The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-28

poor Pierce, and which the President has no.
nestly desired to pay OF by adopting healthy
policy Of finance; only that Mr.. Cobb has DIFF
fered persistentiy from Mr.. Buchanan in this
respect, and factious Congress has done no
thing at all but pass bills for private jobs, and
thus help to make the matter worse
Important Postage Reforms-Repsrs OF
tho Postmaster General.
Among the public documents transmitted to
Congress by the various departments of the
government at Washington, and printed in our
columns to-day, will be found the able and i'm
portant report Of the Postmaster General.
The report opens with an allusion to the
death of his predecessor in March last, which,
together with the factious refusal Of the last
Congress to pass the usual appropriation bill
for the department, placed the affairs of the
Post Office in state of embarrassment unpre-
cedented since the foundation Of the govern
meat Never did any previous Congress close
its labors with such an utter disregard Of any
provision for this important public service. It
left unprovided for, in any shape or form,
deficiency Of $4,296,009 rs. The result Of this
might have been q total cessation of the mails,
but that the contractors, animated with pa
triotic spirit, took the risk Of not being paid,
and cheerfully continued the service, depend
ing on the next Congress to make the matter
all right, The present Congress, how
ever, seems to he no Improvement ON
the last; for nearly month has
now elapsed in debating about the cleo
ton of Speaker, and no attempt has yet
been made to do that simple act of justice to
the mail contractors. When we compare this
conduct with the abuse to which the mail SER
vice is subjected by members of Congress, in
sending not only their letters, but even their
dirty linen, free by post, and flooding the
country with their still drtier trash of speeches
and pamphlets, and such foul and reasonable
books as Helpers "Impending Crisis" at the
expense of the Post Office Department, the
comparison places them in no enviable light
before the people.
One of the most important points in the
Postmaster's report is his recommendation Of
the abolition of the franking privilege Con-
gress, by its voting 100000 to the department
for this privilege, admits that it has no right to
it without compensation; but the "free matter"
has SO increased of late that the sum of 100000
is not one-fourth of what the compensation
ought to be. 1t costs the department about
$3,0OO,O0O, without any advantage to the
country; and the cutting off Of that amount,
with a little retrenchment in other direc-
tons, would have 30 reduced the expenditure
that there would have been no deficiency at
all at the close of the last session of Congress.
The recommendation of Mr.. Holt is the best
ever made to Congress by q Postmaster, with
the exception Of cheap postage. But there is
very little probability of its being adopted by
such Congress as that which now trifes with
the public interests viii Congress, if sense
of justice do not prompt it to abolish its frank
ing privilege, at least have the decency to raise
the remuneration to the Post Office Department
to o figure commensurate with the burthen
which Congress imposes on It?
Another measure which is hardly less i'm
portant, and which we have urged for years, is
the repeal of the act of 1926, which authorized
"every printer of newspapers to send one paper
to each and every other printer of newspapers
within the United States free of postage" and
also the absurd law Of 1852, which requires
that weekly newspapers shall be delivered free
of postage to all subscribers residing within the
county in which such papers are published.
Mr.. Holt advises the repeal Of both these laws,
for substantial reasons. The newspapers receiv-
ed in exchange are part Of the journalists stock
In trade, and the expense Of their carriage
ought to be paid for the same as other
stock, and there can be no good reason why
all other persons should not receive newspa-
pers free through the Post Office as we'll as
Journalists. The result of this law is to over
load the mails with vast number of trashy,
useless papers, which otherwise would not be
talen; and 80 far from serving the regular and
enterprising newspaper, it only delays its
transmission to the subscribers. The same
observation applies with equal if not greater
force to the privilege Of sending weekly
newspaper free Of postage to subscribers re-
siding within the limits Of the county In which
it is published. By what rule of Justice or
equity does person residing at the extreme
limit Of one county receive newspaper print
ed in that county free, and his neighbor, re-
siding beyond the boundary in the adjoining
county, and within stones throw of him, pay
postage for the same paper? As well might
letters be delivered free in the same county in
which they are mailed This law is the cause
Of vast number Of worthless and pernicious
ephemeral papers burdening the mails to the
injury of the legitimate press, and those who
subscribe for Its issues.
Under the head of "star bids" the Postmaster
adverts to an important change which the de-
partment is making In the mode of advertising
for proposals for carrying the mails. The act
Of March g. 1916, declares that 1t shall be the
duty Of the Postmaster General to invite propo-
sails for carrying the mails with "due celebrity,