, 1877-12-04


COMPENSATION cnn be devised which will not l'r
subject u abuse. Something must DO 'eit 70
the fidelity mud diligence OF tile POSTMASTER:
Al TINT san &C. M ps 10 pthHv'ue h shoaa tG nc
rrovc careless or dishonest. The amount OF
stamps Cancelled at IN Office. would Afford
,,rctty lar test VI the demand fnr them u thu
nctgibofootl, and Of the legitimate sales there
In; and should the Postmaster he required 10
state urier Untsi TINT his report OF the ratcclia.
tton OF stamps ut Ills Office Is accurate 1t VII!
bc far more likely to GIVE q true statement OF
The legitimate business Of tho oticn than tl,c
present sSstcu,, which furnishes nnth'nR IN the
;aittrr Of check. save illr number aud valitc
0l the stamps received i0r salc, wnich I've
ltoatmastcr NAV sell everywhere and luf any
Ills compensation.
II Congress sl,ouil decline to change the
present hasts Of compensation, lllcre onHht, nt
least, t., be some security provided agninst INC
pcrpctuation Of tho great abuses which have
prowt, up, by providing penalties against both
buycf aud seller In casts of trading as,u spec,i.
hitting In stamps; and It might bc required oi
posslnasters to make report anisr oatn 81 nc ie,
trade or on speculation, or for anything but
money at their face value.
TIE RAILROADS OF THE COUNTRY
constitute the main lines, the arteries, 90 70
speak, Of ol1r postal system, and It = or thc
highest importance that our ralwny.inats service
le as perfect In Its organization and ns reliable
Il, Its operation as possible. Tho relations be-
tween the railroad officers anu the Department
l,yc brcn n1ld are nuwof most frit,nll ychnrn.-
;cr. Ii il hoped tl,at these friendly reatfa,,swl
he continued, but H. may be well u provide
remedies against tlleit disturbance. should
dispute arise between any rair.m1 company
md the Government In regard to carrying the
Or resist my demands VI Tic Government oy
refusing tun0cr to carry tho mails, leaving thts
Department to make such other arrangements
for their transportation ~ may bo within It's
II Ia rnrv RrrlIttA tItntri1ft-
lions uf the postal srryIcc ad consequent cti,-
| barrnssmeute ~ ihe business oi tho country
may result from such condition Of affairs. ro
prevent or provide against s,seh cvl! cohse-
uuenecs, suggest that legislation would l,o nd
! v,sablc to compel the railroads to carry the
mails OH terms TO he prescribed by law. It
might bc well to leave thc mnttnr OF co'lipcNsa-
| tun to the discretion of tho rostmaster-lencral
within such narrowly y.c!rrunscrtbcd boundaries
| a. ,nay be prescribed ty Congress. II this 0f-
| t1ccr and the railroad companies should, lor
any cause, fail to agree rs tu tho terms of the
service, or tho compensation therefor. let thcrn
be commission, board u arbitration, ur other
tribunal established by law to which suvll dts
pntcs may be referred upon The application Of
| the Postmaster. General or OF tue raItroal Mi.
tilorttics. II would not be in ronsonaucc with
the spirit ol free institutions and pop-
| ular liberty for tho Government to re-
1uirc railroads to do certnti work and to
! hx the price at which the work should
he done. To do 50 wpuld deprive tho railroad
companies Ut any vulrc OF ,ulsrtctton In tho
| management vi part OF their business. II np'
pears 10 inc that the interests Of the public de-
innnu that railroads should be required to
transport the mails with 'ccrtnlnty, celebrity,
safety, and regularity, but TIM. thuy should fr
allowed to have sonc voice II, negotiations ns to
terms, md In the settlement atld adjustment ol
| disputes growing out III tho service
TIE INTIMATE POSTAL RELATIONS
| recently established between the principal com.
