The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-12-09
wisely be made Of the cruising revepue vessels.
COMMERCIAL, MARINES.

and the commercial marine, and invites attic
ton 10 the continued decadence of the latte
and the corresponding transfer of our CROWNS
commerce. to foreign bottoms. This
subject is one of the utmost import
snce to he national welfare. Methods Of
reyiving American shipbuilding, aud of
restoring the United States flag in the
ocean carrying trade should receive the i'm
mediate attention Of congress We have
mechanical skill and abunAcut material for
In fair competition with our commercial
rivals Our disadvantage in building ships is
the greater cost of labor and in sailing them;
higher taxes and greater interest on capi-
tai. While the ocean highways are al
ready monopolized by our fordmidable
competitors, these obstacles should in some
way be overcome and for our rapid commu-
nication with foreign lands we should not con-
tinue to depend wholly upon vessels built in
the Yards of other countries and sailing under
foreign flags. With no United States steamers
on the principal ocean lines or to any foreign
ports, our facilities for extending our COM
merce are greatly restricted, while the nations
which build and sail the ships and carry the
mails and passengers obtain thereby conspicu-
GUS advantages for increasing their trade.
THE PosToFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The report of the postmaster general gives
evidence of the satisfactory condition OF that
department, and contains many valuable data
and accompanying suggestions which can
not fail to be of interest. The infofma-
ton which it affords, that the receipts
for the fiscal year have exceeded the
expenditures, must be very crafty
ing to congress, and to the people of the
country. AS matters which may fairly claim
particular attention, refer you to his obser-
vations in reference to the advlsablllty or
changing the present basis for fixing salaries
and allowances Of extending the money or
l.r Of nulo yuipp tbn functions pf the
postal establishment, so as to have under Its
control the telegraph system of the country,
though from this last and most important
recommendation must withhold my concur
renee.
LETTER POSTAGE
At the last sessioa. of congress, several bills
were introduced into the house of representa-
tvcs for the reduction of letter postage to the
rate of two cents per half ounce. l have
given much study and reflection to this sub
icct. and am thoroughly persuaded that such
q reduction would be for the best interest of
the public 1t has b9en the policy of the gov
eminent from its foundation to defray, as far
as possible. the expenses of carrying the
mails by Il direct tax in the form of postage,
and it has never been claimed, however, that
this service ought to be productive of Il net
revenue As has been stated already, the re-
port of the postmaster general shows that there
is now very considerable surplus in his de-
partment and that henceforth the receipts are
likely to increase at much greater ratio than
necessary expenditures. Unless some change
is made in the existing laws, the profits of the
postal service will, i'll n few years, swell the
revenues of the government many millions of
dollars The time seems suspicious, there
fore, for some reduction in the rates of post
age In what shall that reduction consist?
review of the legislation which has been had
upon this subject during the last thirty years,
discloses that domestic letters constitute the
only class of mail matter which has never
been favored by substantial reduction of rates
am convinced that the burden OF MAN
tanning the service falls unequaly upon
that class, and that more than any
other it is entitled to present itself. That such
relief may be extended TO other public inter
ests will be discovered upon reviewing the re-
suits of formerr reductions. Immediately prior
to the act of 1915 the postage upon letter com
posed of a single sheet was as follows: If con-
veyed 80 miles or less, cents; between 80 and
so miles, 10 cents; between 50 and 100 miles,
12b cents; between $50 and $40 miles, 1874
cents over 400 miles, .5 ceTfts. BY the act OF
1915 the postage upon single letter conveyed
forSny distance under 800 miles was fixed at
Cents, and for any greater distance at III
cents BY the act of 1851 it was provided that
a single letter, if prepaid, should be carried
any distance not exceeding 5000 miles for
3 cents, and any greater distance for 6 cents
1t will be noticed that both of these rednc-
tons were of radical character and rea-
lively quite az important as that which is now
proposed. In each case there ensued tenn
porary loss of revenue, but sudden and
large influx of business followed which sub
stantially repaired that loss within three
years. Unless sthe experience of past leg
islation in this country and elsewhere
goes for naught it may be safely
predicted that the stimulus Of
Sn 100, fN~, ,.,o
Mt once increase the number of letters con-
signed to the mails. The advantage of Sc
crecy would lead to a way general substitution
of sealed packets for postal cards and open
circulars, and in divers other ways the volume
OF tirst-cass matter would be enormously aug
melted. Such increase amounted in England III
the first year after the adoption of penny
postage, to more than l25 per cent As the re-
suit of careful estimates the details of which
cannot be here set ont, 1 have become con-
WINGED that the deficiency for the first year
after the proposed reductiorowou'd rot exceed
z per cent of the expenditures, or $1,000, 600,
while the deficiency, after the reduction of 1913
was more than IA per cent, and after that of
1851 was 81 per cent Another interesting com
parison is afforded by statistics furnished me
by the postoflice department. The act of 1915
was passed in the face of the fact that there
existed a deficiency of more than $4,000.
That of 1851 was encouraged by the slight
surplus OF SlJ2,OuD. Inc excess OF revenue
in the next fiscal year is likely to be $500, 600
If congress should approve these sug-
gestions it may be deemed desirable to supply
to SONS extent the deficiency which must for
time result by increasing the charge for car
rying merchandise, which is now only rs
cents per pound But even without such an
increase | am confident that the receipts
unde- the diminished rates would equal the
expenditures after the lapse of three or four
years
The report of the
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
brings anew to your notice the necessity OF
charging the present system of federal juris-
prudence. 80 az to effectually answer tho
requirements of the eyer-increasing litiga-
ton with which it is called upon to deal
The attorney general renews the suggestions
OF his predecessor that, IN the interests of JUS
tice, better provision than the existing laws af-
ford should be made in certain judicial dis
tricts for fixing the fees of witnesses and
jurors.
In nv message of December last | referred
to pending criminal proceedings growing out
of alleged frauds What is known as the
sTAR-RoUTE
service of the postoffice department and adj
vised you / had enjoined upon the attorney
general and associate counsel 10 whom tho
interests OF the government were intrusted,
the duty of prosecuting with the utmost vlgor
of the law all persons who might be found
chargeable with these offenses. A trial of
o,o thaSa oauaa has aiDpa npcnrrol II