National Republican., 1882-12-05
commentator must withhold my concur.

Ofln OF pOStlLe. ~ iitlS never DgetI claimed, how
ever, that this service ought to be productive of
| net revenue.
AS has been stated already. the report of the
Postmaster General shows that there Is now very
| considerable surplus III his department. and that
henceforth the receipts are likely TO increase at
much greater ratio thnn the necessary expend-
lures. Unless some change is made III the exist
ing laws the profits Of the postal service will in o
very few years swell the revenues Of the govern
ment many millions of dollars, Tue time seems
auspcious, therefore, for some reduction in the
rates of postage. lii what shall that reduction
consist?
a review of the legislation which has been had
upon this subject during the last thirty years dis
closes that domestic letters constitute the only
class of mail matter which has never been fdv-
ored by substantial reduction of rates. am
convinced that the burden of maintaining the
service falls most unequaly uron that class and
that more any other 1t is entitled TO present relief
1T IS Feasible
that such relief my be extended without detri. :.
ment to other public interests will be discovered
upon reviewing the results OF former reductions.
| Immediately prior TO the act of lS4b the postage
upon n letter composed OF single sheet was as
| follows:
If conveyed Cents.
80 miles or less. Observation-Disclosures.
| Between 80 and so mile ile..................... 10
Between 80 and 100 miles. 123
between 100 aiti 4CO miles. 1874
over 4OO miles. 20
BY the act of 1915 the postage upon single let
ter conveyed for any distance under SOu miles was
| fixed ut FIVE cents, and for any greater distance at
| ten cents
BY the act of 1851 1t was provided that q single
/
not exceeding 5000 miles for three cents and any
| greater distance Tor six cents.
| 1t will be noticed that both Of these reductions
were of radical character and relatively quite US
| important as that which is now proposed.
| III each case tlere ensued Temporary loss OF
| revenue, but sudden and large influx Uf busl-
ness, which substantially repaired that loss within
three years.
Unless the experience of past legislation in this
| country and elsewhere goes for naught IL may 90
safely predicted that the stimulus of so per
centum reduction in the tax for carriage would at
once increase the number of letters consigned 10
the mails.
The advantages of secrecy would lead to a very
| general substitution of sealed packets for postal
cards and open Circulars and i'll divers other ways
| the volume OF first. class matter would Ue enor-
mousy augmented. such Increase amounted in
England in the first year after the adoption of
peuny postage to more than l24 per cent.
As result OF CAREFUL estimates, the details of
| which cannot be here set out, have become cnil-
WINGED that the deficiency for the first year after
| the proposed reduction wonld not exceed per
cent the expenditures, S30OO,OOO, while the de-
fcency after the reduction OF lSi1 was more than
IA per CENT and after that OF 1851 was e per cent
another interesting comparison is afforded by
statistics furnished me by tua Post-olice Depart
| ment.
The act of 1916 was passed in face of the fact
that there existed deficiency of more than $50, :
600. That OF 1851 was encouraged by the slight
surplus OF S132 900. The excess of revenue in the
next fiscal year Is likely to be s3,5OO,OOO
Ii Congress should approve these suggestions 1t
may be deemed desirable to supply TO some extent
| the deficiency which must for u time result, by
| increasing the charge for carrying merchandise,
even without such an increase am confident that
the receipts under the diminished rates would
equal the expenditures after the lapse OF three or
| four years.
Department of Justice. -....r
CHANGE OF JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
The report of the Department of Justice brings
to your notice the necessity Of enlarging the
present system of Federal Jurisprudence SO Us
effectually TO answer the requirements of the
ever-increasing litigation with which it Is called
upon to deal. ..t
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
The Attorney G eneral renews the suggestions of
his predecessor that in the interests OF Justice bet
ter provision than the existing laws afford should
be made in certain Judicial districts for fixing the
| fees of witnesses and jurors.
sTAR.RouTE PROSECUTIONS
In my message of December last / referred to
| pending criminal proceedings growing out of al
f. uhe Post Office Department, and ad-
Eyised you that had enjoined upon the Attorney
General aud associate counsel, to whom the m
| of prosecuting with the utmost Vigor of the law
all persons who might be found chargeable with
on for Of WesEs SesGs I
| attention of the supreme court OF this District,
and was conducted with great zeal and ability.
1t resulted in Engagement of the jury, but the
cause has been again placed upon The calendar,
and will shortly be retred., II any guilty per-
| sons shall finally escape punishment for their Of
fenses it will not be for lack of diligent and
est efforts on the part of the prosecution.
BANKRUPT LAW.
! trust that some agreement may be reached
which will speedily enable Congress, with the
concurrence OF the Executive, to afford the COM
mercial community the benefits Of national
The Interior.
| .... INDIANS.
The report of the Secretary of the Interior with
its accompanying documents, presents a full state
| ment of the varied operations of that department.
In respect to Indian affairs nothing has occurred
which has changed or seriously modified the
views to which devoted much space In former
| ,yNttT,i irafi Ia EnnVrpga.
meudatiOns therein contained as t. extending to
tue Indian the protection Of the law, alloting land
In usevemlty tosuch desire it,and making suitable
provision for the educl&ion OF youth. such pro-
vision, as the Secretary forclbly maintains, will
prove HnavailinY unless y Is broad enough TO IN.
use Of it. and should not solely rerate to intel
lectual training, but also to instruction in such
manual labor and simple industrial arts as can be
made practically available.
Among other important subjects which are in
viii doubtless furnish occasion for Congressional
action, may be mentioned the neglect of the rail-
road companies TO which large grants OF land were
made by the acts OF 1862 and 1864, TO take title
thereto, and their consequent inequitable ex-
emption from local taxation.
EDUCATION.
No survey of our material condition can fail tc
suggest inquiries as to the moral and intellectual
progress OF the people.
The Census returns disclose an alarming state Of
ilteracy in certain portions OF the country where
the provision for schools is grossly inadequate o
1t is Il mOmentous question Tor tue decision Of
Congress whether lmLneulate ana substantial aid
should not be extended by the general govern
ment for supplementing the efforts of private be-
netlCence and of state and Territorial legislation
in behalf of education.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
The regulation of Interstate commerce has al
ready been the subject Of your deliberations, One
Oi the incidents of the marvellous extension of the
railway system has been the adoption of such
measures by the corporations which own or con-
troll the roads as has tended TO impair the advan-
t0ges of healthy competition, aud TO make hurtful
Determinations in the adjustment Of freightage.
These inequalities have been corrected i'll seye-
raj Of the States by appropriate legislation, the eff
feet uf which is necessarily restricted to the limits
of their own territory
So far rs such mischieis affect commerce be.
tween the States or between any one of the States
and "A foreign country, they are subjects OF ma.
Relief
The results which have thus far attended the
enforcement of the recent statute Tor tue suppress
sion of polygamy in the Territories are reported
by the Secretary OF the Interior 1t is not proba.
will be deemed desirable until the effect of exist
ing laws shall be more closely OBJ erved and
studied
/ congratulate you that the commissioners, un.
der whose supervision those laws have been pu
in operation, are encouraged to believe that the
evil at which they are aimed may be suppressed
without resort 10 such radical measures as IL
some quarters have been thought indispensable
for success,
GENERAL CONDITION OF THE TERRITORIES.
The close relation of the general government tC
the Territories preparing TO be great States may
well engage your special attention. 1t is there
; that the Indian disturbances mainly occur anc
lhat polygamy has found room for its growth.
cannot doubt that q careful survey Ot territorial
legislation would be Of the highest utility. Lii,
atU ..ll Nj