Post-office Reform

As tlic great Presidenüal siruggle will be past in a few days, and it w'.Il nu Jonger be necessary !o show onr putriotism by carrying about pokèweeds, orcoons, orerecting poles, we propose to do whal we can to cal] attention to the nocessity of a ihorongli reformation of our antiquaied Post Office syslem, and to point out some landmarks which may serve as goides in effect ing a permanent and salutary reform. Whether Polk or Clay be elected, every free citizen is interested in this mnsier, a3 all pay laxcp, directly or indirectly, for tho support of the system. The great mass of the American people nre unquestionably in favor ofan imniediale charge in tho Post Office regitlations; but what i-hall be the nature nnd exlent of that change, are poin's on which wide diversity of opinión prevoils. This subject should be thoroughly discussed by the Press, and when our two thousand newspapers shall be oble to approximate towards an ngreement, the acquiescence of the poople will readily follow. We propose to inake some observationa on each of The Threb Topics of Discussion which naturally present themselves - the Postage on Letters, on JYeicspapers, and the Franking Privilege. Lettkr Postage. One of the first national tarifFs of Letter Postoge was adopted in 1799, and was as folio ws: For a single letter,carried not over 40 mües.8 ets ,; ( (( n ( ( go Q " ( tt (i a t it 150 " 12 " i ft te oo " 17 " u K tf (f 500 " 20 " tf c u over 500 " 25 " The present rales, which were adopted m 1816, will be found to vary but very liitle from thoso just enumerated. The rates of 1799 were necessarily high. The population was small, and w;de!y peparated, the ronds bad, , and Iho method of transportation by steam was unknown. If the cost of carrying ol! other things has greatly diminished, why should the expenses of transporting '{ main the same as they were forty-five yearsThe Cosservative Plan. The majority of the Commktee of the House of Ropiesentatives, to whom tliis subject was referred Jast winter, roported in favor of the present rates in substance, but altered in form as foilows: For n single letter, carried not over 50 miles, 5 cenfs. Over 50, and not exceeding1 150 miles, 10 cte. " 150, " " " ■ 400 " 15 " ' 400, " " 650 f L0 " 650 miles, 25 " Doublé, treble, r.nd quadrup!e rates are to be charged for addifionnl sheets or pieces of paper, as at present: and also four cents for every drop letter, unless pre paid, and then it ehall be two cents. But lest individúala shotild undcrbid the Government, the Committee pro pose to punisk nny person who undertakes to start a private mail, and every person whv sends a letter out of the mail, or who carries one, unless it be done from motives of neighborly kindness, without compensalion. This answer of the Committee to the complaints of the people against the exorbitant rates of postage, rcminds us of the reply of Reholoam after ho had taken counsel of the young men: when his people r.omplained of the heavy taxation imposed by his father, he replied, that he would make t greater instead of less. The Committee propose to enforce the present burdens, somewbat augmented, and enact nevv and rigorous penalties. They vi!l find a resisLance to their tyrannical and oppressive project on the part of the American people not less spirited nor less effectual than that displayed by the house of Israel to the insolence of thpir government. - The Committee, in subslance, propose to continue the rales of 1799! On maiiy of the routes, fhe Government would ask more for carrying a piece of paper weighing less than half an ounce, than individuáis would ask for transportiny the same distance a barrel of flour that weighs two hundred and twenty poHiids. VVere this all, the Government miglit be left to repent of its folly vvhenever it pleased; but when il further ihrusts its hands inl o the pockets oftheoitizen to ascertain if he perchance has a letter or two ín charge for his neighbors, and commences upon him protracted and vexatiou. snit, to be consummated f possible by fine or imprisonment, it attempts a kind of tyranny that is opposed alike to the public good, to the nature of our institutions, and the genius of our people. Such penal provisions, under the proposed rates of postage, would be direclly in the face of public opinión, and to a great extent, they would be evaded, disregarded, or resisted. The Committee would place the National Government very neorly in the attitude or the dog in the manger- refusing io carry the letters of the people at a reasonable rate, or to pèrtmt them to make urrangementa for their own transporlalion.This project of meeting the jnst and reasenable wishes of the American people by threats of pbnal legislation, is said to have received the approbation of our elaveholdinc Postmaster General, Mr. Wicklinè. It fail - ed, as we believe all similar attem-pts wil) fail, while the Press is left free to epeak the feelings of the