The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-17
The New Law and Postage Stamps n'l's

The New Law and Postage Stamps.
The PostmasteI-GeDersl seems 10 DC Ut
s .erlyv unable 10 invent amethod OF enabling
EDITORS 20 prepay by means OF stamps post.
age in bulk upon the newspapers that they
! win put into The post office after the lst asy
of January next, when the new law will go
into operation. The papers tell us that be is
in doubt as to whether he can devise the
means of accomplishing this end.
But will anybody tell uswby stamps Should
no psed at alis Stamps are necessary now TO
indicate the mail matter that is prepaid, ana
they will be useful even after the let OF JAP
,,,lary for persons who wish to send single
copies of papers to their friends. Even IN
this case, however, they will serve only to
let the postmaster at the office of mailing
know that the postage is paid, not the post
master at the office of delivery. This is all
the use that there will be for stamps of any
sort-namely. to enable persons to mail let
tiers and papers, and prepay the postage upon
them, with out seeing the postmaster or any.
of bis clerks. If the new law be properly
administered, the fact that matter Is found
in the mail will he sufficient evidence to al!
oostnas:ers and mail agents except at the
mailing Office that the postage has been paid.
Now, then, why should any newspaper
editor be required TO use stamps! He can
not mail his tenssor hundreds or thousands
of pounds or tons Of mail matter unless
y. a .
some Government official be present. II he
delivers what he calls ton Of such matter
at the post.ofice some official must weigh
it; and on the postal cars there are as yetn
means of weighing large packages. Since,
then, the postmaster (of course we mean, or
bis authorized agent0 must always weigh
the matter before sending it of, why put
stamps upon it? Why not exercise a.little'
common sense and do as a plain business
man would do? Why not take the
money from the editor? His wagon.load
weighs ton let him pay down his forty,
dollars, and let all his papers so right into
the mail and directly to the subscribers with
out stopping to put stamps upon either the
bags or the papersp In the case Of daily pa.
pers, some system for eXpedlting the act OF
mailing must be devised. II would be in.
sufferable TO be kept waiting at the office or
to be- compelled to have the Matchmaker al
The Office FIVE minutes too soon. How SIM
pie the whole process might be rendered.
Every morning at or, 4 O'Clock, let US, for
example, deliver to our posi- master our mail.
matter. She weighs it and makes memo.
randum Of it. Once q week we
could pay the whole bill. For ten
thousand pounds it would be 5000. What
more simple and devoid Of trouble? There
would be no danger Of losing one bill out OF
a hundred. ALI well-established papers
would be under such a necessity of paying
promptly-tbeir mail matter being entirely
in the hands of the postmasters-tba they
could not afford to refuse for one moment TO
pay bill; whilst all mushroom Journals, or
Few ones not well backed or known, might
be required to pay the cash down.
we particularly cesire to see established
The rule that whatever is in the mail is paid
for. This will not, as we have said, prevent
the use OF stamps on letters or on transient
newspapers. These latter are stamped for
the convenience, not of The postmaster, but
OF the writers and senders, and TO show that
they are entitled to be put into the mails.
But once in, no postmaster or mail agent
should have the right to demand any postage
upon them even though all the stamps were
by some means removed from them. Let
bags OF newspapers also be mailed as best
TUFTS the maers of them-that Is, in the
banner We have indicated.
We fought for the new law, and now we
wish 10 see it made success. 1t Will be
step towards the establishment OF better
mail facilities than this country has ever
enjoyed.