The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1861-04-13
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1
A. III ! sAjes 4 vi,sl imponsree We
eeah serss to Il, Nc fully ssres ri'h The Mont !
gsmsvy Mad shish ays TT tise aod experience
vin denousssses IL wsann Of t..s postal policy
a ~ Cosgrsss n Tie Confederate statss. |
n 49, psesrs' sensr II he COMMITTEE. ~
~ = III veil known failure Of tn cheap poss-
~ syslem in The United States, suggsted the
idea n uaking the Possodicc Dcpsr.s@u, OF
The Concdcracy ,s!,-sssa'nfnE. Cheap postage
RS insag,stet 10 this country 10 lss5. when
ihe rates wcrc lowered TO FIVE and tan cent?.
liz working did not rsslize the copGdsn, ptsdie-
tioas NJ 10 aGvocatcs Large deficits oceurre'
cvsry year, fcr which provision had to b made
from the general Treasury. r. with the con,in'
uance OF those ratcs. several other necessary |
changes had been introduced the receipts might
have equalled the e,pe'ss. Casting abont lor
excuses in virw Of the dcfcits, the friends Of
cheap postage con'sndcd that the rates were
s,i too high. and elsmored for their reduction
10 three cents. a. the rate which would 50 ma
,criaily increase correspondence as TO produce
surplus. Congress yielded to the pressure and
adopted the three cent rate. Nov, It became APP
par,n, within the first year thereafter that the
pon, reached was entirely too low, and that the
Department you'd become heavy drain on toe
Treasury The cheap postage advocates had
reasoned from wrong premises. Because cheap
postage had finally ,riumphed In Grcs, Britain,
Z. L. l.. 81 k,nt.
In their zeal, they had overlooked several ma
,e,ial points Of dissmsriiy between the two
countries the difference in the AREA Of territory,
,he extcn, and distribution Of population the
occupations Of tho peoples, and The expenses Of
mail transportation. The failure OF the three
cen, rate TO realize sufficient for the expenses,
much l@s the surplus predicted, should have
ahsshsd the innovates The deficit annually
grew larger. until in 1882 when !, reached the
sum Of nnt million doiiars. In ton yeafs, from
lsa0.o 1860 ffly mai,ons Of dollan were APP
rropriascd from the Treasury to meet the de-
Gcicnci~ in the Post Office Department The
friends If The measure, instead Of beinx abashed
by these startling arguments against them, then
took the broad ground ,hs, the Postal, no more
than the Army and Navy Departments, should
b. expected To ~ssian i,self They were thus
driven to the wall and compelled virtually 20
acknowledge the hilare Of their pet cheap post
age policy.
The first reduction, il maintained and accom-.
panied by several other changes. nigh, have ai.
fortied cheap postage TO the public without he.
ing a burden or the Treasury This vas the
view taken by our postal committee, who, in
connection with the act fixing the rates Of post
age, recommended policy for the guidance OF
the Postmaster General which will insure self
sns,siniug sys'em. They adopted the Eve and
ten cent rates upon the grounds tina, they were
the true ones to increase the revenue, and cor
responding Nth our smallest denominations Of
coin. The increase Of postage over the three
cen, system of the United States, Ia to be paid,
no. out Of the Treasury as heretofore, but by
,hose who use the mails Tor their conveniencc
and business. The fraukipg privilege, too, Il
abolished, whereby tho re,enae will be largely
incssasrd in vafious ways Al . consequence
os thk abolition. while thcac who have hereto
for sent their mail matter free. will contribute
materially In the way Of postage, the contractors
can afford 10 carry the mails ehrapcr being re-
lesed from the heavy burden Of free matter
We might add, too tina, Congress will not print
a tenth portion Of the documents "a in times
past and thus save 70 ~ Treasury Of tho Con
fesicracy hundreds Of Thousands, II not millions
Of dollars.
The postal committee, however, did aot res,
solely upon the increased rates 81 postage on
letters and printed matter, and the abolition Of
the ranking privilege TO render the department
scifsustsiuing They knew that these changes
alone would not BIZ sufficient. Their views were
more practical and comprehensive than those
which have governed the cheap postage advo-
Gates Of the Northern STATES Of the old Union.
They addressed themselves TO the inpot,an, en-
quiry Is to what nring can bc elected without
any material disadvantage to the public conven.
ience Their able report suggests four ways Of
doing il. which will receive the immediate al.
tcniiop and persiscn. effort Of Decentralization /
oral Reagan The committee believe that ousr
mai,on q dollar, can be saved in the Conicd |
crate States, by abolishng numerous rost.oflices .
that cost more than their receipts and convcn- .
encc; by dpcontinning sundry mail routes /
whase cos, is greatly disproporsionste TO their
convenience and the receipts Of ross16iees sup.
piled; Ivy changing the service on snndry routes
(iail, 10 tri-weskly. tfi-wWky TO semi-wesky
sem. weekly to weekly . and by rcl.,ing all the
mail contracts, strictly upon the star bid"
systsm---thst is, allowing contractors to adop,
Any mode Of conveyance, provided they carry the
mails silh celebrity, certainty and security
With the increased rates sud these recommends.
sions faithfully carried out. We may bid good bye
TO deficits in onr postal rvice.
A l'Loopy TRAGEDY The Memphis Ap.
peal Of Wednesday has the following
A. Mr. Burns plantation, in the rear
Of Commerce, Mississippi, on Tuesday
last. tho ovcracer Of the plantation was
set upon by four Of the negroes lie
drew arcvolvcr and killed two Of them,