Year: 1859




In the Washington papers Of the 22d appears o
document in the shape Of letter addressed by the
Post-OHce Department to Of the mail contractors
in reply to an inquiry to "what course Of admins
traton is proposed by the Department for the relief
Of its creditors and especially any provision s con-
templated for extingushng its liabilities which have
already matured and are now payabe.' The Post
master states that Congress- for the first time since
the organization of the Government has expired with
out making appropriations for the service of the Post
Office Department, and that an extra session could
not be called without disfranchisng the people OF
nearly half the States of the Union, which have not
yet elected members.


There would have been no necessity for an extra
session had the Appropriation bill which was defeated
been intended only to meet the expenses OF the fiscal
year commencing on the lst Of July next, as the
time for the first payments would not arrive until
within about week OF the regular meeting of Con-
gress; but the bill also provided that the sum of
s3s3s,72s be appropriated from the Treasury to sup
ply deficiencies in the revenues of the Post Office De-
partment for the year ending on the 30h of June
1859. These deficiencies amount in the aggregate to
about 1856 2sl 95 to the extnguishment Of which
the sum of s70OOoO granted to the Department by
the acts of March g. ls49 and March g. 1851 for the
transportation of free mail matter for Congress and
the Executive Department can be applied, leaving
balance Of So 6s5 ,2sl 95 to be provided for. The
sum of s749,s4l 6s being the unpaid balance for
the quarter ending on the 3lst of December and
payable on the 2Sth of February last, will be paid
within sixty days. The entire deficit will thus be
divided between the quarters ending 3lst of March
and Both of June, payable on the 3lst of May and
3st of August so that the suspension of payment on
no part of this indebtedness will barely exceed six
months before the regular meeting of Congress on
nearly onehalf of it the suspension will be but about
three months.


The debts due and to become due to the contract.
ors, says the Postmaster, are of sacred character
having been entered into under the express authority
Of existing laws OF Congress. To appropriate money
for their payment is obligatory upon Congress as
to provide for the principal and interest of the
national debt. After the amount due to each con-
tractor shall have been ascertained and settled it
becomes specific debt Of record against the United
States, and it is utterly impossible that the repre.
sentatives of the people should repudiate it. Its
payment, he says, q is Inevitable and if the con.
tractor desires to borrow money upon it, the lender
could have no better security The interest upon the
whole debt upon which payment will be suspended,
will amount to less than $lO0,O0O-a sum, saws the
POSTMASTER, :" not to be compared with the great
difficulties and embarrassments of public and pri-
vate character which would result from holding a
special session of Congress- to say nothing of the
expense that would necessarily be incurred, even
though the members should receive no additional
pay


The letter closes with the remark that system of
retrenchment, so far practicable under existing
laws is now an imperative duty in the administration
OF the Department. 1t will be by this synopsis,
which is correct and complete, that the document
gives not the least hint to any measures to provide
for the deficiency, and at the same time defray the
expenses of the postal SERVICE and it is not
reasonable to suppose that all even majority of
the contractors will have the will and the ability to
meet those expenses from their private resources in
default OF an appropriation to satisfy the claims they
already hold.