Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-11-27
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
TsIE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

TIE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT
AS the meeting of Congress draws
near, the matters that will inevitably be
presented to that body for consideration,
are put before the people in the various
manners and methods through which the
attention of the public is called to gov
ornamental affairs. The constitutional
advisers Of the President make their re-
ports, estimates and recommendations
TO that officer, that he may consider
them, and embody such as meet his views
in his forthcoming message to Congress.
These reports and recommendations are
either given to the press or an abstract
of them published, and the policy of the
administration, as foreshadowed in them
is put before the people in way that
they have ample time to comment on
them, or prepare protests before the leg
isative body can act in any manner.
This is perfectly proper and right. The
legislative department represents the
people and its acts should be perfect
reflection of the moral sense of the peo-
pie, and the right of petition or remon-
STRANGE is one that may well be exercised
either collectively by the people, or
through the press, or individually from
the platform.
One of the most important documents
that viii be presented to the President
or to Congress from any of the depart
ments, is the lengthy and elaborate re-
port of the Postmaster General. This
report is always interesting from the
fact that it relates to that part of the
government machinery that comes most
in contact with the people. The post
office is a familiar place of resort, to
which we nearly all have business. If
we desire to communicate with our
friends on business, friendship or pleas
ure, we have only to write our thoughts
and direct them properly, and with
three cent stamp attached, the missiye
goes rushing across the continent with
the velocity of steam conveying tidings
of Joy or sadness to our friends in dis
tant States and villages. We all appre-
ciate the advantages derived from the
Post Office Department, and its dryest
statistics are covered with interest; but
this new report has a special interest by
reason of its recommendations, some of
which appear advantageous, while 9TH
ers, 1t seems to us, should be most en-
phatically frowned upon.
The American people are jealous of
giving their servants undue power, and
it is we'll for them to circumscribe the
authority of officers so that they may
ever be under the limit of constitutional
and legal jurisdiction. The government
should not seek to control or manage
any of the business enterprises of the peo-
pie, and we object as strenously as we
can against the recommendation of Post
master-General Creswell that postal
saving repositories be attached to his de-
partment We approve OF savings
banks, but the government should not
go into that business, any more than it
should attach the cod fisheries TO the
navy, or give the Interior or War De-
partments the right TO speculate IN pea
nuts. Then the management of the tel
egraph and express business of the coun-
try are legitimate enterprises for the
people, and like the grocery or dry
goods business naturally attract public
attentlUn, aud the pubic are wen served
therein by ordinary enterprise, but the
chief of the Post Office considers that the
government should assume and place un-
der his department the control of all tel
egraphs, to which proposition we dis
sent.
The recommendation as to prepayment
of newspaper postage by weight, should
be considered, and the system of regis
tration for valuable letters needs good
deal of reforming. The political patron
age of the Post Office Department has
caused some scandal in the past, and if
Congress could contrive some method of
appointment that would prevent its
patronage being used as a system of re-
wards and punishments for political acts,
the public service might be more salts
AnSOoiy. ih0 huhbCL VI poSthAdotCIS
through the country is immense, and it
furnishes an organization of considerable
more power than would be profitable if
an INSCRIPTIONS man should get control
of it, and the people should cry out
against the addition to that branch of
the public service of any other branch of
business which would add to its power
and the number of its officers, and there
by necessarily give it greater political
patronage. We hope that the disap-
proval of the Saving Bank clause, and
the telegraph acquisition to the Post
Office Department will be so manifest
that this administration will not again
find any officer recommending either.