New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-21

TIE SECRECY or THE POS1-OFFTCB.
Thirty years ago the British Home Secretary
Sir james Graham. nearly overthrow the Peel
Ministry by tampering with the correspond
ence OF Mazzini. Englshmen have long been
in the habit of attributing q certain sort OF
sacredRess to the mails. A letter committed
to the custody of tho Post-Ofice is supposed
to be protected by tho obligations OF honora-
BILE confidence, never to be broken except
under extreme necessity for the protection OF
the public against felony; and it is not proba-
bic that any Minister ut the present day womb
venture to repeat the dangerous experiment.
of Sir James Graham. In the United States
the popular sentiment respecting the invloA-
bilty of tho mails has been still stronger than
in England. A penalty of fine, or imprlscn-
ment OF both, is imposed upon employees Oh
the POst-Ofice for unlawfully OBTAINING, ue-
laying, or opening "any letter. packet, bag, or
email of letters intrusted to them and q
similar punishment is provided for q Post
master who unlawfuly detains any letteI vi
other mail matter the posting OF wDicn ID
| Z" not prohibited by law, with intent 10 pre-
"yent the arrival and delivery Of the same 10
"the person TO whom it is addressed"
In the face of these provisions OF t1e sta,uo .
and in defiance of an overpoweilhs puOnt
oninion. the Administration OF PreSidehe "i'''
has been tamperiDg with tho mans IN inc pro-
motion of its selfish political interests IL was
not enoucb that the Post-Oihce should DC
nro,t;tntod TO the unlawful distribution OF
eIec,ioneeripg pamphlets and handbllls; that
tbo Postmaster of the Capital should take the
-. ne no
laws: that the New-York Post-0fice should
send ont by its carriers thousands OF uhpalu
drop cards, for the benefit of the Grant meet
ing at Cooper Institute; the Administration
has gone further; it has used the Post-Omco
70 find ont the business secrets Of is oDpo-
neDts, and embarrass them In their iawful
calling; and its Postmasters have wiiltuly de-
tanned email matter the posting OF when is
"not prohibited by law, with intent to prevent
"the arrival and delivery to the person TO
"whOm it is addressed"
This is damnng Ofense but we defy any
candid person to glance at The array OF facts
VIC present in another part Of this paper, and
saw that the charge is not substantiated. Post
masters are instructed to violate confidence ~
giving I'D TO hostile committee the names OF
our subscribers in their respective towns, aud
70 force upon those subscribers, instead OF
the paper of their choice, q journal devoted to
the reelection of the President. Copies OF
TIE TRIBUNE are suppressed IN the mail, or
withheld at tho Office to which they are di-
rected. Our packages are broken open on tho
route, and bundles of The Times are put into
them. How long viii it DO before the Post
masters receive instructions to intercept the
correspondence of the Liberal and Democratic
Committees, break open their letters, and sub
stitute communications Of a very different
characterP The legal penalty of such an
offense might be greater, but its moral char
acter would not distinguish it in the least
from the disgraceful crime which is now COM
mitted every day under the sanction OF this
reckless and desperate Administration. 1t has
violated the sanctity of the mails and practi-
caly assaulted tie liberty of the press. We
have not suffered from the outrage. u is not
for ourselves that we raise the voice of angry
remonstrance. But the people of all parties
are wronged and insuIted by these layless
proceedings, and we have greatly mistaken
the sensitiyeness of American citizens if the
offense do not elicit stern and universal
rebuke.