Selections: Post-office Reform

We propose to demónstrate tbat the great obstacle to Post office reform, or to the reduction of the posiage rate?, is the peculiar condilion of the Blavo 6tate3, dcpendant on slavery. We propofe to demónstrate that the obstacle to Poet office reform, or to the reduction of the postage rates, 3 the peculiar con - dition of the slave states, dependent on slaverv. Tlie sparsenessof populalion in those state compared with the extent of country, at once incrcases the relative cost of transportaron, and diminishes the revenue. Here Jet us rema ik, tlial in al) these calcula! ious, the white population alone should be taken into the account. Tho colored pooulation in the slave st.ites contributes nothinpf to the Post Office. We have compiled the following tables froni the census of 1840. Frek States. Squnre Miles . Popula lian. Prop. to Sq. M. 368,000 10,055,835 29.4 Slavk States. 578,645 4,604,646 7.9 Tliis tablc shows that while the territorial surface of the free States is only three-fifths of that of the slave States, it 6ustains a population four times aa denae. Of course the cost of transportaron mvsl be much leas, nd the revenue, far jjreoier in the free, than slave Stafea. To shotv precisely the diíTerence, as it reernrds tlic former particular, examine the following" table: Fber States. Lenglhof Total Total Cosl per Rovtes. pprtation. Cost. Mile. 76,934 21,070.290 81,632,956 7.7c.' Slavr Statks.74,SGG 14,698,192 $1,583.171 10.1c Thus we see, ihatalthough the total trans' portation of the mail in the slnve States is nearly one third less than in the Tree Stnte?, the cost is nearly erjual; or, Ihnt every müe of transport ation costs witliin a fraction of 2i cis. more in tlie slnve than freo States. Heretofore we have proved from official data, that there is nn annual deficit in the receipt9 of the Post office Department from the South. One year, as we showed, this deficit nmonnted to nearly half a million of dollars. We have not in our Dossession the data ïvhtch would warmnt a statement of the average yearly deficit for a series of ycars. The precedinr tables show „hat it must be great. The question now is, what wonld be the condition of things, in theso States, should he rates of postage be reduced to two or five cents, on every letter weighing half an ounce or less? 1, The cost of transportation would reraain he same. 2. Little profit would be derived from he cessnhon of contra band conveyance; for Gfovernment does not encounter generally in he South this kind of compelition from priate enterprises.3. There would be comparniively litile increase of correspdndence, becnuee the white xpulation ia sparse; because the ignorance and mental mactivity of the masses are great: and becnuse internal trade and commerce are very limited. We have already given a table fihowing he sparseness of the populaiion. The following table, showing ihe ■ ive nurnber of white persons in the free and lave States, over 21. una!)le to reud or write, will affbrd some idea of the mental inactivity eferred to: Fber Statps. Over 21 mi ah' e lo opulaUon. read and write. Proportioa. ' 10,605,835 200,937 I in 53 ! Slavk States. 4,604,647 S45,476 1 in 13.8 Another circumstance noticed, which would - prevent a reduction of postage from giving any great impulse to correspondence in the outb, is the small proportion of emigrant, . hanical nnd working classes. These are the dasses in the North, which, under a system of low postage rates, would well the revenue of the Department by their nlarged correspondence. We have no statislics at command to show he contrast in tbis respect betvreen the free and sla ve states; but a brief reierence to a few acte will afford 6ome cor.ception of the difference. For example, the manufactures of he alave etates are not one fourth in value, of the free state manufactures. But, wherever you have faetones, you wi'ii baye a thinking, reading, writing, corresponding population. The town population of the south ia not to be compared with that of the north; and towns are so many cenlresof currespomlence; he fewer you huTp, the less use for the mail. The principal corresponding classes at the south are the agricultural or planting and professional. Owing to their circumstancce, the extent. of their correspondence dependa little upon the amount of postage charged. The inevitable Conclusión froin these and other considerations of like import, is, that throughout the slave states, tim rêduclion of poslsjfe rates, (the cost of tnsportation continuing the same, ns it nndoubtedly wonld,) would be followed by no correspondence of sufficient importance to countci ba lance the Iops occasioned bv rcduclion : - so that insteadof an annual deficit ofhalf a million, wemight calcúlate on doublé thia amount. Taking thia in connection with the fact that for tbe first two or three yearp, there would most probably be a falling off in the recfipts even in the free stotes - a fact vrhich the experience of Brilain obligea ns to admit- and the conviction forces itselfupon ns, that, to say the least, the reduction of the rates of postage would be a most hazardous experimpnt. For one, however, we are willing to see it tried. If t siiould fail, it would at least demónstrate more clearly than ever, what an incubus this accurfed system of tlavery is npon the whole country - that not only is it dragging: down the south to ruin, but that il hangs like a millstone nbout the neck of the