The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-12-13
VOL. XVIII. NO. %.

for the year 1871. The interesting sta
tistical Information relating to our ra.
pidity extending postal service is furn'
ished In this report. The total length
Of railroad mail routes on the 18th oi
Junes 1871 Yas 81, 81 ! miles; S877 addi.
tional miles of such service having been
put into operation during 1the year.
Eight new lines Of railway post-offices
have been established, with an aggre.
gate length of 2,9O9 miles. The num-
Der of letters exchanged In the mails
with foreign countries was "a, ,362, 500,
and increase of 4, ,066, 502, or twenty pei
cent, over the number in 1871, and the
postage thereon amounts to S187, 1885,
TBS: The total weight of the mails ex-
( changed with European countries ex-
oeeded $40 tons. The cost of the Uui-
ted States Trans Atlantic mail steam
ship service was 50. 0s0, 170 The fol-
lowing are the only steamship lines now
receiving subsidies for mail service un-
der special acts Of Congress: The Paci-
fic Mail Steamship Company receive
$500, 600 per .annum for CARRYING a
m0nthly mail between San Francisco,
Japan and China, which win be increas-
ed to one million per alniiin for semi
monthly mail on and after October 1,
1878. The United States, and Brazil
Mail Steamship Company receive $3.50, :
600 per annum for carrying monthly
mail between New York and Rio de Jam
eiro, and Brazil. The California, Oregon
and Mexican Steamship Company re-
ceive $4,000 per annum for carrying a
monthly mail between San Francisco
and Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, MAX
ing the total amount of mail steamship
subsidies, at present, $725, 900 per an
mum. Our postal communications with
all parts of the civilized world have
been placed upon most advantageous
footing by the improved postal conven-
tions ard arrangements recently conclu-
ded with the leading commercial coun-
tries of Europe and America, and the
gratifying statement is made that, with
the conclusion of satisfactory conven!
tion with France-the details of which
have been definitely agreed to by the
subject to the approval of the Minister
of France-little remains to be accom-
plished by treaty for sonfe time to
come, in respect to the reduction of the
rate on improved facilities of postal in
tercOurse. Your favorable considera-
ton is respectfully invited to the recon-
mendations made by the Postmaster
General for an increase of the service:
For a monthly to semi-monthly trips on
the mail steamship route to Brazil; for
q subsidy inside of the establishments
an American line of mail steamers be-
tween San Francisco, New Zealand and
Australia; for thees tablishment of post
Office saving banks, and for the increase
of the salaries of the heads of Bureaus.
have heretofore recommended the
abolition of the franking privilege, and
see no reason now for changing my
views on that subject. i2'a -1s.
POSTAL TELRGR.APH.La Ial
1t not having been favorably regarded
by Congress, however, / now suggest a
modification of the privilege, to correct
its glaring and costly abuses. would
also the appointment of
to consideration the best method equita-
BILE to private corporations, who have
invested their time and capital in the
of telegraph lines, of ac-
quiring the title to all telegraph lines
now in operation, and of connecting this
service with the postal service of the
nation. 1t is not probable that this sub
iect could receive the proper considera-
tion during the limits of short session
of Congress, but it may be initiated, so
that further action may be fair to the
and to private parties con-
cerned. There are but three lines of
ocean steamers, namely: The Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, between San
Francisco, China and Japan, with provi-
sion made for semi-monthly service after |
October 1, 1873; the United States and
Brazil line, monthly, and the California,
New Zealand and Australia line, month
" playing between the United States
and foreign ports, and owned and opera
ted under our flag. L earnestly recon-
mend that such liberal contracts for car
rying mails be authorized with the lines
rs will insure their continuance. If the |
of extending the aid of the |
Government to lines of steamers which |
hitherto have not received it should be
leemed worthy of the consideration of !
Congress, political and commercial OBJ
ects make it advisable to bestow such |
aid on a line under our flag between
Panama and the western South America |
ports. BY this means much of the trade |
now diverted to other countries might |
be brought to us, to the mutual advan- |
tage of this country and those lying in
that quarter of the continent of America. |
The report of the Secretary of the
Treasury will show an alarming falling
Or in our carrying trade for the past ten
off twelve years, and even for the pass
year. I do not believe that the public
treasure can be better explained in the
interest of the whole people than IN try
ing to recover this trade. An expendi-
ture of 5000, 900 per annum for the
next five years, if it would restore to us
our proportion of the carrying trade of
the world, would be proftably expen-
ded. The price of labor in Europe has
so much exhausted within the last few
years that the cost of building and oper-
ating ocean steamers in the United |
States was not so much greater than In |
Europe that / believe the time has ar !
rived for Congress to take this subject
into serious consideration.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
A detailed statement of the disburse-
ments through the Department of JUS
tice will be furnished by the report of
The Attorney General, and though they
have been somewhat increased on ac-
count of the recent acts of Congress to
enforce the rights of citizens of the Uni
ted States to vote in the several States
Of the Union, and to enforce the provis-
ions of the Fourteenth Amendment to
The Constitution of the United States,
yet are they justified by the necessity
and salutary effect of these enact
ments.. Reckless and lawlees men,
ISregret to say, have associated them
selves to deprive other citizens of the
right guaranteed to. them by the Constr
tuition Of the United States, and to this
end have committed deeds of violence,
but the prevention and punishment of
many of these persons have rendered
greatly to the repressions of these disor-
ders. / do not doubt that a great ma
iority of the people in. all parts of the
country favor the full enjoyment by all
classes of persons of these rights to
which they are entitled under the Con-
stitution and the laws, and / invoke the
aid and influence of all good citizens to
prevent organizations whose objects are,
by unlawful means, to interfere with
those rights. look with confidence to
the time not far distant when thesObvi-
ous advantages of good order and peace