The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-08-05
THE Franking Privilege The New
Law justices Itself.

The Washington Star OF Saturday last
furnishes to the public the following Interest
ing possai statistics IS
.ABoIrrioN OF THE FRASKlNa PRiyILgag.
Irs EFrEcr ON vHE RgvRsuEs OF fRg fOsTs
0rPIcE DxPARTMESr.--The following state
zaens skowsfhs numhef and value OF postage
stamps. stamped enyeiepes, newspaper wrap.
pers, and postal cards issued by the stamp
division OF the Third Assistant Postmaster
Generals Office during the month ending
mouth AFTER the abolition Of the ff8nking
privilege. and presents large increase over
any month in The history of the Post.offiee
Department. OF ordinary postage stamps
there we're issued 10 postmasters, upon their
reauisitions u, 800, valued at 81, 067 ,s74;
stamped envelopes, plain, {, G21 800, valued
at $l9S,o;6.6S; stamped envelopes, with re-
turn requests printed thereon, 48l0, $50,
valued at S16S, 9Ss. 10; newspaper wrappers,
1,743, 100, valued at $40 ,G69.50; postal cards,
1881 600, valued at S1a9,9S1-making the
total value OF, all the, articles issned TO the
public 8, 534 ,S52,1s.
Ia addition to The Above OF. the official
stamps were issued TO the War Departments
8,0CO, worth $40; Treasury, LOIS, 600,
worth $4,000; Interior, $500, worth 81
go; Agriculture, 30, 900, worth $500; Post
Office Department, 19S, 600, worth S28, 800 ;
Justice, 10000, worth $3.50; to postmasters,
ON account Of the Post.ofice Department,
3,041, 400, worth S9A,S10; and Of official
stamped envelopes, 339, 800, worth So, Sa5--
making the total number OF. official stamps
and stamped envelopes issued during the
month 5,l53,400. the face value eeaHhieh
foots up ss42, 1885, The grand tetsl Of tlie
No. $ VIOLA III this single division OF the
Post-Dface Department il as follows Whole
number of articles issued, 107 1903, 410 |;
valued at 81. 936, IA. 49, Washington Star.
A remarkable showipgm=lnuch better than
we had hoped for. The ordinary revenues
Of the. Post.othce Department hst year
amounted TO, a little less than twenty-five
1niliousaofadoilaFs and the expenses to a
little less than twenty-seyen millions. Ae-
cording to the above figures thes,receipts
will DE about thifty-iYe millions of dollars
this year and will more than pay all the ex-
penses of the Departments thing that has
never hapmned before. We'are afraid that
this news is too good tossbe true. An in.
crease OF fourteen millions of dollars in The
revenues seems to be incredible.
These figures include the amount paid by
the various departments of the Government
for postage upon public documents and let
tiers. Inasmuch as this sum is merely taken
out Of one pocket and put into another, we
will omit that, though it would be entirely
proper to include it; for in endeayoring to
ascertain whether the postal department pays
for itself, We ought Of course to give that de-
partnent credit for what it does for the
other departments Of the national Govern
lnent. We repeat, however, that we will
omit from the calculation the amount
charged TO the other departments, and
ave still find that if the business Of the Post
Office Department continues throughout the
year az it was in July, the revenues of that
Department will exceed thirty-one millions
of dollars. And as the expenses are still
very much increased in consequence of the
free matter that contractors expected to
have to convey when they made their con-
tracts for carrying the mail, and as the whole
cost Of the Department last year was four
millions of dollars less than the estimated
receipts for this year, we set down the new
law as success. 1t is justified by the re.
suits 1'' ,a ,as# aa,,.
But LET US imagine that the law has been in
operation for four years, and that new con.
tracts foriearrying the mail have. been made
by men who know that no free matter Is to
be carried By them, and we must foresee that
the rates Of postage may be reduced and the
department. still be self.supportiDg. The
mails already promise TO become '.cheap to
all" because they are I" free TO aone."
Before the time for the reassembling of
Congress shall have arrived, VIC trust that
the new law will so thoroughly have Yindi-
Gated itself that even impecunious editors
and swindling Congressman will be afraid to
sgitate for its repeal. rsg' .l -