New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-01-30
THE POSTAL LAW AMENDMENT.
Meeting OF Envelope Manu- facturers and
Perpendicular Protest Against Sell
ing Envelopes as the Price Of the
9tnmp,

Stamp.
A meeting of the envelope and paperdealers
OF this city was held yesterday afternoon at the house
OF Samuel Rayner Co.. Nos. lis and lit Wiiamst..
George H. Jones occupying the chair and c. T. Balm
bridge acting Secretary The following report sub
mtted by the committee appointed at previous meet
ing adopted and ordered 70 be printed for circua
ton throughout the United States:
The undersigned. committee appointed at public
meeting OF the paper and envelope manufacturers and
dealers stsoners and fancy goods dealers held at the
office OF Messrs. Samuel Rayner & Co. Nos. lis and
III William st. New.York CITY. on Wednesday, Jan
uarv "a, le66. respectfully submit;
That 1t appears from the public prints, that bill has
been introduced into the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentstives OF the United States, In which occurs the
following:
Section Q. That the Postmaster. General may sell
stamps and envelopes at the value Of the stamps i'm
pressed thereon. .
That the effect of this section Of the proposed law, II
passed BY the Congress Of the United States would be
q great pecuniary loss TO the Government Of this
country great and manifest injustice TO large and
important branch OF national industry and deriment
to the entire people Of the Republic.
That for these the bill as proposed should not
DO passed by the Congress Of the United States and In
proof OF the correctness Of the foregoing assertions the
undersigned further state as follows;
According to the report submitted to Congress by the
Postmaster General Nov. Is ls65, there were sold
by the Department during the fiscal year from July
and 040 425 stamped envelopes, or total number OF
stamps amounting TO ala, 459ee.
This number is exclusive of those used by the States
then in rebellion which would have swelled and no
doubt will swell hereafter this BY one fourth or BY
100 070 making grand total Of Sis 54 go as the
number OF stamps likely to be required aud used the
next year aud the following years by the people Of the
United States. 1.-THE Government were to furnish, as
proposed by the bill. stamped envelopes at the same
price as stamps it is morally certain that almost the
entire number Of stamps would be taken by the
public In stamped envelopes or In other words, that
the Government would have TO furnish Tree OF COST not
less than SIS 600 Of envelopes At the price the De-
partment pays under contract viz a 80 per OOO
this would Involve an expense OF 81 100000 But this
is not even the entire expense The Government sells its
stamps and stamped envelopes st the same price In all
parts the Unon 10 has therefore the expense Of dis
ributing them to every Post Office In the case OF the
stamps this expense Is fng, but the distribution OF
the above number OF envelopes by mail estimated to
equal onethrd the entire present expense for the trans
portation Of mail matters The Government further
more would lose the manufacturers internal revenue
tax Of per cent the value Of the envelopes The
sale by the Postmasters would be attended with
greater expense and risk to the Department and delay
to the public Postage stamps for very large amount
can be secured against fire theft In very small safe
To secure the amount Of stamped envelopes would
require safes OF immense size in the absence OF which
large amounts ofproperty would have to be exposed 70
| fire and theft.
II is sefeydent that in order 10 thoroughly control
business exposed " many temptations as that OF
manufacturing stamped envelopes, the Government
would be compelled To carry 1t ON ITSELF or else connd'
this would amount the almost total demolition OF thu
business ofmanufacturng envelopes since three
Of the entire number ofenyeopes are est
mated TO 20 through the Post Offices, and would OF
course tthis bin were made law be replaced by tbs
stamped envelopes OF the Government. The manufac
ture thus to be destroyed carried on by % distinct
manufacturing firms, employing over 200 hands and
capita Of nearly o. OOO of which about onefourtt
is invested In machinery useless for other purposes
The sale Of the manufactured article form large por
ton Of the business of every bookseller and staoner
the United States who would all to that extent be In
Iured BY the passage OF this law Even were they 70
undertake the sale Of stamped envelopes the tnnng
commission the Government could AFFORD 70 sio" the
would not recompense them for the Outlay,
No important portion OF the community ask Tor the
passage Of this bill. The fact that although Govern
ment charges but low price ior tne stamped t en-
IA or II stamps shows that there IS no legitimate de-
mand for the stamped envelopes. That they would be
largely used II given away Is no DOUBT true, Dnt
The fact that large numbers Of people would rather
take useful article as gilt than pay Tor II ID no rea
son why the Government OF the United states should
Five ayay envelopes In preference TO great many
Ether articles much more useful to those most likely to
avail the nseyes OF the gin Indeed Dy FAR the largest
number OF envelopes are used by persons amply able TO
nav for them and the effect Of passing this bib would
be 10 tax every poor In the United states i've cents
in order to give three cents to some man richer than
himself
ssoners aeh aud the public calls for between 2O0 and
3O0 different shapes styles and qualities, all OF which
20 through the Post-Oce. 1t Il impossible that the
Department should furnish all these shapes stamped
vet surely there is no reason why the whose bust
ness or taste requires different envelope from the
present PosOfce pattern, should therefore, be de-
priyed Of privilege which he is taxed ~ provide for
bis neighbor.
For these and other reasons this Committee, repre-
sentng the envelope manufacturers and dealers OF this
country as parties interested. and as citizens OF the
Uned States protest against the passage Of the act
above quoted.
Franklin Philip Of Washington, D. c.. was added to
the Committee which was directed to procure sigma
~. nAwwffh 40.