The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-12-12

The Postmaster Generals Report.

The Report Of the Postmaster General, con-
tains a large amount Of statistical information
of great value to the country. We make room
for only a few items
Nunabe, of Post Offices and Appointments
From the Report of the Postmaster General
il appears that the whole number of post offices
in the United States on the 30th of June, 1861.
was %, $50; and that the entire number Of APP.
pointments acted upon during the same period
was lO,638, including appointments made by
the President of the United States. The whole
number of appointments made by the Postmas-
ter General, 9,235, and the number by the Pres
ldent during the same period 337
Receipts and Expenditures.
The aggregate earnings ofthe different trans
Atlantic steamship lines during the year ending
June 80, 1861, were $392, 857.62.
The expenditures of the Department in the
fiscal year ending Jure 30, 1861, amounted to
$780, 1911.
The expenditures for the previous year were
SI4,S747 80, showing a decrease in 1861 of
ST. ,26S, O13.7S.
The gross revenue for the year 1861, includ-
ing receipts from letter carriers, and from for
eign hostages, amounted to S3,349 296.40
Dead Letters.
The number of dead letters returned unopen-
cd to foreign countries during the fiscal year
was III la, which added to the number of do
nestle letters (l03, SS0) sent out above, gives
the whole number sent out from the dead letter
Office for the year, 2l5,033
Chief Cause of the Miscarriage of Letters.
The failure of letters to reach their expected
destination, is a common complaint among a
large class of persons On this subject the Post
master General remarks as follows:
The result Unsuccessful investigation in 7 $50
cases confirms the past experience OF the De
partment, that the failure Ct letter to reach It's
destination is, in the ma jority OF instances,
the fault alone of the writer or sender. Out of
the above 7 $50 valuable dead let'ers,3, O95 were
directed to the wrong office 467 were impel-
fectly addressed Gl2 Were directed to transient
nersons 257 to parties who had changed their
Residences 82l were addressed to fictitious per-
SONS or firms SO were uncalled for; 10 without
any directions; 2, 1876 were not mailed for want
of hostage stamps; 70 were missent; and for
the failure of postmasters to deliver 1873, no
satisfactory reason was assigned. The depart
rnent therefore can justly be held responsible
for the non-deiivery of but 2l2 of these letters.
Exclusion of EislOyal Publications from the
Mails.
The Postmaster General also gives his rea-
sons for excluding dlsloyal publications from the
mails. To await the results of slow judicial pro-
secution was to allow crime to be contaminated,
with the expectation of subsequent punishment,
instead of preventing its accomplishment by
nrompt and direct Interference. OF the cases
presented for his action, upon the principles
which he names, he has, by order, excluded from
the mails twelve of these reasonable pubica-
tions. of which several had been previously pre-
sented by the grand jury as ncendary and hos
tile to constitutional authority.
While the Postmaster General did not claim
the authority to suppress any newspaper, how
ever disloval and reasonable its contents, the
Department could not be called upon to give
them circulation. at could not and would not
interfere with the freedom secured by law, but
it could and did obstruct the dissemination Of
that license which was without the pale of the
constitution and law. The mails established by
the United States Government could not, upon
anv known principles OF law and public right, |
he used Tor its destruction. As well could the |
common carrier be legally required to transport
q machine destined for he destruction of the !
vehicle conveying It, or an inn-keeper be com,
PEELED TO entertain traveller whom he knew
10 be intending to commit a robbery in his
house.
He finds these views supported by the high
authority of the late Chief ustice Story, OF the
Supreme Court of the United States, whose
opinion he quotes.