Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-03-16
pIcKsNs COURT HOUSE, s. c. SATURDAY, MARCH lc, 1861.
An Independent Postal Department.

An Independent Postal Department..
Many do not understand why it is neccssu-
ry to raise the postal rates in the Confederate
States The truth is, that, even under the
United States Government the South paid
as much, probably more, postage, with letter
postage at three cents, than she will under
the Confederate Government at the five cents
rate. The reduction of the rates unless nc
companied by reduction of expenditures
that will balance with receipts, does not make
the tax one cent lighter. 1t merely trans
fers the cost The tax is the same, whether
the FIVE cents be charged directly upon the
letter, or three cents directly upon the letter
and the remaining two cents upon something
else. This was the way that cheap postage
worked under the United States Governments
J The Post did not sustain Itself, and had to be
supported by portion of the revenue derived
from the tariff on imports. This WAS but
part of the cum hg policy of the manufac-
turers of the North to get protection by rails
ing the tariff. Their policy was to put down
postage rates to nothing; and transfer the
whole. cost of this Department to the tariff
on imports and the moro extravaganza there
was in the Department the more protection
they received, because the higher would be
the tariff. The following article from the
New Orleans Picoynnc, gives some very use
iul statistical information on this point:
The Southern people, and indeed, the whole
people of the United States, have hitherto
paid much more for the mail transportation
than tho post Office receipts exhibit. Within
ten years they have paid directly from the
treasury nearly fifty millions of dollars to
make up the deficiency of the direct contribu-
tions in postogcs pal l. Cheap postage has
thus been supported by direct bountics ut the
rate of nearly five millions year. The Fed
eraI post Offices cannot be carried on without
these large annual contributions, and they
have constituted tax to that eXtcat upon the
whole community for the service of the mail
1t has been frequently urged at Washington
city that it would be necessary to raise the
Federal rates to four cents, in order to reduce
this heavy Charge. The Congress at Mont
gomcry has decided that the post Office eStab.
lishmcnt of the South shall support itself,
and has adopted rates with that view.
The Postal Committee at Washington city
found this excess of expenditures over receipts
in the six States of the Confeder,cy, during
had shaped their estimates 50 us to meet this
deficiency
But this sum is largely ovcr-statcd By the
from the returns of the Post Office Depart
nent, and these, as we have had occasion to
show, arc not reliable data for computing the
amount and cost of postal service within the
Statcs. The tables themselves, as furnished
to Congress contain this caution: "Ihe on
tire service aud pay are set down to the State
under which it is numbered, though extend
ing into other States, instead of being divided
among the States in which each portion of il
lies" 1t. therefore, happens that a large
amount is charged on these accounts to the
Southern States, and taken into the estimate
for deficiency, which will not need to be pro
vidrd for. In the report for 1858, for exam.
pie, the cost of the California mails is mum
bcrcd as Louisiana route, and the cxpcndi
lures charged so to make up the Louisiana
deficiency SO of the river mails, the trans
portation on the whole line between New Or.
leans and Cairo is charged as a Louisiana ex.
pcndlture-so of other steamboat Incs-and
the amount of steamboat service for the veal
is stated and charged at 900 ,2S8 miles fol
Louisiana.
1t is plain, therefore, that whenever these
services can be so separated that the distance
for which the mails are transported within
these States, and the costs of said actual
transportation are separated from that beyond
the Confedcracy, there will be large dcduc
tion IN the apparent deficiencies cstimH' ed by
the Committee in gross at 81 ,660. .595.33.
1t is perhaps prudent to provide for the
whole at once, to guard against possible de-
fcit, and prevent the necessity of direct ap
preparations.