The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1874-04-29

measure, and that the increased rev
enue which was expected TO result
nom its repeal has not been sufficient
to dispense with or diminish the
usual appropriations for the def
ciencies in the revenues of the De
paltmont. And [ am emit, civ FREQ to
admit. sir, thnt I cannot comprehend
the line OF argument which, tnLinr
the whole nu.nbor of documents
formerly sent TO the people of the
country under frank of members of
Congress, and computing tho total
amount OF the postage that vould
he chargeablo upon thcm j.. sent by
mail at tho present rates, assumes
that such sum Representative amount
the Post Office Department would
gam 10y the abolition of the priv
lcgo, If the same number of books
and. documents should be sent by
the mail, at the samo rates, of course
the conclusion would be correct o,d
the revenues would he increased bv
the amount paid thereon; but If
they are not put in the mail. md cro
forwarded by express, it is ,,ificul,
to understand how the raceipts of
the Department will bc augmented
or how any person will be benefited
but the stockholders of the express
companies.
1t was not, sir, because believed
the Government would derive nny
very substantial pccuuiary advantage
irum the abolition of the frnpkinp
privilege that | uniformly voted rs /
dil in the last Congress in favor Of
IT'S repeal, but because many persons
hal come to regard it as II personal
! privilege of members of Congress-.
and beliycd, whether properly or not.
that 1T was not only liable to abuse.
but that it was abused by those cnti
tied to it's exercise rs well as bv 9th
ers. For the same reason should
now vote against its re enactment, in
ITS original objectional form. and
would oppose its restoration with
any features that could be regarded
ns conierring n privilege personal to
the member himself, III any sense or
degree, or rs granting PRIVILEGES
"hich could m any manner boabuscd
or perverted to improper or unau-
thoriled purposes.
Ii mny be proper for me to cyrlain
IN this connection. however, that al.
though the Post Office Department
does not send by express, it does
send free III the mails, without the
use of the official postage stamp
such articles as are regarded in the
nature of supple" for tho Depart
mont itself such rs wrapping-paper.
twino, mail-bags. locks and KEYS,
marking stamps, blanks, stamped en-.
velopes, &c, the daily average of
which is, l understand, in the neigh
barhood OF half n ton in weight. If
postal stamps, paid for by the Gov.
crnment, were put upon these the
apparent revenues Of the Depart.
ment would be increased by that
amount, but whether the country
would be any richer by tho opera
ton is problem leave to others
more skilled III such mysteries to ex,
plain.
Now, sir, having referred to the
"dciicicncy' in tho Post Office De.
partmcnt, permit me to say that do
not think it will be difficult TO show
whence it comes, nor TO demonstrate
to the House and the country why
the expenditures ia this Department
arc IN excess OF tho reoeIpts
In the tOrty-eight States nnh TcrritorIes IN .
cluiinR Alaska and the District of Coiun,lia
the eNp"nditnres Tor tho fiscal year ended June
~, 40 exclusive of tho amount paid Tor ioroIgn
mails, mail'bags. postage stpuiIs ana Items II "A
general nature, nni, includinF u small nmonut
OF miscella'c'us Items, Nore ga, ,Gtp gdI "a And
,ng reg e,Ts'ItslusNe OF moneyorder business,
3O5 a. " ''''''
In only seven of the stntos dlI the recoIpts
eNcrol the Expenditures, while, mall tho Other
states and IN the Territories, the expenditures
very largely.
In the eleven ,tates of Virpinia,
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louis
lana, and Texas, there was an excess
of expenditures over receipts of 81
029,OsI. 30, and in Utah and New
Mexico the excess was $3.50, ,52AS7.
Ii Is manifest, therefore, even from
the hurried reference | have made to
ta6 official records, that these de-
iiciencies arc occasioned principally
by the extended lines and additional
service upon our mail routes, and
not by an increased volume or bulk
of mail matter transported. In the
older and more thickly settled States
with their larger population, greater
commercial activity, and more fully
developed resources, and where the
mails are heavier, the receipts, it will
be observed, are much in excess of
the expenses, while in tho more
sparsely populated districts, where
the mails sare lighter, and the distances
greater, the expenses not only exceed
the receipts in their own sections of
the country, but absorb the balances
in favor Of tho service in the other
States, and swell the deficiencies to
tho proportions l have already stated.
1t il possible, | believe, sir, that
some Of these expenditures, especially
in the Territories, may be reduced
without dctriment to the service or
serious Inconvenience to the inhab-
itants, by limiting the amount of
service upon some of tho routes !;
and at the proper time shall, in the