Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-10-14
The Postal Law.


special despatch to the Boston Journ-
al says that from inquiries at the Post Of
fee Department it is certain Senator Ham
lin intends, upon the reassembling OF Con
gress. to call the attention of the Senate TO
his connection with the amendment to the
postal law which doubled the postage up
on transient newspapers, and upon all
mail mstter OF the third class. TO this
question, which was so long feature OF
sensational discussion IN the press, Senator
Hamlins friends claim that there is a side
which has not been heard. and that is the
explanation of Senator Hamlin, himself,
which, il Is said, will be something OF this
sort: Senator Hamlin insists that he has
been greatly misrepresented from the be-
ginning. He charges the responsibility for
this legislation upon other parties. The
purpose of the amendment was. TO preserve
to the public the right TO send four-pound
packages through the mails. This right
:he express companies, by their agents
and their winning and dining lobby, sought
TO destroy. The express companies SO en-
deavored to amend the law that the weight
of such packages should be reduced to n
very Insignificant amount. By such legis-
lation they hoped to drive this character OF
matter from the mails. and TO ioree it into
the express companies, upon such cOndl-
ti"ns as the latter might determine. The
agents OF the Railway Postal Service en-
deavoied TO prevent such a change in the
law, and 10 retain the four pound package.
Senator Hamlin, il is claimed. co-opera-
ted with the agents OF this service to this
end Through IN inadvertence, and an ig-
norsnee which 10 scarcely excusable in
somebody. the amendment which was in
tended to satisfy or delude the friends vi
the express companies, while really de-
feating their ultimate object, was SO draft
ed as to apply TO all classes Of matter con-
tanned in the respective sections Of the
postal code, and not the package mail
alone. The purpose OF the amendment
WAS solely to increase the postage upon
the package mail, without excluding IL
from the mails. By this course il was be-
lieved that the principal objection made TO
the four-pound package would be removed
and that it could still be carried by the
Government without loss. The Post ONCE
authorities were quite willing that the rate
of postage upon the fOur-pOuDd package
should be doubled, provided that packages
of that bulk might still be carried in the
mails. They considered that to double the
price would make the package source Of
revenue or at least cause them to pay the
expenses of their transmission. The Post
Office authorities state that the results have
fully justified the expectations OF the de-
partment in this regard. The revenues OF
the department have been largely increas-
ed under the operations Ofthis amendment,
while the number of packages has not de-
creased. On the contrary. the package
mail is rapidly increasing even under this
double tariff. The Post Once Department
can now carry matter of this class to Cali
fornia without less of money, which form
eriy was not the case and il can carry the
packages to oil points east Of the Aissis-
sippi river at moderate profit. these re-
suits seem to have answered the arguments
of the express companies as regards the
package mail. These companies desire 10
practically exclude the four-pOund pack
age, on the ground that the mails were
overburdened with this class of matter,
and that the government was carrying it
at loss. The Post Oface Department at
that time showed by statistics. which nave
not yet been contr0yerted, that the msils
were not overhsrdensd. They could NOT