The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-23
Our New York Letter.
The Amendments to the Postal BiII-A
Defense of MIR. Hamlin-The Canal
Ring and its Aims.
NEW YORK. Mar. % 1875.

NEW YORK, Mar. 22 1879.
Law making and repairing seem the most
difficult of all things to do we'll or expeditions
". The world has attained such skill in mech
anism that the finest pieces of machinery are
put together with nicely and exactness which
insure them successful operation when the de-
Walton of a hair would be fatal. But the busi-
ness of framing statutes, although popularity
supposed to devove on men of higher intel
lectual calibre, is SO often bunglingly done,
that constant amendment is found necessary,
and sometimes in correcting one error, another
gets woven into the text. The postal law is
case in point. Amid the tinkering to which it
has been chronically subjected provision got
tackled on to it requiring the government to
carry four pound packages for eight cents.
The consequence was that migrator from
Aroostook to Arizona could have his clothes
made at home and sent to him by mail in four
pound bundles, boots inclusive, at very incon'
siderable expense to himself but with exceed
ingly heavy cost to the country. The depart
ment was rapidly degenerating into United
States Parcels Delivery, and the mails were be-
ing numbered and hindered with all sorts of
odds and ends, which it carried without ade
quate compensation, and for the benefit OF
few to the detriment of the many. If acts of
this kind ever do attract attention, it is through
the opposition of parties whom they injuriousy
affect 1t happened in this instance that the
Express Companies found gthe Objectionable
measure an interference with the legitimate
and useful enterprise they had expended so
much effort and capital in building up. They
accordingly urged its modification so as to
70 ha nofxv vrift
or printed matter The usual dilly dallying en-
sued. The members from distance were rath-
or lukewarm about it or opposed to any change,
relishing on the WHOLE the idea of sending
home and receiving back, books, clothing,
wares and merchandise SO much more cheaply
than the store keepers at home were obliged to
pay. In fact if this law had remained in force
all manner of supplies susceptible of division
into four pound weight, destined for remote
points far distant from the iron highway would
have found their way into the bags of the Post
Office department.. Thar isn't a corner gro
Ger in Montana but would have had his tea,
Coffee, sugar etc., come in regulation bulk
The session wore on and nothing was done.
In the closing hours Easty amendment was
introduced to an item in an appropriation bill,
raising the price of transportation by the Uni
ted States to one cent per ounce Unfortunate
ly this included all printed matter of every
kind except newspapers direct from the office
of publication. So that in endeavoring by in
direction to rectify one mistake, Congress has
made another Under the former schedule the
newspaper was used in many cases as a substi-
tute for correspondence Now the rate of post
age amounts to prohibition. So that any body
who favors particular journal which he or she
has been accustomed to receive with considera-
BILE regularity from an absent kinsman or
friend, will have to choose between giving 1t up
altogether or taking it from the publisher,
whose postal privileges have not been curtailed.
There has been already, and there will con-
tinue to be a multitude of objurgatory COM
ments on this amendment. Blame has been
imputed the express companies for seeking to
relieve themselves of the dangerous compet-
very unreasonable. Whether the law as it
stood was right or wrong, it was perfectly nat
ural they should see only the wrong features of
it. Com mon Justice to their share holders de
manded of them a vigorous remonstrance
against measure which they maintained to
be quite as much at war with the public inter-
ests as with theirs. Their argument was "the
government cannot do this business as cheaply
nor as we'll as we do. 1t will lose money by
the experiment. We shall lose money by COM
peting with it for the carrying trade. Better
leave us to transport as heretofore such things
as are not within the scope of the law which
created the Post Office Department. and limit
the mail facilities to the various emanations of
pen and type" Now this may be selfish rea-
soning but to any person who has had any con-
siderable experience of the uncertainties of con-
veying transient matter by post with any thing
like despatch it sounds logical and practical
There is no doubt we have as good Postmas-
ter as there is in the entire service. There new
er has been such order, such system, such
thorough discipline as there is now He is the
one federal official whom the journalists whose
tride it is to defame every man who holds
place under this administration, have thought
it prudent not to assail. And yet his bins get
90 excessively cogged up with newspapers that
the delivery of them in due course at all times
;s an accomplishment he has not yet attared
to. know by personal experience how liable
bundles are to go astray. L have every reason
to believe that packet 'of papers was sent to
me from Portland on the 9th inst But 1 have
never received them. 1t is quite impossible to
conjecture where they are Perhaps in Boston.
Mr.. James assures me they never reached his
Office and that statement is to my mind con-
elusive as to the fault not being imputable to
dents incident to the transmission of papers,