The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-12-06


mat heneefOrth the receipts are likely to in
eSease NJ "A much greater ratio than the
necessary expenditures. Unless some change
n made in the existing laws the profits of the
postal service will in very few years swell
tho revenues Otthe Government many millions
o. dollars The time seems suspicious, there
fore, for some reduction in the rates of post
age; In what shall that REDUCTION oonsist2 A
review Of the legislation which has been had
npon this subject during the last thirty years
disolOses that domestic letters constitute the
only class 0f mail matter which has never
been favored by a substantial reduction of
cates- I am convinced that the burden of
maintaining the service falls most uneQualy
upon that class and that more than any other
i is entttlOd to present relief. That such
hef may b. extended without ,detriment TO
other public interests will be discovered upon
reviewing the results of former re-
duCuons. Immediately prior to the act
OF single sheet was as follows:
ifconveyed 30 miles or less cents, between
miles i235 cents between $50 and 100 miles ls9{
'euts, over 40 miles 25 cents. by the act
ot 1870 the postage upon a single letter CON
NeyeL i0r any distance under aOO miles
was liked at cents and for any greater
Il was provided that Il single letter.
II prepaid, should be carried any dis
lance not exceeding 5000 miles for cents,
hln any greater distance for cents. IL will
bc noticed that both of these reductions were
6t a radical character and relatively quito as
Important as that which Is now proposed,
In each case there ensucd a temporary loss Of
rovcnuc, but sudden and large influx of
business substantially repaired that loss
within thruC years Unless the eXperIcnee
Of the past legislation in this country
ard elsewhere goes for naught Il may
nifty per cont. reduction in the tax for carriage
wuutd at once increase the number OF letters
"rcuy would lead 20 "a very general substitIl-
ton Of scaled packets for postal cards aud
ope'N circulars, and In divers ways the volume
Of hiSt-c!hSs matter would be enormously aug
uentCd. such an increase amounted In En-
gland, in the first year after the adoption of
penny po-talrer TO more than one hundred and
twenty five per cent. As "A result of careful
'Sumnte7' the details of which cannot he here
Set Out. nave become convinced that the
deficiency for the first year after the proposed
reduction would not exceed seven per cent of
the expenditures, or S;}.OOO,OOO while the deh-
cheney, after tho reduction of 1916, was more
than fourteen per cent, and after that of 1851,
was twonty-Scvcn per cent. Another inter
'-sting comparison il afforded by the statistics
furnished by the Post Office Department The
act of lsd was passed In the face Of the fact that
theirs existed "A deficiency OF more tnan $4,000.
That ot ls5l was encouraged by the slight sur
plus of SEE2rOtO. The excess of revenue in the
next fiscal year is lllsCly to be $3JOO,OOO. If
congress should approve these suggestions it
may be doomed desirable to supply To some
extent tho deficiency which must for a time
result by increasing the charge for carrying
merchandise, which ia now only sixteen cents
per pound. Buteven without such au increase
am cOnhdent that the receipts under the
diminished rates would equal the expenditure
alter lapse of three or four years.
TUE DEPARTMENT or JUSTICE
The report OF the Department Of Justice
lrring5 Hnew 10 your notice the necessity of en-
iarging the present system of federal iuris-
uuircments OF the ever increasing litigation
with which il is called upon To deal The At
turncy-Gcncral renCws tho suggestions Of his
predecessors that I'm the interest of Justice
hetter provision than the existing laws afford
should bC made in certain judicial districts for
liking the fees of witnesses and jurors.
In my message Of December last l referred
to pending criminal proceedings growing out
1t uIicEtu frauds in what IS known the
star Route service in tho POqt-Onice
Department, and advised you / had en-
Joined upon the AttOrnpy-Geucrul and as
-pciatc counsel, to whom the interest Of shc
government were intTIstcd, tho duty Of pro
s"VutinE with the utmost yigor of the law all
porsCns who might be found Chargeablc with
mas siLcc occurred 1t occupied for many
weeks the attention of the supreme Court Of
this district and was conducted with great zoal
and ability. Il resulted in a disagreement of
upon the calendar and will shortly be rGtricd.
" any guilty persons shall finally escape
punishment for their OncEscs, it will not be
for hack Of diiigont and earnest efforts on the
part Of tn" prosecution.
NATIONAL EANKRUrT Law.
trust that some agreement may be reached
which will speedily enable Congress- with the
concurrence of the Executive, to afford the
eeommercial community the benefits of a Ma
iiOn.h bankrupt law.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The report OF the Secretary of the Interior
With its accompanying documents presents Il
full statement of the varied operations of that
department. In respect to Indian affairs moth
ing hus occurred which has changed or seri-
pusiy modified the views TO which | devoted
much space in n former communication to
Congress- 1 renew the Indian recOmmenda-
tt9ns therein contained as to extending 70 the
Indian the protection of the law, allOttinR land
IN seVeralty tD such desire il, and making
suitable provision for the education of the
youth. Such provisions a. the Secretary fore
ihiy maintains will prove uuavailing uRlesa II
10 broad enough u include all those who are
able and willing 10 make use Of il and Il would
not solely relegate TO intellectual training but
also to instruction in such manual labor and
simple industrial arts rs can he made praCtf-
cally availa0ie-
THE RAILROADS.
Among other important subjects which arc,
included within the Secrctary's report and
which win doubtless furnish occasion for Com
ErcsSsiOnal action may be mentioned the neR-
leCtOf the r1Iilroad companies to which large,
Rrlrts OF hand were made by the acts Of 1852
md 1854 to take the title thereto and their con-
Sequent hequitable exemption from local
taxation.
uLITERACY.
No survey OF our material condition can fail
tD suggest inquiries IA to the moral and intel
IcCtual progress Of the people. TIE census re-
turns disolOsea an alarming state Of illiteracy
In certain portions of the country where the
q momentOu5 question for the decision Of
Congress whether immediate substantial aid
~hpuld be extended by the General Govern
ment Tor supp!ementtng the efforts of private
benifiCence and of State and Territorial lesyis-
atiOn in behalf Of education.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..
The regulation OF Interstate commerce has
MreAdy been the subject or your deliberations.
One of the incidents OF the marvellous extern
sion OF the railway system of the country has
been the adoption OF such measures by the
corporations which own or control the roads as
has tended 20 impair the advantages of health
ful competition and make hurtful dscrimiua-
tiOus in the adjustment of freiVhtage. These
Inequalities have been corrected in several of
the States 10y appropriate legislation, the effect
Of which is necessarily restricted 10 the limits
Of their own territory. So far as such
mischiefs affect commerce between the
states or between any one of the States
and foreign country, they are subjects