New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-22

messengers amounting S32S,964, the total increai
| In cost was $940048.
. THE SERVICE OUGHT TO BE SELF-sUPPoRTING.l
The founders of our Government intended the post
service TO be sefsuppOrting The guardianship OF tn
postal revenues was assumed in order that the wno
power and all the machinery Of Government might 0
employed to enforce the strictest accountability
For more than half century the wisdom Of the aHt
ers OF the Republic unquesoned ana the POsl Vhc
Department administered In accordance win incl
theory SO well this theory understood that the sol
POstmasterGenera in regard to the transportation
the mails that he should simply keep the expenses WIFI
| III the revenues.
Every enactment of Congress down 1915 adhered &c
the original theory, and contemplated the management
OF the business of The Post Office Department upon pS
ness principles. From l790-the earliest date ut wnch
the exact financial status Of the Post Once Department
is gvenoWn to 1888, the Of expenditures over
receipts occurred rarely and the deficiency was away
qihing. In 1888 railway mail service began ana tne
Department from that time TO this has been engaged IN
al unsuccessful struggle 70 adjust the pay Tor TINS class
OF service upon Just and equitable rules. There was
also as one OF the abest Postmaster Generals has said,
about this time, too rapid expansion OF the service
which was The first manifested tendency to perma-
nent excess Of expenditure" This was however,
checked and the department again brought upon solid
business basis. The reduction OF the rates OF iete
postage in 1916 caused reduction Of receipts but
with the exception Of 1913 when the expenditures ex-
ceeded the receipts ~ l65772 the balance At 9e close
OF each fiscal year, til 1882, favor of the Depart
ment. From 1891 dates the policy which enlarged very
mucn the scope OF the Post Ohlce Department Inc oP
portuniy which was then offered for Increased expend
| lures OF money in extending the mai service was
very favorable The recently acqu rcd territory on
the Pacific coast Dad the discovery OF gold assumed
the utmost Importance The tide emigration West
ward received impetus. Tne pOpulOus states east
OF the Mississippi River separated from the new
Eldorado by vast stretch Of uninhabed country and
py wIt was tnen SUPPOSED TO De an almost lnassa
range or mountains Tue cost o. supplying the rapidly
Was necessaTy great Oh the racine coast Win HALLS
Adventures and swarmed about the corridors
OF the capitol and abOred session AFTER session OF Con
gess Tor special contracts The great overland routes
were established, and vast annually drawn
from tne Treasury for this costly branch OF service
But little by little tine departure from the lOng-es alb
lshed principle OF the Department grew and more
| radical, deficiency
year 1850 the expenditures exceeded the receipts ny
more ten aud "A half million dollars. The people
gradually became in manner, accustomed TO the eD0r-
! nous expenditures of the Department The cOntrac-
tors who grew rich at the expense OF the Government
found II comparatively easy, and probably very profit
able, to defy Postmaster-G disposed 10 cconO-
6e anu Dy degrees nIlhS PACK the Department. 10 INC
honest business basis upon which our fathers had esab
shed It, IL became the fashion to go to Congress ana
LOBBY through bills establishing routes and prescribing
the pay Tor such and such service thereon II the De-
rtment attempted 10 hold contractors strict per-
iOlmancc Oh ther contracts ana 10 exact peh9ItesI Or
the nonpcrOrnHnce OF service they resOrted 60 Con-
suit course Inevitable In this every other
case. the departure once made from wise ana prudent
practice, and every species of extravaganza necessarily
follows i the immediate evil that is to be feared
the most Dut the tram of other and still greater resultant
Tne immediate effect the war upon postal revenues
was largely to increase them 1853 the expenditures
exceeded the receipts by 2s2J, 5i3 - In 1864 the
iclt was SZo6,J52 H. but IA l96J tue accepts mad
amounted ABOVE the expenditures SS6l 43O II. grand
opportunity wa- offered at the close OF tine rebellion, to
maintained the department upon the ancient basis
oI honest business princ.pe5 20 "hch tho accident OF
war brought 10 btcA But unfortunately this OppOrtu-
nifty vas not embraced The hcd Tor successful ven ures
upon e treasury was restricted s the demand Tor war
supplies ceased, anu the Post ONCE Department at
uIc,ed tue soldiers, Who mad found occupation else
NheIt dihs tue war Inc PROSPERITY u thc lOyai otaes
