Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-06-15

CHE farmers fnrrow.
LETTER FROM SENATOR HOWE.

Reply 90 Resolutions of the state Grange
Rate ofInterest-River mprovements-Ra.es
of Postage-PateDt Laws.
In the following response of Sena-
tor Howe to Hon. j. H. Osborn, Sec
rotary of the State Grange, the Sena.
tor presents, with his usual clearness
and force, the facts in relation to the
subjects discussed, and his views
thereon:
DEAR SIR II have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your
favor Of the 18th of February, cover
ing resolutions adopted at the last
meeting of the Grange, and asking to
be assured Of my Favorable consid-
Grafton" thereof.
In reply, allow me to say that /
would be very glad to find myself in
full accord with the large and intelli-
gent body of my fellow citizens, rep
resented by the Wisconsin State
Grange. But although it would be
far moro agreeable to find myself
echo your views upon the weighty
matters covered by your resolutions, il
seems manifestly my duty rather to
state to You candidly my own.
Your first resolution declares that
Congress ought to limit the interest
to be charged by National Banks to
the uniform rate Of six per cent.
doubt the wisdom of such an enact
ment. While many States and Ter.
ritories allow the other lenders o.
money to reserve higher rate of in
terest, it seems to me such restric
ton upon National Banks would no
have the effect to lower the rates il
such States and Territories, bu
would only drive such banks there
from.
Your second resolution is cordia
and emphatic testimonial to the i'm
portance of improvement to the FoA
and Wisconsin rivers. You need M
assurance that | am in accord will
that resolution. One Of the leading
endeavors of my public life has beer
to promote the Improvement which
you so Justly commend ; and | regret
as sincerely as you must that thu
Committee on Commerce of the pres
ent House Of Representatives has fel
| authorized to recommend no more
than 100000 for that work in bill
which proposes an expenditure 0
nearly six millions.
Your third resolution condemns thu
act of last Congress, increasing thu
postage upon third class mail matter
1t declares that the act "only benefit
the rich monopoles that have become
fat upon the hard earnings of the PEG
pie, and ought to be Immediately re
pealed."
/ am obliged altogether to dissen
from that resolution. My understand
ing is that the law referred to bene
| fits the taxpayer more than it benefit
the monopolies. The Superintendent
of the Railway Mail Service affirm
that the transportation Of this matte
at former rates cost the Government
over 100000 more than the reve
nues derived from it. If this fact i
so, it seems to me such rates were too
low. That four millions is raised
from the people at large by taxation
The sugars they use in their tea ant
the salt they use in everything i
taxed.
The people of the United State
| pay millions TO the Government 70
the privilege of buying some of tn
commonest necessaries of life. The,
pay more than a million for tn
privilege Of checking their owl
monies out of the banks where the,
deposit it for safe keeping. | do no
believe it is the deliberate judgmen
Of the granaers Of Wisconsin tina
moneys so raised, should be eypende'
in carrying transient newspapers from
one friend to another, or distributin!
| handbills and circur posters over tn
country and in transporting photo
graphs, engravings, and other parcel
Of merchandise, from dealers to Gus
toners, for less than cost. Undoubt
eddy, the ready transmission Of man,
Of these articles to the PEG
pie is desirable. Undoubtedly tn
| people would be quite as well off i
many of them were not transmitted a
all. But there are many commoditie
more indispensable to every citizen
| than any one of these commodities i
to any citizen, which cannot be sen
through the mails at ALL The clothe
we all wear and the food we all con
sumo are for the most part excluded
from the mail, because they cannot b.
compressed within four pound par
GELS.
1t may be, ir some vague sense,
matter ofpublic concern that | shoulC
be able to send you copy of yester
days "Herald' or prospectus O
next years "Atlantic Monthly" o.
that Mr.. Clafin should be able t.
send you a few samples of his silks
or that some manufacturing company
should be able to send you few
specimens of their wooden or thei
cottons. But in all these cases
think the transportation is much more
a matter ofprivate than of public con
Germ. And if neither the party whc
sends, nor the party who receives
such commodities, can afford to pay
the cost of such transportation, mucE
less can those who neither send no
1 I. 4 -
cost.
l do not stop to consider the ques
ton whether our mail service should
or should not be selfsustaining. | ONLY
remark that during two-thirds Of ou
national existence it has been. Blu
it seems to me that if any part of thai
service should be public charge
it should, be the carriage o
letters and not the carriage of news