Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-12-05
ruE PosrMAsrER GENERALS RE-
PORT.

We extract the following rom Con-
clusion Of Postmaster General Jswsli's
r.por. to Congress. After stating that,
for the nnt time in the course OF n life
devoted activslyto business. he andsh him
..lf in charge Of an establishment, the
expenditures OF which largely exceed its
receipts, and rsmarkins that such a state
Of affairs strikes with great force a mind
more or less disciplined by that close
inspection OF accounts enforced in msr-
camille pursuits. he adds:
I'm ordinary business affairs there Is
but one end to this condition OF things
bankruptcy. The dshcisncy Of this
Department has varied OF late years
from Is to 20 per cent, while from the
best data at my command. | have been
compelled to submit estimates for the
year ending juno 30. 1876, which will
show an expected excess OF expenditures
over receipts OF nearly $4,000. 900, or
about 90 per cent. OF the entire revenue
Of the Department. How far the
American people will DO willing to go in
this direction remains to be seen. The
difficulties in the way OF adopting and
enforcing Q policy Of snconomy which.
while properly guarding the revenues OF
the Department, shall also afford to the
new and growing patrons OF our coun-
try the mail facilities 10 which the enter
prise o thspsople entitls them, are neither
few or ANAL. but in some way they car
and must DO surmounted. Ideem IL suit
able TO say here that I propose to guard
with strict vigilance the expenditure Of
this Department, sanctioning no outlay
which can be avoided without dstrimsni
TO the service. and 40 TO conduct Its al
fairs generally that the interests OF the
public shall be paramount to those o
any individual, corporation. or party
There il much Of good sound sense in
these utteraness OF Mr.. Jewell. Notvith-
standing the fact that he starts out with
deficit Of -. 000. 900. and il not san
guine as to his ability to balance the
ledger in the next two years. We have his
promise that this much to be hoped for
result will be attempted. Mr.. Jewell Is
heterodox; that is. II We deem his sue
csssor orthodox. He thinks, unlike
Mr.. Cresswell. that there Is a limit to
the t~rsspassing Of the Government upon
private business. He makes no recon-
msndation in favor Of Government
ownership OF all the telegraphic CON-
munioaiions in tho country. and its con-
troll thereof for its own uses. He Is not
In favor, as was C~resswell, Of q Govern
nsnt postal telegraph. And from this
We infer that he thinks there are some
branches OF private business which Gov
eminent has no right to interfere with.
II has been for some time past the
policy Of prominent officials to reverse
the old doctrine that Government should
do nothing which can a well be dono
by its citizens. and that its province is
to protect private enterprise. not to
usurp its franchises and functions. We
arc glad to see the Postmaster General
take conservative and rational ground
upon this matter. The Government il
drifting far too rapidly toward q pater-
nal form. Had the Postal Telegraph
scheme succeeded. we should next have
had postal railroads, and so on. The
Postmaster General in another part Of
his report uttsrs the true doctrine when
he says ''thsse must be n limit to Gov
eminent interference, and happily il
better suits the genius OF the American
people to help themselves than to do
pend upon the State" This may be
hsresy to some, but it is gospel truth
to the majority Of our people.