New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-19
CHEAP RATES OF POSTAGE. Avn
THEIR EFFECT ON THE REVENrrP

| 10 he Editor Of The ~ T. Tribune.
SIR: a telegrspbic sentence from Washington
in the papers this morning, informs us that "l.
Poet Office Department 10 ready to establish. A.
soon as Congress shall give the authority free de-
livery in cities with uniform rates for local and o,n
eral letters" If tbis statement means TIA, the POST,
Office DEPARTMENT is giving It's encoursgemsnstoa
low and uniform rate OF postage and good letter De-
livery, we, tho people, ought obe obgedto hef inc
,ionsres who carry on the Department for their De.
yoiion to interests. If it simply means that they
viii condescend TO obey and carry ont law passed
by the National Legislature and the Executive, then
mus. feel obliged TO them for their condeecersiya
] make these remarks under the huma,inc recol-
le-ion--as q dsgaceni historical fact--tbal even
incumbent of tho Office of Postmaster-(;eners for
more than twenty years, has opposed all bills lsws
and propositions Of laws for the reduction Of post.
age an6 Tor The improvement Of The posal .yslen
excep. such piecemeal, fragmentary ensc.nebts
fanl there hcrer for reducing the rates rs trey
started and framed themselves-wi,h, believe, tho
single exception OF the Hon. Jacob Coliamer. ! 10
not in this category include the Hon. Montgomery
Blair, the present postal chief. believe, and hsvs
frequently gwen testimony to the fact, from What
have heard him cay and learned by my scqu4in.apes
with him, that he win give all due ~ncorr.
sgeIrent and official all TO good poeisi
euactments, and will not ofiiciously and
lratuitously oppose the wishes OF the people. he.
i;eve however, that he, "a well as Mr.. Gevey ITO
Third Assistant PcstmasteF-G General at the head Of
the Finance oiice) is laboriDg under very eerg.
Gus error in trusting and believing in the figures
vanced by late Postmaster-tieneral the lion. A.
V. Brown "a letter addressed 10 tee COMMITTEE o.
.ta ~ argh
Doe. No. l06, Ho. of Rep. 18th G. LIT Sess) stss
not attribute any dishonorable motives 10 the laie
p NJ g. particularly as he II no longer here to de.
fend himself, aud further, Tor The more conciSsivs
reason Of the falacious arguments and figures
we're we viii charitably hope mere blunders insoad
OF lIsshoods. The effect Of that letter has been Of
the most ,nischievous description, for has been
fleJ bach urOn. quoted and referred TO "a law ard
qosDel and mathematics, and finance, and expe1-
euee. and know not what, to prove that the van
ole che9p postage rates, fnd rtQnctlons OF pea1et
have been Dad financial measures, or resulted dele
eronsy or disas.rously TO tie ia,ncia revenues VI
the yost-Oalce. NOW, III the hI1t place utterly
denv that the beuefts 81 cheap postage are 70 be
weighed in snca balance 1T all, or IN other wcros,
that we are 30 conclude that "a certain low rate "
hostage Is TO " considered mistake, or in any way
c.ssdvantageous to the nation undesirable, even
though il can be proved tnat the money il con-
tributes 20 the Oce treasury less than would
he furnished at some higher rate. Now, 90 d snp-
possible case; suppose under the Old high rates II
uos,a2e lsix 10 twenty-five CeAts or under any bgn
postal charges, he people OF Tie nation wrote ard
sent by post forty million letters and thai the postal
revenue WAS ~ 600 COO, and ny putting the postage
down 70 three cents. or any other low figure, tie
number OF letters were 10 Dc ltO,OJO,oVv, and To
postal revenue 10 be a. OOO,OOJ. Now. IL il MOI a.
plain "a churcn stoeple or fools folly, that TIE
,sople have gained all and every advantage attend
ing one winding Of lt0,O0J,JUJ letters instead OF
4JO00,O00 four times as many without any draw"
back or deduction ~ any taa!e Whatever! 10 nv
.onu,e hcuou the 81 0O, 600 hey did not cohtribts
10 the PostCiice revenue remained IN their pockets.
ard could b. used psid OFT IA any way, or for an!
pu rpose whsteyer. Ibs people we're Just 10 ulaon
n richer better OF, advanced in their bnsess, or
bound together by stronger social ties e |oaS
result from the writing OF i@,uuo,OOJ mort eaec
than they did write under higa hostage Inc niilco
OF money which they bad IL their pockets sld which
could be paid into the Government Treasury, m any
kiud or kinds of taxes, is certainly an ose for Tie
lack Of 2 100000 they dtf hot contribute N no
post.Oilce Now, Sir, nv second Plea Is very
Lyef and CONCLUSIVE one. so lar from the amour, 0a
POSTAGE revenue being LEES under low rd'ee Of post
sge tlap under any OF tie former higher rates. ihs
10 stal receipts have been inGnbltably and oveI-
whelmungly greater. oar Post-Othce revenue, pre-
vious 20 the first reduction in 1919, wae shade over
four million 0ollsrs--aRd remand almost s"h'oy
stationary far scrcH or elSht years, u,hcn -
tacrease Of 0Ae-feRA Of one per cent Gnnsoby--
while the reductions Of postage produced an unmel-
ate and constant nlcrease OF revenue, amounting
during tho last two years 10 more than pine riloa
dollars anuuslly. And, under TIE threersp' postage.
the revenue has been greater, and the increase far
moro rapid than under the i've and iel-ene
rates which were charged ron 1913 70 is9iS
GOV. Brown was forced 10 adnit that the reclcflon
OF postage in lsi1 TO . and ~ cents bad resaitea
in greatly increased revenue; but he eonoened taas
the second reduction 10 ana centsl IN 1901 savs
cheek 20 the revenue, ana left the Post-Ohee Wild
less .lra than would have oeen contributed ulcer
tbe comp ratively low rates lrst adopted HIS sof
was evidently in his work l bOpe il Ia better en-
ployed now than chopping fsse logic for the opIns-
sion Of a free PEOPLE. And biz figures have eeea
referred 10 with great JUNCTION by others, 0eeAass
they Seghted to deprive the people Of the tenea's
of g cap postage. The way he solved BIS nrauciAs
problem WIS - take the revenues OF two years on
81 ltecii-revtnues that suited bis purpcse-tna
arg e from them slone that the postal revenue Dad
inorcascd less under 3-cent postage thsh " ~"
under the > aud l0-csnt rstes. l shall @!se 'ee
pos al revenue FROM 1889 70 lstu, and show s o'ef
whelmsgiy as that ten IL more than one 'nt "
each reduction We have largely mesta,o" Ve'
postal revenue, and that oy no pos'io's NJ
bination can the contrary be proved. Tvs
revenue OF the Post-Ollice IN 1851 happened 70 .e
very high, aud again IN 1871 THE year OF our h'm
cia PANEL the revenue was low and the 'e 'eD.'
Of lSi5 being also very low me ros'ul.S' So,
ers', by jumping from the financial = suie 0, 80 80
1891, and leaping again from u 10 -, nc uio"
inference--ss the man in the Western cea'hs, NV
.aiy's tooth with log.chau--snd declares :"
the increase of revenue lad been less Ia lne -
nod than the frat. You understand, he never - 40
at tie revenue u ary of he intervening year,
Here was a reason for r. toe dgnres would ,ays
utterly upset bis position Msre ever saI baS sI
iallaciea. and false figures 5rougni up 10 ; ,,
r, sI, With too long communication now VIII
Sue he argument, ana give the prominent ia''
III my next. ..u. .h.i;.r, .srv,n,
very tesP'ss Tvs, PLiSI NILS