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

proper rail facilities Of the public, or
of Gripping the postal service and
depriving the people of the incalcula-
bic benefits and advantages enjoyed
10y them, merely because the Post
Office Department is not, in this ago
OF Improvement and developcment
to which it contributes so largely, a
paying OF solt-sustaining institution.
The War and Navy Departments do
not exhibit cash balance in their
favor upon the ledger Of tho Govern
ment, and yet, useful and necessary
as they are justly admitted To- be, it
IL doubtful whetnor both of them
combined can bc regarded as SO
potent an agent Of civilizatiopas this.
Lot but half dozen of our enter.
prising citizens plunge into tho vii.
dorneBs and commence TO day set
Element far beyond the boundaries
of civilized life, and before the smoke
shall have curled II fortnight above
THAR humble dwellings,. they will be
asking for the establishment of
post Office and pust.route to reach
it. And it is right and proper that
! it should bo SO. The mlious of
acres of our public lands awaiting
development will remain unoccupied
and unmproved, and will uaE hG
taxes and furnish no revenues to aid
in tho support of the Government,
unless the hardy pioneer, bravin{
the pcrils and enduring the pr'ivn-
tions Of frontier life, il advised that
the Government vii treat him like
all the rest of his fcllow-citizgns, and
will not regard him as nm exile from
the old home and friends he left G.
hind.
have referred to these statements,
Mr. Speaker. to show why it is wo
are having these "deficioncics " and
why we have had them, from year to
year, every year, believe, with tho
exception of one, since 1851; but |
do not believe, sir, that the most
searching examination of the details
of these expenditures will furnish
any, even the slightest ground for
adverse criticism of the Department
whose officers have honestly. eco.
nomically, and faithfully performed
their whole duty to tho Government,
and hayo so successfully met the
highest expectations of the people
The attention Of tho House was
called, few days scincc, hy the dis,
tinguishcd gentleman from Massa.
chusetts, Mr.. DAWES, to the increase
in tho gross expenditures of the post.
Office from 1887 to the present time,
but he omitted to give us along with
his general statement of the expenses,
any information III relation to tho
increased receipts Of tho Department
during the same period, and, what
was far more important, in my
opinion, ho failed TO make any refer
cnce TO tho wonderful development
of the couutry which has So largely
and imperatiyply demandedn q cor
responding Increase in our postal ac-
commOdatiOns and facilities.
At tho commencement ofthc period hp mas seen
proper to select, We had population ui lrss thln
l5r0I,pOJ, WIN were uccommrIat"d with about
llno1 rgt''piilcc', 'upl,iod hy TO ouo miles &
puA,.ruid-, not ono mile 80 which was recognized
as ratlroa, service" At the end ~ the ,o,ruI
period llsl3l our lnpulatipu did not oNrtel 81.
u COS, and ec had hut 2,iln poet on 's, cu.
ploylng about "'S pnO mil,s uf post rnads whilh
at the termination ~ the n,Nt period m licatnl
10y him, la'G,l withH population OF abru, 3i,r'O.
OOo, We had - 81, post oii.ccs u-iuF lsr.p.l ucs
of post roads ,aul At the close %. The lat Hsrd
year asa with population uf A. l,i-,Il, l,Ou
w. h,d 80 2i post oni;e-, with 2ir,!lp milo, u
post routes, 6l,i51 miles ot which wrIe upon tlV
n
with pos, oncos more than treble IN number,
with aporulItiun much more dian double, with
postal SERVICE twice aud thrice u day Ia place ot
weekly n1i'S, aud Win post routes more thIu
'wico as lurg NJ they were thirty i,v"n y,arsa.p
It Is not surprising tnaI there should be The ~.
crease spoken 1T In the amount of the etpraI.
lures uf tho Department.
A co'upari-ur with tho expenses nf tho "unstl
established hy tire United Colonies on tLr .'tr ~
july, 100, when B'nlamin Franklin was chosen
the hrst Postmaster-beneral ~ hold his ON go at
EhilldelrL.a, with Galary of 1000 pr aunum
Tor hlmsolf, "th power to app3 3nt Se'rr, ,rv, It
ing the cstalli -hmeut OF liue ~ post, from
Falmouth, IN New ENGLAND, to Savanna. In
Georgia, with a. many cross posts a. the P,.,-
master General should think IT." would ,ho, :
more astonishing increase, and yctii woullhtt
serve to prove the ST. mare astonishing progress
aud advancement OF tho couutry.
That the question of the postal rcv-
cnucs and expenditures may be more
fully understood, | also ask attention
of the Department, showing the num-
Der of post-oiilces and length e post
roads in the United States, the animal
amount paid for mail transportation,
and tho amounts of postal revenues
and expenditures, at periods OF five
years from 1890 10 lSiO, inclusive. and
in each year from lSlO TO 1873, inclu.
sivc, with the length of the railroad
portion of the post-roads, the length of
railway poSt:oilico lines, and the cost
of the railroad portion Of the transppr.
tatiOn, from the date Of ihe commence
ment thereof.
See Tabular statements.
The third section Of the bill, if paSs-
ed, be substantially but rc.cnactnent
of the law authorizing the free eN.
change Of newspapers, periodicals, and
magazines between publishers, and tho
free circulation of newspapers 10 ac,u-
al subscribers residing or receiving the
same within the county of publication.
rs it stood prior to the lst day OF Juiy
last.
In tracing The origin ofthis provision
il Is remarkable how early n
date the fathers Of the Republic rccos-
nized the value and importance of this
mei.ns for the dissemination of intrlli-
gcnce and information among the pcO-
pie.
The mon who believed that govern
ments derived their Just powers from
the consent of the governed, and who
were seeking to establish Justice, to in
snre domestic tranquility, provide Cor
the common defense, promote the gem
oral Nplinra and IN spnIirA tho l1n.y