The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-12-07

Al the last session OF congress several
bills were introduced into the house o.
representatives for the red uctIon of letter
postage to the rate OF two cents per hal.
ounce. l have given much study anu
reflection TO this, and am thoroughly
convinced that such action would be TO
the best interests Of the public. It ha
been the policy of the government from
lis foundation TO defray, as far aspos
sible, the eXpence of carrying the mai!
by direct tax, in the form of postag
1t has never been claimed, howeve
thai this service ought To be productly.
of a net revenue. As has been state
already, the report of the postmaster
general shows that there is now a very
considerable surplus in his department,
and that henceiorth the receipts are
likely TO increase at q much larger ratio
than the expenditure. Unless some
change is made in the existing laws, the
profits of the postal sevlce will in q very
tewSears swell the revenues of the GOV.
eminent many millions Of dollars. The
time seems ausDicious for seine reduc-
tion in the rates OF postage In what
shall that reduction consist? A review
OF the legislation which has been had
upon this subject during the last thirty
years discloses that domestic letters CON
stitute the only class of mail matters
which has never been forced by a sub
siahtial reduction of rates. ] am con-
WINGED that the burden of maintaining
the service falls most unequally upon
that class and totthat more than any other
IL IS entitled to present relief. That such
relief may be extended without doubt to
other public interests will be discovered
upon reviewing the result of former re-
ductions. Immediately prior TO the act
of 1S45, the postage upon letter COM
posed of a single sheet was as follows:
If conveyed thirty miles or less, six
cents; between thirty and eighty miles,
ten cents; between eighty and $50 miles,
1919 cents; between $50 and 400 miles,
1891 cents; oyer 400 miles, % cents. By
the act of 1916 the postage upon a sim
gle letter conveyed for any distance I'M
der 300 miles was fixed at five cents, and
for any greater distance at ten cents
By the act of 1851 it was provided that
single letter, if prepaid, should be
carried any distance not to exceed 5000
miles for three cents, any greater dis
lance six cents. 1t will be noticed that
| both of these reductions were of 8 radi-
cal character, and relatively quite
as important as that which
is now proposed. In each
case there ensued temporary loss of a
reverse character, but a sudden and
large influx of business set in, which
substantially recovered that loss within
three years. Unless the experience of
past legislation, in this country and
elsewhere, goes for naught, it may be
| safely predicted that the stimulus of so
per cent reduction in tax, for carriage,
| would at once increase the number of
letters consigned to the mails. The ad-
vaEtages of secresy would lead to a very
.ErSsN IA l.
| tor postal cards and open circulars, and
In diverse and other ways the volume of
| tirst-class matter would be enormously
augmented. Such increase amounted,
in England, in the first year after the
adoption of the penny postage, TO more
than 125 per cent. AS result of careful
| estimates, the details of which cannot
| be given, l am convinced that the def
cheney for the first year after the pro-
posed reduction would not exceed per
cent of the expenditures, or three mil
| lion dollars, while the deficiency after
| the reduction of 1915 was more than IA
per cent, and after the reduction of 1851
was 81 per cent. Another interesting
comparison Is afforded by statistics fur
| nished me by the post office department.
! The act of 1915 was passed in the face
of the fact that there existed deficiency
of more than thirty thousand dollars ;
that of 1851 was encouraged by the
slight surplus of $4,000. The excess
| of reycnue.in the next fiscal year is
| likely ia be F5,500,GG0,
| If congress- should approve these sug-
| gestioaS il may be deemed desirable TO
| supply to some extent the deficiency
| which must for a time result by increas
ing the charge for carrying merchan-
disc, which Is only sixteen cents per
| pound, but even without such an in
crease / am confident that the receipts
| under the diminished rates would equal
the expenditures after the lapse of three
| or four years.
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
The report the department of jus
| tice brings anew TO your notice the nee
essity of enlarging the present system
of federal lurispI Qdence, 30 as to etfectu-
| ally answer the requirements of the ev-
| er Increasing litigation with which it is
| called upon 10 deal. The attorney gen.
eral renews the suggestions OF his pre-
decessJr that in the interests of Justice
better prov ision than the existing laws
afford should be aiade in certain judic-
ial DISTRICTS for hxing the fees at witness
es and jurors.
THE STAR ROUTE CAsEs.
In my message of December last, re-
~
growing out of alleged frauds in what is
known as the star route service of the
pOstoffice department, and advis-
ed you l had enioined upon the
attorney general and associate council,
to whom the interests of the government
we're intrusted, the duty of prosecuting
| with the utmost TigOr of the law persons
who might be found chargeable with
those oifenses. A trial eff one of these
cases has since occurred. 1t occupied
for many weeks the attention of the su-
preme court of this district, and was
conducted with great zeal and ability
1t resulted in disagreement of the jury,
but the cause has again been placed
upon the calendar, and will shortly be
retired. II any guilty persons shall
finally escape punishment for their Of
| lenses, it will not be for lack of dill
gent and earnest efforts on the part of
the prosecution.
trust that some agreement may be
reached which will speedily enable con-
gress, with the concurrence of the exec
utIve 10 afford the commercial cOmmu-
nifty the benefits of a national bankrupt
law.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The report of the secretary of the in.
terror, with its accompanying docu-
ments, presents full statement 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 l devoted
much space in a former commu-
| nication to congress. i renew
the recommendations therein con-
tanned as to extending TO the
| Indian the protection of the law, allot,
ting land in seEeralty to such as desire
it, and making suitable provision for
the education of youth. Such provision
as the secretary forcibly maintains viii
prove unavailing unless il is broad
enough TO include all those who are
able and willing to make use of it, and
should not solely relate to intellectual
training, but also to instruction in such
manual labor and simple industrial as
can be made practically available.
Among other important subjects
| which are included within the secreta-
rie's report, and which will doubtless
furnish occasion for congressional &C
ton, may be mentioned the neglect of
the railroad companies to which large
grants of land were made by the acts OF
1882 and 1884, to take title thereto, and
their consequent inequitable exemption
from local taxation. No survey of our
material condition can fail to suggest
inquiries as TO the moral aud intellectu-
al progress of the people.
THE CENSUS RETURNS
disclose an alarming state of illiteracy
in certain portions of the country where
the provision of schools is grossly mad
equate. It is mOmentous question for
the decision of congress whether lmme-
diate, substantial aid should be extend
ed by the general government for sup
plementing the efforts of private benifi-
cence, and of the state and territorial
legislation in behalf of education.
The regulation of the interstate CON-
merce has already been the subject OF
your deliberations as one of the Incl
tents of the marvellous extension of the
railway system Of the country has been
the adoption OF such measures by the
corporations which own or control the