New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-20
ONE-CENT POSTAGE

The platform adopted by tie Republican Ma
tional Convention in Chicago contains the loi-
lowing declaration:
We demand the reduction OF letcr-postage to cent
per
This was wise utterance, and in accord
ance we believe. with popular sentiment. Inc
time has arrived when the. country can Win
entire safety and with no appreciate tax upon
the resources of the people reduce the letter
rate TO one cent per ounce and give the United
States the cheapest mails the world has ever
seen. II is to he expected that there VIII
be opposition. The report last december OF
Mr.. Villas. then Ostmaster-Gcneral, TOOK
ground positively against any further reduc-
ton of letter postage until the service had be-
come more nearly self-sustaining 1t VIII DO
said. Of course that there have been great re-
auctions in recent years. The reduction from
3 cents to cents took effect October /. 1883
less than five years ago. since that unie
there have been further changes, both IN the
nature of reductions. The unit of letter post
age has been doubled, so that an ounce letter
goes for cents, where only half an ounce
went before and the charge upon newspapers
and periodicals was lowered from cents to
1 cent per pound. But all this constitutes
no valid argument against further rcducuon
even at this early day. il it be practicable.
The effect of a reduction of postage has al
WAYS been an increase of business and IN the
history of our own Post Office Department the
deficiency has usually been made up in the
course of few years. The first reduction was
in 1916, when the letter rate was fixed at D
cents. The receipts fell off somewhat but
not enough to make a deficiency in any year
but 1913, when there was one OF Sl6o,Uz'
In 1851 the postage was again reduced from
8 to 3 cents, and there were reductions also
for second and third class matter. There was
a considerable fallng-off OF receipts, but other
causes were soon at work to produce large
deficiency. The discovery Of gold made II
necessary to establish overland mails to Call
fornia at enormous expense. An era OF cor
rupt extrava gance set in II became com
mon practice for contractors to lobby bills for
special compensation through Congress Nc
one needs to be told that the last years Of
Democratic control in the National Govern
ment before the Rebellion were not savory
Cheap postage cannot be charged with the de-
fciency of more than ten millions that was
finally reached in 1860. The war greatly
increased the profitable business OF the De
partment, and cut off much of the unprohtabl'
business, that in the South and Southwest
until in 1865 there was surplus of 1851 A 80
The next reduction of letter postage did no
take place until the Government had made
cash profit of 81 100000 out of the bushes
in 1882, and nearly 50, 10000 in 1883. Th
: reduction covered nine months of the hsca
wear ending June, 1884, and caused def
: cheney for that year of S3,25O,OOO III
, next wear was one Of business depression AM
the deficiency was nearly 100000 The
, came the law allowing letters weighing a
ounce to go for . cents and cutting down one
2 half the charges on newspapers and period
, icals. The loss under these heads was estl
: mated at about So, 100000 and deiiclenc
: Of about $4,000, 900 was looked for. But
, was only SO, 900, 900, and for the year 1913
Z it was only 100000. The deficiency
being reduced with remarkable rapldity, an
-. there is no reason why it should stand in tn
O way Of one-cent postage.
a Cheap postage means rapid diffusion
4 intelligence. and decided increase in tn
comforts of living. 1t is great educating II
Huence. II is natural that the Republica
party. which is the party Of intelligence, shoul
a favor it, and that the Democratic party, whic
s is the party Of ignorance, should oppose
n Renublican orators will do well to remind the
IS hearers that a Republican Congress will mea
: one-cent postage.