The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-05

which 49, were established du int
the last fiscal year. The number o
officers existing under the system o
free delivery vas 154 At the lattsl
Offices the postage CD local Do attel
amounted 60 S41 .952 sos, 20. sun
exceeding by 81 ,021 1874 oil the entire
coat o. tbs carrier services OF the cOun-
try, The rate Oh postage on DROP
letters passing through tnese Offices
Is low fixed by law at 2 cents pei
half ounce Or traction thereof. Ii
Offices where the carrier system has
not been established the rate Is OILY
half az large. It will be remem bered
that in 1868, when the free delivery
was first established by law, the uni
form single-rate postage upon local
letteis was l cent, and so it remain I'd
until 1872, when in those cities where
the CARRIER service was established il
was increased to defrsy the expense
of such service. 1t seems to me that
the old rate may now with proprie y
be restored, and that, too, even
at the ris Z of diminishing for time
at least the receipts Of postage upon
local letters. can see no reason why
that particular Gle OF mail matter
should be held liable for the entire
cost not only Of its collection and de-
livery, bat for the collection and de-
livery of all other classes. and ! am
confident after full consideration Of
the subject that the reduction OF the
rate would be followed by such
growing accession of business SO to
occasion but slight and temporary
lose to the revenues to the postoftice
department.
The Telegraph.
The Postmaster General devo.es
much OF bis report to the cousidera-
ton in its various aspects OF the rela-
ton OF the government to the tels-
graph. The great reflection that /
have been able to give this subject
since my last annual message, mas
not led me to change the view which
I there expressed dissenting from the
recommendation of the Postmaster
Genera, that the government assume
the same control over the telegraph
which it has always exercised over
the mail. Admitting that It's author.
lty In the premises Is as ample a3 has
ever been claimed for it, it would not
in my judgment be q wise use
of that authority to purchase or as
sumo the cOntrOol Of existing tele.
graph lines or to construct others
with view of entering into gen.
eral competition with private enter
prises. The objection Wnich NAV
be justly urged against either of
these projects, and indeed against
any system which would II q lire an
enormous increase in the civil ser
vice list do not, hOwever, apply to
some of the plans which have lately
provoked public comment and dis
sension. 1t has been claimed, for
example, that Congress might
wisely authorize the Postmaster
General to contract with some pri-
vate person or corporation for the
transmission Of messages at speci-
fed rates and under government
supervision; various such schemes
Of the same general nature but
widely differing in their special
characteristics have been suggested
in the public prints and the argu-
ments by which they have been
supported and opposed have doubt.
less attracted your attention. 1t is
likely that the whole subject will be
considered by you at this present
session. In the nature of things it
invests so many questions of detail
that your deliberations would prob.
ably be aided but slightly if at all by
any particular suggestions which
might now submit. l avow my be-
lief, however, that the government
should be authorized by law to ex-
ercise some sort of supervision over
Interstate telegraph 'communica-
ton, and express the hope that for
lining that end some measure
- ~ devised which will receive
youI probation.
Fees.
The Attorney General criticises in
his report the provisions Of existing
law fixing the fees of jurors and wit
nesses in the federal courts. The
provisions are chiefly contained in
the act of February Goth 1858.
Though some of them were intros
duced into that section from statutes
which had been passed many
years previous. It is mani |
fest that such compensations as
might, when these lawswere enact |
ed, have been just and reasonable,
would, in many instances, be justly |
regard at the present day as mad |
equate. l concur with the At
torney- General in the belief that |
the statutes should be revised by |
which these are regulated; so should |
the laws which regulate the COM
pensation Of district attorneys and |
marshals. They should be paid |
wholly by salaries, instead of in
part by fees. as is now the case.
Ifhe change would prove to be
measure of economy, and would |
discourage the institution of need
less and oppressive legal proceed
ings, which it is to be feared have
in some instances been con-
Quoted for the mere sake of per-