Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-12-13
PoST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

tallpilS WHICH urScGNe the cOnSlucrdlloN Oh
Congress. The revenues ofthc department
tor the year ending June 30, 1866, were
: i.3S6. .9Sf and the expenditures Sl5.3J2.
n13. show iB- an excess OF the latter of
: 6l.OE, In anticipation OF this dciiCicn-
cy. however. special appropr alton was
made by Congress in the act approved Ju-
" -. 1866. Including the standing ap-
propria:ion OF 500, GOO for free mail mat
ter ;.s legitimate portion of the revenue
vet rcmaing uneXpendcl. the actual def
cheney for the past year is only S56j,093-
sum within Sjl. III of the amount esii-
mated in the annual report of 1864. The
deere; - of revenue compared with the
previous wear was one and one fifth per
cent. anil the increase of expenditures.
owing principally to the enlargement Of the
mail service i'm the South, WAS twelve per
cent. On the 30th of June last there were
in operation six thousand nine hundred
and thirty mail routes. with an aggregate
lengl.th of one hundred and eighty thOus-
an ! niGe hundred and twenty niles-an
annual transportation scventy-one million
eight hundred and thirty-seven thousand
nine hundred and fourteen miles, and an
Il aggregate annual cost, including all expcn-
diiurcs. of SS.4I0.lSI. The length of rail!
road routes is thiTty-twO thousand and
nincty-two miles, and the annual transpor-
taiion thirty million six hundred and nine
thousand four hundred and sixty seven
miles. The length of steamboat routes is
fourteen Thousand three hupdTe and for
ty-six miles, and the and annual transpOr-
tation three million four hundred and elev-
en- thousand nine hundred and sixty-two
miles. The mail service is rapidly
increasing througham the whole country.
and its steady extension in the Southern
States indicates their constantly improving
condition. The growing importance of
the foreign service also merits attention.
The Post Office Department of Great Brit
ain and our own have agreed upon pre-
liminary basis for new postal convention.
which il Is believed will prove eminentlv
bcneticialto the commercial interests of the
United States, inasmuch as il contempla,es
Il reduction of the international letter post
age to one-half the existing rates; reduc-
ton of postage with all other countries to
and from which correspondence is trans
mitted in the British mail, or in closed
mails through the United Kingdom; the es-
tabishment of uniform and reasonable
charges for the sea and territorial trans
1t of correspondence in closed mails: and
an allowance to each Post Office Depart
cations established under the authority of
the other for the dispatch of correspond
ence, either in open or closed mails. on the
same terms as those applicable to the in
habitants of the country providing the
means of transportation.
TIE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT..
The report offhe Secretary of the Interior
exhibits the condition of those branches of
the public service which are committed to its
supervision. During the last fiscal year. four
million six hundred and twenty-nine thous-
and three hundred and twelve acres of land
were disposed of, one million eight hundred
and ninety-two thousand five hundred and
sixteen acres of which were entered
under the homestead act. The policy orig
inally adopted relative to the public lands
has undergone essential notifications.
Immediate revenue, and not their rapid set
tlement, was the cardinal feature of our
land system. Long experience and carr
est discussion have resulted in the con-
viction that the early development of our
agricultural resources, and the diffusion of
an energetic population over our vast te ri
tory, are objects of far greater importar ce
to our national growth and prosperity than
the proceeds of the sale of the land to the
highest bidder in open market. The pre-
emption laws confer upon the pioneer who
complies with the terms they impose the
privilege of purchasing a limited portion of
sunoffered lands at the minimum price The
homestead enactments relieve the settler
from the payment of purchase money and
secure him a permanent home, upon the
condition of residence for term of years
This liberal policy invites emigration from
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