,nercul nations hAvo greatly Increased their In
tcrcourse, prouiuscd tNctr trade, a,id improved
their acquaintance with and knowledge II each
| other. Iuas1nucll rs this country was Quo Of the
IL bchuoycs us, rs matter Of uatiouut pride. 10
make our postal machinery and its management
~ nearly perfect Us possible, md NC uught In
10 particular TO permit our postal service tU It
surpassed by that of my other nation. An In,
tclligcnt inspection OF the postal sys.c,as Of
EUROPE and a,i accurate knowledge OF their dc
tails would b. OF great advantage to Us IN TIL.
ruspcct. lhcreiore suggest that the Post
bis Department three at,ts aud experienced oili
operation and .!ctuiis Of tic postal
service OF thoso Governments which have
tue most complete aud e!llcicnt postal systen,
Ono Ut these olllcere might examine the DE-
Matrimonial organizations Of the postal systrIra
In theso countries; nnothcs, tho rallway.,nai
service mud lts Incidents: ind the third, u,
trtbution of the na!tr, the carrier system, an.
that part Of their mail transportation wilrrl
most nearly alliqs tsc]t to our star md steam
scs. s53 Of the Rorlscl Statutes, under tht
title
PRINTERS rEEs," -,-..
prcscr!bes as the rates to bo paid for advcrtis
Ing, 40 cents per iollo u lou words for The ilrs
insertion, nnd ~ ccnts fur each Subsequent ~
law uy a forulcr ATTORNEY. General, II was hcls
ttat this section npplIe. only to advertisements
ordered by tho United statcs Courts, and ths
department has bcen accustomed to contruyt will
publishers vi {or It's annual advertise
co14racts ilat been tnnuc for advertising Ill
mls,ellancou. ma!I-lctiiugs of April ~, 1871, Vi
the usual basis, the Attorney .tienera dccilct
that TIC rates prescribed In 4ec. us must gov
crn alIloyernmyut advertising, and tho Auditu
| Of the 'Reasnry for tho Post tOilcG Department
: was thcs'by compelled 10 nnnll thu contract
, with the publishers. The matter Is submiitc'
for surh aeiou 10 Congrcss muy see lit to tax
In thu prcn,.es. II the law rciil!lus ,ntl,ungcl
thc DepRrtalusk will be unA6l0 to procure til
insertion OF IL advertisements In 1uost Of I'll
7 Leading nowspascIs Of The country and ln som
temporary contracts Tor carrying the mails, VI
account of the inability II til, P0st1na.tcr.(c
eral to comply with the law FIGURING thu I'd
OK te q, ha!stts ma e b. put
q in which the uail-roMtes arc Located, BY ecasoI
ot the refusal Vi publishers to Insert Iie aIyci
: 1lsements At tue rates allowed by law.
A4 WI! w hteA Uy lE@EjeIfCt 10 tHG 6tAIeMCn
! Of lhs financial coslltlun Ut the Departnis,i
the revenues OF thla Department have fallrn q
" the extent VI * during tue Inst tIsv.
l year, as compared with that of the provlou
i year This Ii not thu Ecault of . dintnlahe,
= business. It arises, apprehcud,
MAINLY FgoM TWO CAUSES;
Tho large sales ofespestage.stainps made by th
Post,naas.sa Of small plsices hare supplied Ii,
, market to such An extent TINT posing q. stamp
! have accumulated In the Aan1s Ut whoIssa!
, merchants aud other business men, who lay
I ceased to purchase stamps for their correspond
encG from their city utifccs; aud many statun
purchased and on hand Leiore tha last ill.
year began have been uscd during that yea,
The deficiency ariees, chiefly, fFvm tic liuliiIisk
! cd sales OF stalnps at Presidential ull,cc:
; Another thing which has. no doubt, drcrcasc
, tbs revenues Of the department " tt- subsiitu
: tluD Ut postal cnrss l,r letters. Thr nutnher I
letters and postal carls collected by carriers /
cities having tree delivery giycs conclusiv
; ey,lcnce that such IL the casr. The tcttcfs ~
lectcti III thtse cit!es In 1s7G amounted to u1
.sD D070, and In 1877 they numbered 1y7, ,175, III
nearly ,tDD, 90 lcss than In tbs preceding ycaI
! Tn.