Mr..
II Buchanan.
The Mobile Register, the leading Dem
ocratic paper in Alabama, Is engaged in
the offensive and unpleasant work Of dis
+ sccting Presidents Buchanan. In re-
: cent article, speaking Of the Presidents
! treatment of Mr. Forsyth, late Minister
Z to Mexico, it says;
Mr.. F., has never complained that "D1r.
Buchanan did not deem it consistent with
the public interest to continue him in Of
fee :" but he did complain that Mr.. Buc-
= hanan acted neither like a President nor
gentleman, in his mode of discontihu-
ing him from office. The President had
only TO breathe wish that he wanted
Mr.. F.s mission, and it would have been
resigned into his hands in an instant. and
he would have retired with respect for
Mr.. BIS character. But he selected a
! mode more congenisl TO his tortuous
tastes, Instead of saying openly what he
wanted, like an honest man, he rcsorted
to a course of trickery. and deceit Iinwor-
thy of amy gentleman. and disgraceiul to
: the exalted Presidential office.
l.
rcspopdence will be Published at the next
! session of Congress, il ought to have
been published before. bcca,lse it was
called for at Mr.. Forsytli's instance, un-
dera resolution Of last Senate. The De-
I apartment had not time to Prepare il be-
. fore Congress adiomnod. THIS should be
: remembered when Mr. S, j. accused OF
{ violating "diplomatie reserve in refer
: ring 10 this correspondence. When Il is
fpublished, II il docs not sustain the APP
: peal Mr.. H., has already made to it, for
9 the truth of the facts he has stated, we
: shall be ready to admit that that gentle
y man dcsefyes all the spiteful things now
: said of him BY the Presidents toady
: newspapers. If these papers are deter
! mined to Keep up the WIZ upon Mr.. r.,
Z to coyerup the double-dealing and treach-
Z ery of their master. We are equally de-
!. termined in defending Mr.. Forsyth, 10
= let the Democracy of Alabama know who
I and what Mr.. Buchanan is--an insincere,
y crafty and cold-blooded old man, who
: without sympathies for his Kind repels
the sympathies OF others-who caresses
o his enemies and betrays his friends, who
loves darkness rather ethan light. and
:, crooked paths better than straight ones
q a man who does not know how to treat a
1t gentleman, because he has not the inborn
x feeling of one. WHO crouches before the
strong whileihe isa tyrant over his infe-
riors, in which class he ranks his Cabinet
= and The officers of the Government. as
! we'll as the domestics of his household
: man whom one cannot love and it is im
a possible TO trust. This Is the man who
y in an evil hour, was foisted upon the
y Cincinnati Convention as the standard
q bearer Of the great, true-hearted and. gen
y erous democratic people OF this country
= The Virginia and Louisiana delegations
y ia that body are res ppnsihie for this deed
n We lsRyo de eonsolation Of remembering
Ia that in comlnon with the mass oil South
1. ern Democrats, ia thai Convention. We
al opposed hie nomination, as one not fit tc
/. he made He has proved the opinion
4. and stands now tine most unpopular and
"a uu,1nslo,, rIesident who has ever occu
lied the seai Of Wasiiington, aud he ha,
Ia made i|lA own bed,
y PAst qsoos'.l, ~ p5n't harm on pas
4 troubles When We SEQ f pale, nervoui
Z woman, in the midat 81 her ifisnds, pre-
e ferling to entertain them with 4 list o
the racking pains she has suffered, to
y saunter ia Gods free uif AID sunshine
~ x.a rovpot ,x,orlor tka4 fl,.. ..t 4. ,.s,i,.r,,