at nUudide. Inc liXduOn continued III peace,
hed Treasury Overlooking. Inc people, flushed
WIN victory fduhl WIN Joy ~ the return O peace ana
the preservation OF the UuiOn prosperous and couented
we're not disposed TO question he motive OF their sery
Inc time wa~ auspices aud the opportunity favorable
partmrut. Inc false and vicious theory that the postal
uud coad bee properly charged glth subsidies Tor the
s1t.O % al or lie
cOuragcmcnt Of private enterprise land mad Jealous
In the department. and Congress. The
wdO prohJcd 10y the nijudged hDenlity the criminal
waste 81 the puDc money, sWarutd about the halls vi
legislation and IN the midst OF tne political excitement
aud tsou incident TO the administration Andrew
Johnson, were enabled 10 lobby through many
country has since pronounced unmit gated
eys It during this period tnat the practice OF
straw bidding uhb7hiney prevailed, aud increased
largely toe cost oil he star mail service IN ne Western
states and Territories Tue combination OF con racorz
VINO then dominated the department ana deGet the law
not only robbed the Government but their evil influence
Is elt 10 this day Tne extension OF the mail service was
unqutsuOhOy Tar IN advance OF tue actual needs Of the
country Ihy enormous pay for fast daily service over
many long star routes "as IN reality subsidy or bounty
excessive expenditures that the development
thereby Admitting this 10 be true Tor tue sake OF arg-
ment II IL questionable whether tine good accomplished
positive evil which resulted here rom the degradation Of
official morals II Is iact, which cannot be denied, that
the scandal, attending tue administration Of the Post
INV b..n yrry srns IN their r"uss6nnpccs TbS
live branch OF tno Government because tue power 10
rau1adt n could have been exfrted M any time "
The country reached stage progress Of
its material development where IL seems 10 me, effort
ought to be made bring the credit aud debit ,ides Of
the Departments balance sheet nearer together All
or nearly all the expensive star routes
rscrvce ought therefore 10 decrease rap
Idly in the Western states ana Territories careful
ana imparua! examination OF the scar service, made
during the past summer satisfied the Department that
convenience to The sections OF country supplied thereby
STAR ROUTE ABUSES.
minute investigation into alleged abuses OF the star
route service was in titutcd by direction OF the late
President aud Is still being prosecuted The Post Office
Department has co-opcratod, and will continue to CO.
operate. with the Department Of Justice in this nvest
CATION No who has not been directly concerned in
the matter can fuly appreciate the magnitude OF the
h" mass OF re ord evidence examined the
ohhruite- Oh personal lnNertsaOh IN 7arscE settled
lritonrs ana me results attained by tur patient and
There can he no doubt from the facts already ascer
tanned that tho existing statutes leave the way open to
ing judicial investigation OF the transactions Of the last
lew years.
COST OF RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
The one serious difficulty the way of bringing back
the Department 10 sesustaning basis Is the constant
~ increasing the railway mail service. This in
during the past fiscal year $is7i46. L regret
say that there ia deficiency S47S l55 for this
puch OF service for fiscal year ended June 80
$751; which must nc provided Tor, and also that there
must be an increased appropriation for the service
The estimate for the fiscal year ending juno 80, 1888
for tue railway service IL SiO655,O0O. There has re
'outy been unprecedented growth Of railroads and
his accounts largely Tor tae enormous increase OF the
cost OF the RAILWAY scryio There were to June 50,
lSsi J,22iSl mites Otnew service which the pay
under law readiusted; and from July to OctO-
Der established $780, miles of
road estimated that there will between October
H. ISL and June 30 1882 1000 miles of new service
added These figures, however do not represent the
entire cost OF the railway mail service The pay for pos
tai ears and special facilities for fast mail must /
be added The of these items the fiscal
wear ended June 30, 1881, ~ follows Railway
Post ONCE cars 2dS POI so; special Facilities Tor fast
mails, $J49,7lS 90 Total, ~, 1890 10. 4
The payment for the Railway mail service dur
ing the fiscal year. 1881 was, therefore, $l All 100 80
the current fiscal year will be 81 JOG col,
and the estimates 1883 $l3l ,6Ol. The
nous growth of railroads in 1850 1881, and their
anticipated increase OF mileage In future will
account great proportion OF the augmented
service but there are ether causes which must