The New York herald., 1866-12-10

tives. s ....- /.
When the constitution of the United States
was framed and adopted science had not an
initiated time and space and brought places
thousands Of miles apart into close and imme-
diate neigb5orhood. There were no great
lines of canal, no railroads, no telegraphs. A
traveller could not be whirled away from one
extremity Of the United States to Ine ether in
few hours, and the people Of two continents,
divided by mighty ocean, could not converse
on the instant with each other. At that time
the trainers Of the constitution deemed it wise
and proper to place In the hands Of Congress
the power "to establish post Offices and post
roads," "to provide for the common defence
and general welfare Of the Uni'ed States" to
regulate commerce among the several States
and to make all laws necessary and proper for
carrying into execution these and other dele
gated powers.
Thus the whole control of the transmission
of intelligence and correspondence was placed
in the hands Of the general government, so
far a. the facilities of the age extended, in
order that 1t might become source of revenue
to the country; and stringent laws were en-
acted from time to time to prevent the evasion
of the Post O1ice regulations. The construc-
ton Of railroads worked an entire revolution
in the mode of transmitting maA matter, and
the telegraph came into existence and in q
great measure supplanted the Post Office alto
gether. Had these great improvements been
known to the world at the time the constitu-
ton was adopted there is no doubt they would
have been regarded by Congress as within the
scope of the meaning of the clauses to which
we have referred and would have been
held under the control of the general
government as part and parcel Of the Post
Office system But coming into being at a sub
sequent date, as science pressed onward, and
winning public confidence by slow degrees,
they were appropriated by individuals, and
have since been regarded as the legitimate
objects of private enterprise.
1t scarcely needs an argument to show the
constitutional power of the general govern
ment over railroads and telegraph lines, under
the provisions in relation to post roads. inter-
State commerce and the general welfare, or the
propriety Of exercising that power. Every
person feels the great public blessing of th0
Post Office system, which not only affords
means Of written communication to and from
any part of the world at merely nominal
cost, but insures the public that their private
correspondence shall be held sacred. No per-
son will deny the wisdom and justice of making
the transmission Of mall matter a source Of
revenue to the country. This being the case,
the revenue should not be crippled by the oppo-
sition of the telegraph, nor should the facilities
for the speedy transmission ofmails be inserferod
with by the private interests of railroad cor
porations. Tho telegraph, in especial, should
be taken out of the hands of individuals and
made government institution, not only because
1t is o rival to the Post Office and seriously
interferes with the public revenues, but for the
reason that its extravagant charges are an I'm.
position upon the citizens, and no private COM
munication intrusted to it Is safe from viola
tion. Every day gives evidence of the trcach-
cry of telegraph companies or operators, and
no person can now transmit confidential
message over the wires without feeling assured
that If the intelligence 1t conveys is worth
stealing 1t will be purloined and dishonesty
used before it reaches its destination.
1t Is time for Congress to take broad and
statesmanlike views Of all subjects relating to
the public veal. We are entering upon new
epoch and should cast aside all narrow, tom
porizing policy, and all crippled and timid
ideas. This is the age Of grand movements OF
the expansion of new and vigorous nations
and Of the annihilation and sweeping away Of
once mighty Powers that venture to stand in
the way of the great progress Of mankind.
These are not the days when Congress can
afford to waste its hours in spiteiul abuse Of
the President or silly and frivolous conten-
tions over personal opinions The people have
decided all the main issues that now interest
the country, and their verdict Is final They
have swept opposition and remonstrance alike
out of their path. The sooner Congress can
be made to understand this the better will 1t be
for them and for the nation. Let the repre-
sentatves Of the people take broad and COM
prehensve view of the great material interests
Of the country and set to work like earnest
men to advance and strengthen them. One of
their earliest acts should be to exercise the
power delegated to them by the constitution in
manner commensurate with the advancement
Of the age, by taking under the control of the
general government all the great railroad and
telegraph lines of the country. No person
would consent that the Post Office Department
should be placed in the hands Of private specu-
lators The railroads and telegraph lines
should In like manner be taken out of such
hands and be managed as public institutions,
for the benefit Of the Commonwealth
RECONSTRUCTION IN THE METRoPoILs.-This
city is In quite as much need Of reconstruction
as the Southern States. The charter election
Is over and we know who are elantnd fnr all