New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-29

The public treasury.
Prominent among the measures proposed by the
Postmaster for further reduction OF the expenses of
the Department is the abolition of the Frsnkine Privi-
leoe rpon this psint, he says: II IL, Of coarse not
intended 10 assert that the correspondence of the Gov
eminent should be transmitted at the personal charge
of It's iupctonaes bu, only that the cost Of conveying
sneb spOn6euce, when passing through the mails
shoud be dcffayed from the National Treasury. There
l. no more reasOn why the Post Office Department
through its contractors, shonld perform this service
grau lusy for the Government than there is tha, the
steamb ,srs and railroad companies Of the country
should transport iis troops munitions OF war, and
ftores without compensation What shall be the char
acter and amOunt of written or printed documents for
warded on behalf Of the Government and under what
safeguards against abuse questions whose solution
belongs exclusively 10 Congress and which Is not my
purpose al present 20 discuss. Idese 10 maintain only
the general proposition thar whether the written and
printed matter be great small If be dispatched in
ihe name and in the interest of the Government and
by It's agents accredited for the purpose, should be
charged with precisely the same rates OF postage 10
which il would have been subjected had IL been for
waIded by private citizens. The franking privilege,
+ accorded 10 various officers OF the Government,
from the beginning and stl is an anomaly in the postal
system and in direct conflict with the true theory of It's
creation. This has been distinctly recognized IN the sew
era acts permanently appoprating 500 cooper annum
for the transportation OF free matter" This not in
the language or spirit of the act Of 1885, provision
made for tho support Of the Department nom IT, own
revenues, but is an appropriation from the public
Treasury, and is IN its terms SPECIFIC compensation for
the transmission Of correspondence and documents con
uected with the administration OF the Government. it
il well known that the expenses Of the Department
for TRANSFORMATION have rapidly increased within the
last ten years. In 1919 they amounted TO S7 t07 s
bu for ihe year ending the Seth Of june 1889, they
reached the sum Of S9.47S i57. This has been pro-
duced by The enormous bulk and weight Of the mails
wbish are principally due 10 the vast quantity Of
heavy books and printed documents sent nnder the
Government frank Mails which but recenslf weighed
hvodrod pnunHa from this
found weighing tnns The rates OF postage on printed
Documents &c being but nominal, the cost OF their
convex apce s in fact, tax 90 the letter correspond
epce Of the country. Hence, as the great mass OF tue
matter fanked by the Governments officials Is printed,
were Il even pad for at the prevailing rates. still ID
nrecse proportion as the Government is the patron Of
The mails would the service be uDremnneratvc 70 the
Department. Were the free matter now conveyed
charged with the existing rates Of postage, Il is conf
DENLY believed that it would yield an annual revenue
of AZ least 81 800 GOO; yet for this service the Depart
ment receives but 100000; and actually expends in
its performance but little, If anything, short Of
$3,0o0,OC0.
ibe obligation of the Government to pay for the use
of the nails at the rates imposed on the private cit-
zen ia now so manifest that the proposition has been
deliberately made and urged with much force that this
act of Justice SHALL If possible, be made retrospective:
Coud the amount which the Department has expended
for the Transportation of free matter from the founda-
tion of the Government be ascertainedwhch is obvl-
ousy impracticableit difficult to perceive on what
ground claim TO its reimbuI sement-less the aggre
gate of the appropriations made from the Treasury Tor
tbe support Of the Department be resisted. II
the principle conended for is rghtnow, 1t has been 90
from the Beginning.
The Postmaster complains that the 500 600 appro"
praton s offered not in satisfaction Of what is con-
fessed TO be DUE but is rather bestowed Us an aims.
II is not paid as TO creditor for services fully rem
dered but il extended as "a relief to a deiraudng
branch of the Government and 10 save it from bank
ruptcy ard dshonor. This places the Department
continually in false position, and presents i 70
the world q delinquent, when, IN TRUTH 1t 10
not so. 30 lons as i is thus treated' however
skillfully or honestly II may be administered, u
must stand at the bar Of public opinion al con,
demned and as fahless to its mission. This Is moral
wrong, and great political error. When the De-
partment has Loyalty discharged every duty incum-
bent upon it, and has performed services, the COM
pensation for which, if fairly made, would render it
Justice 10 claim that IL shall be allowed 20 asume that
attitude, instead Of the morsifying one II has been
driven to occupy for Jearshst Of an mprovdent and
Sss 9sS 4 These S n Ss the
enlightened administration Of the postal system with
out complete knowledge of its financial resources and
liabilities, which can never be attained while the ncu-
bus of the franking privilege Is hanging over il.
Another potent reason for the abolition Of the frank
ing privilege as now exercised, is found in the
which seem to be inseparable from its existence.
These abuses though constantly exposed and animad
verted upon for series of years. have as constantly
III Dt6U OlttU eldlcu ny pfeutCcc-
sors and ia matter Of public notoriety, that Immense
masses Of packages are transported under the Govern
ment frank, which neither the letter the spirit Of
the statute creating the frankng privilege would JUS
tifyj that large number Of letters, documents and
packages are thus conveyed covered by the frank Of
officials written in violation Of law, not by themselves,
but BY some real or pretended agent-whle whole
sacks Of similar matter which have never been handled
nor by Government fnDcti0nares are transported
under franks which have been forged. Tue extreme
nf euch greatly mnlf.
piled this class of ofenses, while their prevalence has
deadened the public sentiment in reference to them
that vction however ample the proof, Is scarcely
possible to be obtained.
The Postmaster urges further that the restoration Of
the Department TO its original independence cannot be
accomplished without the adoption OF another meas
Of usticethat OF charging on the public treasury
all routes not strictly postal. In support OF TINS pro-
position he presents table, showing that S6O0,UO0
paid Annually for carrying few sacks of letters from
the Valley OF the Mississippi, via III Paso, through
waste and uDinbabied country, would defray the ag-
gregate cost of mail transportation, inclgding route
agents. local agents, and messengers, In the States OF
Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. The post
Office at Salt Lake City yields revenue Of but $780,
and yet TO connect that Office with the Valley of the
Mississippi and the Pacific this Department expended
during the past year $780, coo. II viii be observed
that the annual loss from the six routes men,
tioEed above is 81, l,7s,629 05. The ocean mail
service TO California heretofore ON the Treasury,
except the cost of transit on the Panama Railroad E
now charge on tne department., ana under the tfes-
ent advantageous contract will result in loss during
the current year of at least $5l, on 81. This added
TO the q, 1859 05 will exhibit total loss for these
seven routes of 81, 90 756 36-a sufficient 90 pay
the entire expense of Transporting the mails and the
salaries Of route and local agents and messengers In
the States of Maryland Pennsylvania and New York.
Ii would improve the postal facilities in all our cities,
towns and populated districts, giving daily malls 10
those ho entitled to them but who now have brl
tri-weeky ser rice, and trweekly to those who have
but weekly accommodations. -
comparison of the expenses and products Of the
routes named leaves no room for douht ,ba h ,s,a