Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-09-28
COMMUNICATED.

| Adu II UC lllIl SuDSFcSS lulcUueu ny It's idlt
amendment to the postal laws, to make the
mail system one of pains and penalties? 1t
seems to b. 50 construed as against the receivers
Of letters-the party Of all others least liable to
punishment. The amendments in question are
Sec. l50. That postage on all mail matter
must be prepaid by stamps at the time of mail
ing. unless otherwise herein provided for,
Sec Isl. That all mail matter deposited fo>
mailing, on which at least one full rate of post
age has been paid as required by law, shall be
forwarded to its destination charged with the
unpaid rate to be collected on delivery.
Sec. lj2. That if any mail matter, on which
| by law the postage Is required to be prepaid al
the mailing office, shall by inadvertence reach
its destination without such prepayment, double
the prepaid rates shall be charged and collect
ed on delivery.
Sec 1913 That no mail matter shall be de-
ivered until the postage due thereon has been
paid.
These sections obviously provide fer prepay.
ment first IN jill, on all mail matter deposited
Second, in cases tpatmlprepayment, and third,
for cases of no prepayment at all, where the mat
ter requiring prepayment, by inadvertence
reaches its destination without such prepay
| ment
As to the first class the law seems plain
enough, and hardly less so, to almost any man,
as to the two others.
Take the class Of partiul prepayment. Sec.
80 says all mail matter on which at least one
FILL rate Of postage has been paid as required
by law, shall be forwarded to its destination
full rate of postage mean? 1t certainly can
fill tho Iotf1r or o,ucI.
age in question, for then it would be prepaid in
full, and there could be no occasion for charg-
ing unpaid rates Zone full rate of postage
means one legal rate prescribed by law for
that class or description Of mail matter.
Three cents is one full rute of postage on let
tiers, 1.-TWO cents on letter is not one full rate)
and where one full rate three cents is paid on
letter the law says it shall be forwarded to its
destination charged with the unpaid rate 1t
is plainly the duty of the postmaster where such
mail matter deposited to charge the unpaid rate
and send it forward to be paid by the receiver
But who gets any letter now charged with the
unpaid rate ?" None to the knowledge of the
writer, but he, and plenty of Others get numbers
of letters daily partially prepaid, charged In
our own postottce with double unpaid rates.
There is no authority for such an exorbitant
imposition, such an extensive system of penal
ties as is no going on in the postal department.
Double the prepaid rates to which the postal
matter in question is liable by reason of not be-
ing prepaid, is only chargeable at the Office of
delivery on mail matter which shall, by mad
vertence, reach its destination without such,
that is, without any prepayment. Double the
unpaid rates cannot be collected on mail matter
partially prepaid by one full rate of postage
on that class of mail matter. The postmaster
has no discretion to forward mail matter wholly
unpaid, but if, by inadvertence, such matter
gets through to its destination it is chargeable
with double the rates which prepayment in full
would call for But the department has ap-
piled the rule of double rates provided in sec
ton l52 to the class already provided for in
section Isl, to wit: the class of partial pre-
payments. The consequence is a letter with a
single three cent stamp affixed, which ought to
have two rates, six cents in stamps affixed as
prepayment, is sent forward by the postmaster
where deposited without any charge for the
unpaid rate, and the postmaster at its delivery
seizes the vagrant, as a child OF lnadyertence,
and tickets it with double the unpaid rate, to
wit: six cents making nine cents ID a! receiv-
ed by the government for this llttle transgres-
sor. Who shall deliver us from such inad7er-
fences 1t is small affair in the individual
case, but 1t is large TO the government and oner-
Gus to the people, if the operation of this sys-
tenn at our postofice is any indication Of what
is going on at large. II postmasters at mailing
Offices would only do their duty as to with
holding and forwarding prepaid and unpaid
mail matter, there could hardly be any trouble
or complaint; as matters are now administered
it is an imposition, not to say an extortloa,
from one of the most sensitive places in the
body polite, and will not, we trust, be quietly
endured. &. W.
FAIRFAX CoUNTY.-At a meeting of the
County School Board. last Friday, resolutions
were passed complaining of the action Of Judge
h. H. Cockerllle, disaowing an appropriation
Of S25 recently made for detraying the expens-
es of the County Superintendent for postage,
stationery, Sc.
A Radical meeting is called to be held at
Bonds Mill, on Monday evening next, to or
ganze Grant and Wilson Club.