The Worthington advance., 1882-12-14
THE EPREsIDENT.s11E MESSAGE.
Co,.cs,sas.s fro,,, ,Fv,,s ~ = i fass.

OF extending The money order system. and Of
enlargins the functions Of postal establish
msnts % % 70 havs under ito control the tele-
graph system Of The country. though from
this last and most important Recommendation
must withhold my concurrence.
~ the last session Of congress several bills
we're introduced into the house OF representa-
ives tor the reduction Of lst:sr poetaKs to the
much study and reelection 70 this, subject and
tion would b tor the bsst interests Of tho pub
!ia i has bsen the policy OF tho government
from tho Foundation to defray, - far ~ pos
eable. tho expenses Of carrying the mails BY =
been claimed. however, that this service ought
% Do productive Of net revenue
Az has been stated already, the report Of tue
postmaster general shows that there 10 now =
very considerable surplus in his department.
and that henceforth tho receipts are likely to
!ncreass IN much greater ratio than the nee
made In the existing laws. the profits Of the
postal service will. in very few years. swell
the revenues OF the government many millions
OF douaEA The time eeems auspicious. there
fore. fo1 some reductions in the rates
ct osa,,Iscs postage ssa.,.., In What shall the
hon which has been had upon this subject
during tho last thirty years diocloses that do.
mestio letters constitute tho only class Of mail
matter which has never been favored by sub
stantial reduction Of rates. am convinced
that the burden Of maintaining the service falls
most unequally upon that class and that more
than any other II 10 entitled to present relief.
That such relief may bs extended without det-
rinent to other public interests will be DIS
covered upon reviewing the u
8KsulTs OF 1oINER AEDucT1oNA
1mmediatsly prior to tho aot OF
1s4S' The postage upon letter composed
Teonv.yed thirty mii.. or % iss. s cents. 0Ss: BE-:
tween thirty and eighty miles 10 cents, b.
tween eighty and $50 miles l2la cents, be-
tween $50 aud 400 miles 132< cents, over
400 mileh 25 eentA By the act of 1945 the
postage upon : singl. letter conveyed any dis
tsnee under 500 miles WAS liked at 5 cents,
and for any greater distance at 10 cent.
elnsle letter. il prepaid, should bs carried any
distance not exceeding 800 miles for cents.
aud any greater distance for 6 cents. It will
oe noticed that both Of these reductions were
OF radical character. and relatively quite ss
important .: that now proposed. In zach case
thefe snsued temporary loss Of revenue bv
sudden eod large influx Of business which
:nbstantially paid that loss in three years.
Unless the experience Of past Legislation in this
country and elsewhere goes for naught, it may
b safely predicted that . stimulus Of
~ poI cenS reduction In tho tax for carriage
Wolud at once increase the number Of letters
conslgnad to the malta The advantages OF
secrecy would lead to very general substitu-
ton OF sealed packets tor postal cards and
open circulars, and In divers other ways the
volume OF frst-clsss matter would be enor-
mouely augmented Such increase amounted
IN England, In tho first year after thu adoption
OF penny postage, to more than 1913 per cent
AZ result Of . careful sstimate, the details Of
which cannot here bs set out have become
convinced that the deficiency for the first year
after the proposed reduction would not exceed
Per cent Of the expenditures, or So, ,OOO.-
OOO while the deficiency after the reduction
Of lS45 was more than IA per cent, and
after that OF 1851 was 27 per cent Another
Interesting comparison ia Afforded by statistics
furnished me BY the postofics department
The acs Of l645 was passed in the face Of the
fact that there existed = deficiency Of more
than $50, 900. That OF 1851 Wa encouraged
BY the slight surplus Of $132. 1000 The
excess OF revenue In the next fiscal
year 10 likely to be $3,6OO.OOO
II congrcss should approve these sugRsseions
1t may be deemed desirable to supply to some
extent tho deficiency which must for time re-
suit BY increasing the charge for carrying NOR
chandise, which 10 now only 16 cents per
pound But without such sn increase an
confident the receipts under the diminished
rates would equal tho expenditures After 1
lSpS0 OF tQfO9 or 10uf yo1r1