The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-01-25
A Post Office Measure.

| Post Office Measure.
The present Congress is pronounced,
"by all good judges, to be far below the
medium standard Of intellect usually found
in that body. It's utter inefficiency to pro-
vide the necessary legislation demanded
by the ext gencies of the country, certainly
argues the want of Anything like mind in
that body to cope with the circumstances
that surround it. It's financial legislation
has been series of outrageous laundering
from the start. In July it appropriated
over $500, 100000 without providing dol
lar by taxation of any sort to repay prin-
cple or interest OF the monster debt con-
tracted. On Resembling in December,
the Secretary of the Treasury plaiAly init
mated to the two Houses that he was
about at his wits end, and nothing but
prompt and judicious legislation could
keep the machinery of government in
motion two months longer. Yet the big
intellects in Congress have been steaming
and stewing ever since, and to this day no
financial scheme is matured that promises
] iut IcIltl Ouc project Is ueSISeu
to-day, and by tomorrow public ridicule
and contempt drives the committee back
with it to their room to hatch another.
Half dozen of such schemes have already
Another of these we hope is the notable bill
introduced few days ago in the House
by Mr. Colfax, of the Post Office Com
mittee.
This is called bill to abolish the frank
ing privilege. Its redeeming feature would
be the abrogation of the privilege to mem
bers of Congress, if it did it. But the
time when its operation is to commence
lis put off to so distant period-some six
months hence-that Congress will restore
the abuse before its abolition takes effect.
Its Other notable provisions are. that it
does away with the free of postage circula.
ton of papers within the counties Of their
publication; abo.isnes the free OF postage
regulations b tween newspaper exchanges,
and prohibits, under certain restrictions,
the carrying Of newspaper packages by
express companies.
4, The effect Of this measure will be imme-
diatcly to cut down the circulation of city
J dailies and country newspapers from one
e third 10 one-haif The city dailies now
obtain large circulation by sending their
2 papers out by express companies in large
I bundles to news dealers in towns on the
; railroads, by whom they are retailed to
: individuals Half this countryeireulation
: would cease on the instant, cutting down
l. the anticipated revenue one half thus
e making it next to q losing business to the
l. Post Office, while 1t would materially en-.
nance the price of daily papers to regular
n subscribers.-a to the daily purchasers,
: the present easy and cheap facility of get,
# ting the latest papers would be nearly
), cut off
:, Country papers would be as disastrously
; affected The steppage Of a free exchange
c with other papers, while its addition to
V the pbst Office revenue would be the
| merest trile, would subject country pub
/ fishers to the most serious embarrass-
t ment- And the other proposed regulation
o to stop the free circulation of papers in
t counties where printed, while it would
+ affect country papers still more seriously
is equally absurd as a meals of raising
@ revenue. Three-fourths of the post offices
. to which publishers now send papers free
o under this regulation are small offices, OF
= which the income is given to the mali
~ carrier for his additional trouble in stop
= ping at those offices. Thanew regulation
o may increase his perquisites trhe but
u will never make any perceptible difference
II in the aggregate revenue Of the Z. o. de
> partment.
5 The whole scheme is laundering at
c tempt to discourage the circulation oi
u intelligence among the people, and to
break down about one third of the smaller
/ newspaper publishers, with the notion
. Elusive on its face of adding trihe to the
" post office revenue
u Publishers ask no favors of the govern
u ment. They are ready and willing to
make sacrifices, pay taxes, and bear theil
proportion of the public burdens as any
{ other class of business men. But they
s. have a right to demand that their property
e shall be taxed like that of all other PEG
IL pie; and to protest against quixotic
6 schemes of raising revenue like the above
70 which, while it must wholly fail of it,
4 purpose, will yet depreciate the value o.
: their property at a rate immensely il
excess Of anything like reasonable tax
levied directly upon it.
y We are happy to learn, since the above
II was written, that the bill has been tabled
4, NATIONAL TAx-Congress have resolved
is that they will levy tax of Sl50,00O,00
1t To resolre and to do, are different things
o however The proportion of Illinois, &C
e cordhg to the constitutional mode eff levy
IS would be $l0,0O0,000, which would be
y about three times the amount Of all the
r. taxes-State, county, road school and
k municipal-we now pay. Can our people
e pay such tax? We imagine not The
o tax, however, will not all be direct nor
, we apprehend, the larger portion In
= comes, telegraph dispatches, newspapers
; deeds, mortgages, bank notes, carriages
o .kc., &c, will probably be taxed, SO as to
l. leave but a small proportion to be levied
g directly upon lands and goods. At best,
Il however, there are trying times ahead, and
o they will become more SO every day until
j. this accursed rebellion is crushed
. ANOTHER HARD Pill FOR ABoLITIoNIsM-
!, The President has filled the vacancy on
the Supreme Bench orcasioned NV the