The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-11-05
TlIE pOSTlI TANES.

" Another very considerable branch Of
" the rcvcnue,n says old Blackstone, is
" levied with greater cheerfuluess, as, in
" stead Of being burden, it is a manifest
' advantage to public. mean the post.
" office, or duty for the carriage OF letters.
There cannot be devised a
more eligible method than this of raising
money upon the subject: for therein both
" the government aud the people tind a
mutual benefit. The government acquires
a large revenue; and the people transact
" their business with greater ease, expedition,
and cheapness, than they would be able TO
" do if no such tax Cand of course no such
" oilice) existed" We have advanced con-
sideraby beyond that notion since his day,
and an attempt to raise revenue by a tax
upon intelligence in the shape Of the letters
carried through the mails is Justly regarded
with odum. Yet this is what the Govern
ment is just now doing, through the uncN-
reoted success OF the reforms instituted by
the present administration of the Post
Office Department., surplus which for
Ring now goes into the Treasury Depart
ment, and to reduce it hy a change in the
rates of postage or by extending greater
facilities to republic should be the task of
Congress at its next session. Some short
sighted people have asked, Why should
"not the Government carry the mails at a
Slight profit at least rather than at
Gloss p Even five admit it to belong to
the functions of our Federal Government to
60 into money making business to the eN-
cusion of citizens who might otherwise en-
gage therein, the fact is that our postal SER
vice is now arranged on the idea of being
run at a loss, in order to give aid and COM
lolt to the settlers in distant parts of
rates, which make it cost no more to
send letter to the remotcst corner of
Washington Territory than from New York
to Philadelphia. Between the latter cities
the postal service is run at an enormous
profit: to the other locality and many like
il, at an enormous loss. No one grudgcs
this loss, but it ought to be paid out of the
general funds of the nation, not charged
upon the letter.wrters, manuscript-senders
and newspapers of the East. To exact
profit of million or so beside is adding in
suit to injury.
Another petty inliction, Of indeed it be
petty,) which the now well-mauaged and
wealthy Department would cheerfully dis
pense with, is the Withholding of Letters
upon which there is not "one full rate o
postage prepaid" According to this ut.
terly absurd and arbitrary regulation let
ter weighing anywhere up to four pound
will go through the mails for Seen
stamp, the balance C. o. D., while a let
ter with a 2cent stamp will go to th
Dead-Letter Office for lack of the extr
penny. According to the official report
during the year ending June 80, 1881, NJ
less than 279, 244 domestic short-paid letter
were sent to the Dead Letter Office unde
this law. 1t is a regulation which falls Will
special weight upon the poor, the ignorant
and the helpless, who should rather be til,
ones protected; and the worst is that it i,
utterly unnecessary, since the invention o
postage-due stamps " has enabled the De
partment to collect arrearages of this sor
with unfailing accuracy and certainty. Ii
the name of common sense and humanity
let it be abolished.