Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-04
THE POSTMASTER GENERALS
REPORT.
Cheap Postage DisCusscd-POstal Saw.
ings BanIks-POstal telegraph. &c.

Cheap Postage Discusscd-POstal Saw.
ings Banks-POstal telegraph. &c.
The Postmaster General in his annual report
states tnat in regard to the rates of postage:
II remain Of the opinion expressed In my letter
OF the 18th OF May last, addressed to the Speaker
OF the House of Representatives, that. the
postage on second-class matter ought prop
erly to be abolished I wish also to repeat, and
to emphasize the opinion expressed In the same
letter, that the rate OF postage on fourtla-class
matter should to be increased.
Some anxiety has been manifested to reduce
flrst-class postage to two cents per half ounce II
it should be thought such a reduction in rates
would cause too great a shr1nkage I'm the revenues
would respectfully suggest that correspondence
may be cheapened almost much by another
measure, much less costly to the Treasury
II Congress Will authorize the sale OF stamped
envelopes at the same price at which adhesive
reSpOndence.
POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS.
follow in the steps OF many OF my predecessors
In this office when In woke Congress to make one
more effort to engraft upon the postal service a
system OF deposits for small sums The great
lesson our people need to learn is that OF economy
The American people are apt to earn. but are not
wise to save.
The easy Introduction to the art OF saving is to
provide convenient and safe means OF saving
Ihe post O1ce Is near to every ctiZen the savings
bank must always be remote from most The post
Office need not be a ubstitute for the savings
Dank, nor It's rival but its feeder; a place where
small deposits with slow accret1onS may slowly
grow into large ones, then to be transferred to
Savings banks on longer terms and with larger
earnings.
POSTAL TELEGRAPH SYSTEM
Another and broader field OF activity not yet
occupied by our postal establishment is that OF
the telegraph. In almost all countries, save this,
telegraph service Ia conducted by the postal au-
thorities.
TO give to the subject, am forced to the conclu-
sion that the time has fully come when the tele-
graph and postal service should be embraced under
one management The whole subject has been
argued In former years. shall do but little more
than summarize that argument
control the telegraph is found In the fact that it
is as potent &c: evil as for good Like government
itself 1t is too terrible to be by other than
representatives OF the whole people.
In the great commercial centerS, public stocks
corporate and mining stocks, bonds and the staple
to the amount OF thousands OF millions. In all
fHOSe markets one great telegraph company wags
tsf0gfkue inceSSantly. For all those commodities
80 4s Tne xfbfter OF prices. Prices 60 up or down
eeeQrdlpg tQ It's incubation. Whoever controls
~ zpcd8 may at pleasure buoy market In
XD4eAfbuy. That Is an agency much too dread
M "A StfIust to private hands.
4l1k or Its capabilities. not its history. It
14P4 ~ iObJected, and has been, that the measure
p{UpqS9o would largely extend the roll OF federal
omccfA That increase has doubtless been exag-
the telegraph operator would not supplement the
postmaster, but would supplant hiEa- Besides,
know OF no law but neceos1fy limiting the employ.
mAnt of oolcaalA