The National tribune., 1903-07-30

letter postage and 100 per cent. profit
upon the mailing of merchandise.
| The late Postmaster-G General, himself
an experienced journalist of moro than
National reputation, has correctly dag
nosed the malady and helped to prescribe
an effective remedy. He admits that if
the mail thus carried at q heavy loss were
limited to what the law intended. there
would be nothing more to be said. In tllt
| case it would be deliberate and rational
public expenditure for a well-detined, JUS
tifiable and worthy public object, and tax.
ing the service as n whole there would
be no loss at all. Our free Institutions
rest on popular intelligence. and it has
from the beginning been our fixed and
enlightened public policy to foster and pro-
mote the general diffusion of public in
formation. Congress has wisely framed
the postal laws with this just and liberal
conception. 1t has uniformly sought to
| encourage intercommunication and the ex-
change of intelligence. But the privilege
hns been abused until unendGrable impo-
sitions resulted. and cure must be Wig
orously applied.
| AN ILLOGICAL CONTENTION.
Champions of the doctrine of Govern
ment management of all sO-called public
utilities argue illogcally from basis OF
supposed success in transporting the
mails with speed and accuracy. The ar
sument is illogical, because it fails to CON-
| slider the fact that the Government availS
itself OF innumerable private enterprises
in accomplishing these results. The Post
/ Office Department owns practically moth
ing used in the transportation of the mails.
except the bags in which they are car
ried and the locks which fasten the bags.
The railroads, steamboats,, stage coaches,
street cars, wagons and carts are private
property of individuals or corporations,
| hired for the public use. If the Depart
ment owned all these instrumentalities,
and were obliged to keep them in repair,
! TO increase the rolling stock and other
stock, and to extend railway lines in re-
sponse to public demand, the magnitude
of the enterprise would be more clearly
revealed. There can be no doubt that a
| large share OF the efficiency of our pres
ent service is due to the vigor and alert
ness of corporate and individual energies
employed therein.
| The demand that all railroads be ac-
quired by the Government and managed
| by the Post Office Department is ripe
| Tor overrpeI fruitage of governmental pa
| ternalism. No one can deny that it is a
| logical sequence of milder schemes pre-
viously proposed. Doubtless it is too far
| in advance of public opinion to he cata-
| loSued as menaclng peril at this time.
But as to postal savings banks, parcels
posts, postal telegraphS. and cO-partner
| ship with corporations in the postal-card
busineSs-each is a burning question of
| the hour.
POSTAGE STAMPS FOR REMITTANCES.
| One elaring evil requiring early atten-
| ton is the use of postage stamps as cur
rency for remittances This use or abuse
was not contemplated when stamps were
authorized for the prepayment of postage
which is their OILY legitimate function. Pos
| tai regulations prohibit the exchange of one
denomination for another. which would
| not be the case if they We're to be used as
currency. But they are now constantly
employed in making renittanceS, and their
sale in large or small quantities is a -four
ishing industry in all cities. A market is
thus created for stamps obtained by bur-
glars from rified post offices; their prompt
conversion into cash is assured and the
chances for detection are greatly re-
duced. Much of this loss could be avoid
ed if the temptation to post office rob-
berries were minimiZed by a law restrict
ing the private sale of postage stamps,
and if the proposed post-check system
should be established in all its features
and should work as well as its advocates
predict. If all the people had constantly
in their pockets a currency readily con
vertible into money orders. much of the
excuse for using stamps to send in letters
as cash, would be done away with.
About 500 post offices are burglarized
every year The Government should re
strict the sale of stamps az It does the car
rying of the mails, and make it a misde
mcanor to sell stamps in Il greater amount
than 81, unless authorized by the Post
master-General. If this We're done much
of the temptation to this would be re-
moved. The enterprising burglar knows
that post offices always carry a liberal
stock of stamps. so that his labors ara
sure to be rewarded even if the actual
cash found should prove to be Of small
amount. II he could not so readily dis
pose of his, plundered assets he might be
led to seek more praisewOrthy outlets for
his energy.
STUDY THE POSTAL SERVICE,
Many other defects and perversions
might be scheduled. but these are prob
ably sufficient to stimulate inquiry and
| induce reflection. They may serve as eau
| tiOnary signals against unseen dangers
toward which we seem to be drifting.
The logic often used in favor of at
| taching new paternalistic, features to our
postal system is fatally defective. Even
if it were true, which it often is not, that
certain governmental project has sue
ceeded in Europe. that is not a strong rea-
son for trying it in this country. Our plan
of Government has no parallel in Europe,
and our political and business conditions
are unlike those of any other country. 1t
used to be good patriotic doctrine that the
Government must not do for the people
that which they could do for themselves;
| that it should not compete with private
business enterprises. Has anything oc-
| Cured TO overthrow the correctness of this
policy. and justify substituting therefor
| the extreme view of State socialists:
The people do not know as much as
| they should about the postal service. They
do not realize how much its efficiency may
depend upon their watchfulneSs. They
accept its benefactions as Il matter of
| course. as they accept air. sunshine and
| the changes of season which bring seed
! time and harveSt-they care not to in
quire whence and how. y knowledge of
the operations of nature. even whel man
| feStly beyond our control iS in the highest
degree useful to mankind. How much
more useful is the knowledge Of the Op-
Grafton of human agencies. of Il vast ana
complicated nature. which are within our
control as individuals represented in the
councils of the Nation. Each intelligent
voter may inhuentially affect the manage
ment of some feature OF this bencticent
| system. 1t is the boundcn duty of news
papers as the advance agents of ciyiliZa-
ton TO stimulate IN active interest in and
to copiousy supply correct information in
/ l.. H.