New-York tribune., 1885-08-12

inston no ofsr or suggestion - to tAs oenpsuaas.
which the Government intended - apply Va naia ~
the companies mlehtthen properly have pefr.ine1 49,
continuing the carriage Of the malta Instead q TIA
they permitted their vessels placed upon ~ sev
crnments schedule for the Of July e TIA ola
rates. sent joint communication that they wou a -
and that they expected before the 18Th AZ ynlj
| to receive some tntimston from the 0oyornrnesx
~ to the course It intended parsus % thai -
arrangements were arrived 1t BY that time -
companies might refrain from carrying the mails
| after the LIST Of Ausust without iniury -
the public These the only Joint sotioua
taken by tho companies. About tho 18th Of July ~
PostmastcrGen communicated with the var ioua
companies protesting against their but
making nod Ane suggestion 10 tho rae Of compsn.
sation. The companies then acted individually soma
proferingto take the mail ct what would have beoa
about twenty cents per milo others ask
for definite information, and about the end al
the month they informed that In lieu Of the ratn
previously paid the Postmaster General would give th1
sea and inland postage mall actually transported
When suggestion Of this character had been made -
Of these companies st Washington hsv
had unanimously declined IT, set forth IN shn
next paragraph.
II companies have been adversely criticised became
they have nt to refuse this pro Is the crtctsm
aJust ono Let when Section 1000 uuder which
this compensation Is sought to be made was pat upon
the statute book the amount that might be paid there
UNDER ooncedng that the section was to be limited
to tho mail actually transported each steamer was
in degree at least with the services
actually rendered The and inland postage that
time not i've 49, letter, but was forty cents
letter per half half the foreign ports, twenty.
FIVE cents letter to China and Japan. thirty cents -
Australia The great Nations Of the ct Paris
Berne and for the good of tho whole world they
ages that should be paid letters aud papers, and they
down the and inland posage about i've cents
per half per letter. This conceded In.
ternaonal courtesy and boon to the people OF the
world No one pretended that this act Of generosity
should be made at the expense Of the carrier Every
other nation except the United States entered into r
with the carriers for the Of
the mail entirely irrespective Of the postage paid there's
on. Austria paid Ave million francs annum, from
s51O0 to ten per league England, fifteen ms
lions of francs par annun. from twenty-five to ninety
francs and from to seventy francs per annus
France thirty-two millions Of francs annum Spain
vo millions Of francs Belgium, million Of dollars;
Holland two millions of francs; Italy, eight millions Of
francs.
The United States took tho fve for each letter.
and arbitrarily dsed out onethrd Of II to the American
steamships entirely Indifferent to the extent charac
ter regularity nature OF the servce rendered paying
as from Key West to Havana. or from Boston -
Halifax. San Francisco to China or from New.
York to Venezuela
Can II be claimed II the whole Of this rate be
paid to the steamships that had voice in fixing is
rate that whe BY just for short andfor
light mails clearly unjust for extended and heightened
ssrvice-that this s fair compensation under any c
cumstances the carrieri
II can be demonstrated In the case OF nearly every
company that the whole Of the sea and inland
postage thus arbitrarily fixed ct . minimum be paid
them actual expense attendant upon the receipt
Some suggestion has been made that this payment Of
sea and inland postage letters would probably exceed
smlar payment upon like volame Of ordinary freight
But when ia borne In mind that precedence has always
been giyeu to the mail business all other busness
that all the arrangements Of the companies have been
subordinated TO the mail service SO that 1t mat be
performed with promptness regularity and dispatchl
that the sailing has boon delayed aud exc
pedited, owing to tho view that the most
Important service that the steamship was to per-
form that OF prompt and regular com,
munication; when 1t IL remembered thae
special reserved for the custody Of the msi
special clerks appointed to take charge Of hem that
mails are expedited to post offices at all points Of de-
parture ana arrival that In the event of casualty or as-
cident officers enjoued to preserve the mail at all
hazards that Government mails were to be consid.
cred secondary only human life ITSELF It will scarcely
be necessary the argument which endsavors
TO assimilatc mail matter to ordinary freight.
VII
Did the companies err In declining to place their
sells Oh tho August schedules aud In refusing to receive
mails from the Government for aud inland postage,
ard should they continued to render the service a.
leaving the matter Tor Congress TO determinet
Congress has determined the question IL has placed AZ
the dis posal of the Postmasteren absolutely the
sum Of $500 900 expenditure upon foreign mails.
The first paragraph OF that section Is mandatory and
directs the disbursement OF that About S3j0000
OF it is required for the Of foreign steamships 10
was clearly the intention Of Congress that 100000 Of
the amount should be dsbursed American steam hips.
The appropriation in question Is made rs clearly and dis
tncty as any appropriation Of like character Is ever
made and II the plain direction OF Congress hot fot-
lowcd uow what assurance have the companies that
will be followed hereaftcrf But that this appro.
prIaton is to remain unexpended so far as American
steamships concerned abundant authority exists In
the Postmaster General TO enter into contracts with
such steamships without Imitation Us To the amount oa
expenditure under ssctio, 4007 after advertisement to
the lowest bidder Il suggested that he avail him
self Of this authority Had the response to his adver.
ti.cmen indicated any rapacy greed on the part Of
the companies there would have been compilation 70
make contract. but this course was refused Tho sus
gcston that contracts bs made under the probation
OF section 40o9 above referred to- declined. The
sea and inland postage inadequate payment Tnsy
could not be required compulsorly to accept It, They
refused to accept werc thoy not justified In so donss
II has become matter OF principle with them They
have refused the profcr Of the Government, and yes
they continue to carry the mails the law permits thom
to do without any compensation to the mselves convey
ing such ettsrs as may delivered them by the public
enclosed In properly stamped envclopes The Govern
meut is at no will receive the whole OF tho sec
and inland postage the public loss. Il has nov
the advantage OF deciding whether to send It's malls By
the various companies whether to take advantage OK
the new facilities the Government affords by carry
ing the mails foreign shipsfacites by which the
mail will reach Japan from San Francisco In sixty days
Instead OF eighteen days rs heretofore.
Conscious that the last ten years they have per-
formed faithful service TO United States Govern.
nent whnut fair conpen saton that their duty TO the