Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-02-06
WHOLE NO. 254.

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clearly the rule. Indeed. down TO 1845.
the Department made 9 profit. In 1S45
and 1851 cheap postage was established.
Those acts caused deficit. but that wfs
then only $4,000. 900 year. Since 1845
a different system has prevailed. Previ-
ous to that the principle was that all mail
able matter should go through the mails;
that the government had monopoly of
carrying the mails. as it had q monopoly
of coming money. as il had monopoly Of
levying duties on imported goods; and.
though it would be convenient for the ship.
pers and importers to bring in their goods
from abroad and not be compelled to put
them in the custom house to remain there
until their invoices were examined in their
turn, and the duties were paid to the Gov
ernnent-just as it is convenient for pa.
pers to send by express, and to have them,
circulated before those who paid postage
on them can get them at the post-offise-
although. say, that would be convenient.
and would expedite the delivery Of goods.
yet there is no man who can dispose Of
those goods until the duties are paid
We say that it is by the revenue that we
sustain the Government, and you must pay
the duties thereon before you will be al
lowed to sell a farthing's worth to any one
in the lanl. 49,,
In 1S45. II was a young man then, and
it was long time before ever thought Of
breaking into Congress. daughter. diff
ferent system was adopted from that which
previously prevailed, and that was tina.
newspapers, pamphlets, and periodicals
might be transmitted outside of the mails
upon certain conditions; and I want to
read to the House those conditions, because
/ wish to show that the present system of
carrying such matter has grown up without
express authority Of law. / read from the
sixteenth section of the act of 1845. That
was very liberal Congress. It was at
the close of one Administration and the
incoming of another, and legislation was
marked by great lberality, not only in ref
erence to the Post Office Department, but
also other branches of the government:
"But nothing in this act contained"
Which authorizes newspapers and peri
odicals to be scot outside Of the mails
"shall be so construed as to prohibit any
person from transporting over any mail
route any books, magazines, pamphlets.
or newspapers not marked, directed. OK
intended for immediate distribution to SUBJ
scriJers or Others. but intended for sale as
merchandise. See. Is, Act Of Mareh 3.
1845. .t.ss
And if you will look back to the de-
bates you viii find that the provisions Of
that section were justified upon the ground
that there were booksellers all over the
country that had periodicals for sale as q
matter of merchandise upon their counters,
and that they wished to add newspapers
TO their merchandise. and it was intended
that they should have them as merchan-
|pers should receive them through the
mails. Congress said that while they
granted the privilege of transporting news
papers and periodicals outside Of the
mails, they must be papers not intended
for immediate distribution: and the only
inference we can draw from that is, that
all papers to be delivered to subscribers.
daily or weekly. should go through the
mail and pay postage. But Congress gave
them an inch. and they took an ell; and
now very large and constantly increas-
ing portion Of the newspaper business is
done. not through the mails. but through
the express companies. Consider with
me one moment the condition of matters
upon the route from New York to Phila-
delphia. On that route you pay the high
est rate allowed by law. The highest rate
is $500 per mile. and where one half Of
the service is performed in the night.
twenty per cent. extra pay be added.
SO You pay 1875 Per mile for mail trans
portation between New York and Phila-
delphia. a route upon which every mail
train carries thousands and Thousands of
newspapers side BY side with the regular
mail; route to which you pay an enor-
nous subsidy, more than is paid to any
other route in the corntry, and on which
you receive not farthing for these pa
pers.
What has been the result of this legis-
lation? In 1851. the postages received
were as follows: from the letters. IS, $685.
600; from papers. el.035. 900. But the
receipts Of that year are not fair ground
Of comparison. because. in 1851 we not
only reduced letter postsges. for the last
time, but also reduced the newspaper post
age. In 1852. which is a fair year to
quote, the postage on letters was "a. .226.-
600. and the newspaper postage was
e789.000. Since that time our popnla-
ton has increased thirty-three per cent.
and the newspaper circulation has more
than doubled. think; and what do yoa
think is now realized from newspapers
carried through the mails? II was during
the last fiscal year. s571, ,000-not much
more than half what il was in 1851, and
thirty-three per cent. less than it was In
1852. the year after postage was reduced.
When you compare this amount with that
received during the preceding year Of
1860, you will find that the news?aper
postage was S672. 900. while in 1861 Il
was 9571 ,000--a decrease Of ten psr cent.
when every man knows that the demand
for newspapers has enormously increased.
growing out of the excitement and feeling
Of the time. Even under such circumstan-
ces our revenue is falling off all the time,
and will continue to fall off. The letter
postage has grown up since 1852. from e.
z26, ,000, to 81 .510. 000-almost double
more than seventy five per cent, increase,
While our receinfs from uovvauaoer 1,oefa-