The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-12-13

| In view OF these and other facts the
Postmaster General suggests that valuable
dead letters, when returned to their owners,
should be charged with treble the ordinary
rate of postage, comprising one rate for re-
turn transportation to the dead letter Office,
one rate for registration there, and one rate
for return transportation to the writer's or
| owners.
A treaty with Mexico has been concluded,
awaiting the ratification by Mexico, estab-
fishing a common international rate of 20
cents Oh letters, with other useful provi-
| siOns.
The Postmaster General has accepted the
offer made in 1857 by Great Britain for
reduction of the International rate between
the two countries on letters from "a to II
cents, which, however, has not yet gone
into operation, as it awaits the response of
the British Office.
The above abstract presents merely a
few of the points of the important report.
The Postmaster General gives at length
his reason for the change of contracts, for
disloyalty. Not only was it unsafe, he says,
to entrust the transportation of the mails
to person who refused or failed to recog
nize the sanctity of an oath, but to continue
payment of public money to the enemies of
the government and their allies was to give
direct aid and comfort to treason in arms.
We could not thus permit this branch of
government to contribute to its own over.
throw.
The Postmaster General also gives his
reasons for excluding disloyal publications
from the mails. To await the results of
slow judicial prosecution was to allow crime
to be consummated, with the expectation of
subsequent punishment, instead of prevent
ing its accomplishment by prompt and di,
rect 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 publica-
tions, of which several had been previously
presented by the grand jury as incendiary
and hostile to constitutional authority.
While the Postmaster General did not
claim the authority to suppress any news
papers, however disloyal and treasonable its
contents, the Department could not be
called upon to give them circulation. -" 1t
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 establish.
ed by the United States government could
not, upon any known principles of law or
public right, be used Tor its destruction.
AS we'll could the common carrier be legally
required to transport a machine designed
for the destruction of the vehicle conveying
it, or al innkeeper be compelled to enter
tain traveller whom he knew to be inten i
ing to commit a robbery in his house."
He finds these views supported Dy the
high authority of the late Chief Justice
Story, OF the Supreme Court OF the United
States, whose opinion he quotes.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY oE THE INTERIOR.
The business of the Department of the
Interior has lost much OF its usual interes.
through the interruption of commercial and
agricultural pursuits by the war. The
General Land Office, especially, shows the
result Of this decline. The army has swal~
lowed up almost entirely the class of enter
prising men VINO are usually the purchasers
OF Government lands, and sales in the
Northern States are almost suspended. On
tuC OOtu VI iaSl tutiC Was al
aggregate OF I34,2lS,330 acres o: land
surveyed and ready for sale. During the
fifteen months, ending Sept. 30, 1861, the
Department disposed of 5,209,532 acres.
Ot this amount over two million acres have
been located with bounty land warrants;
one and hall millions sold for cash, pro
ducing S925,299; and about million
granted to Louisiana, Michigan and Min~
nesota, Ior railroad purposes. The war has
thus reduced the receipts OF the office to a
point but little above the expenditures OF
the Department. its net income during the
year being but 100000. The bounty
land warrants and scrip issued up to Sept.
30, 1861, cover an aggregate of 7l,717 ,l72
acres. Tne lands have been distributed
thus:
ACRES.
For revolutionary services ......... S, 200, ,6l2
For services in the British war..... 4,S50l
For Canadian volunteers. ........... y, $50
For services in the Mexican war, &c.5l, l3S, $40
Yet to be located on warrants and
scrip already issued. 7,454.72
The report questions the propriety OF is.
suing bounty land warrants to the volun-
teers now in the national army. A warrant
for l6O acres to each volunteer would absorb
over lOO,O00OOO acres. The warrants are
now sold IN the market at fifty cents per
acre; and an attempt to realize on their
warrants would depress the soldiers grants
to even much lower vaulue Spectators
would buy uplands largely under such cir
cumsrances, and would be the chief gamers
by these puolic benetactions. The Secre-
tary, therefore, recommends that the volun-
teers be paid either in cash or by Govern
ment securities. 1t suggested that IN lieu
of the mineral lands of California and New
Mexico being free, the Government shall
make them source OF revenue by levying
a charge for the privilege of working the