people. The Plan for Erformíng. A minority of this same committeeproposed a reduction of the po3tage; on single letters, for nll distances under 220 miles, 5 cents: over 220, and not over 600 miles, 10 cents: over 600 miles, -15 cents; and doublé, treble, and quadruple rates for additional pieces of paper. But if the letters be not pre-paid, the 5 cents are to be increased to 8, the 10 cents to 15, and the 15 cents to L0, and all drop letiers to pay S cents. This would bring he average rate for all letters at 10 cents enc!. The Sonate bill proposed but two rates for 11 distances- five nnd ten cente-, the average of each letter beinsr 7J. cents. The average f the present rates is 14'J cents: so that ihe greatest reducción proposed in Cóngress nnaounts to one half the preeent rales.JNeither or these propositions is sausrac tory to us for several reasons. Our first objection is, that the reduction here jirogjprcd is just enoiigh to diniinisli the receipts of the dcpnrtment, while it is not sufficientïy low to largely induce the wriiing of more letters, or the introduction into the mail of the vast numbers of letters tliat are r.ow sent by private conveyance. Wcre the postoge on oll letters but two or three cents, no one vvould trouble their friends to carry letters forthem: but wlien it is from 12J io 25 cent?, a large proportion of the people are compelled to send by their friends, or seldom write at all. A second objection is, that at the mes here proposed, the franking privilege will be retoifnèd io postmnsters, members of Congress, r.nd others, nnd thus a vast ainount of correspondence will piy nothing towards its expenses. Were ihe postage on op.ch Isttcr but two cents, the whole franking syetem would be nbolished. A third objection ie, that tbe rates proposed would still admit of a successful competition of the expressos on many of the most profitable routes. But if the Government carried cheoperlhan individuals could do, all competition would be at an end. Our foiirth objection is, that the reduction is not snfficient to secure the greatest possiblc benefit to the people. To explain our meaning, we will suppose that the Government ehould charge one dollar for every letter carried in the mail, and that enough uealthy persons could be found to patronize it to thatextent thatitshould pay all iis expenses it is evident that iho great mass of the comtminity would be sluit out of all participation in its advantages, on account of the high rates :harged. It would be of no service to ihem. Suppose the average postage on each leitor o be reduced to I4 cents, nnd the establWhnent still pays its expenses. In conspquencc ■nore letters would be w rillen, and moresona accommoc'ated nnd benehtted. JNow suppose that lliis reduction be made to 7 i cents without impairing the re ven e, as propnsed by the Comraittee. The amount o correípondence would be still more increased ond the public further benefitted. On this ground we approve the reduction proposed by the Senate Committee: bot the reasons fur this reduction, in onr opinión, are equnlly weighly for a stiJl further diminution. This brings us to consideraron of The Radical Plan. The 6um of this proposition is. that the postage on all letters of half an ounce or undet shnl! pny Two Cents, without respect to distance; of one ounce, four cents: of one and n half ounces, six cents; of two ounces, eig-ht cents. All larger pocknges to be prohibited. The arguments urged in favor of this rate are briefly these: 1. A similar reduclion has been tried in England for severul years wilh the happiesl resulte. The average rato of postage was formerly ihe same as ours, beingseven pence sterling, or about fourteen cents. About four years since, it was at once reduced to one penny, or two cents. With this extraordinary and sudden reduction, the revenue feil from $11,262,184 a year, to 87,178, 59L. or S6 per cent. Since that time it has steaciily increased, until itnow pays an nnnua) surplus, above all expenses, of Three Millions of dollars. The number of letters mailed in Englnnd prior to the reduction of postnge was 77L millions annunlly: it is now L04 millions. The number of letters mailed last year in the United States was27,3S1,036, and the minority report of the Commiüee of the House est mates that tho number of letters carried oxil oj the mail is eqnally great. making in all 55,662,072 letters Wriiten and sent under our preseni rates of postage. With two cents postare, these wuuld all be carried in the mail, and if the increase should be proportionate to that in England, in fonr years the number of letters would be 1 16,576,912, which, nt two cents eaeh, would afford a revenue of $2,930,338 24, - a Fum sufficient, added to the revenue derived from the postage of newppapers, and the natural inervase of letter writing to pay all expenses of the department. The dehciency for the next three or four years, which will not be to a very large amount, it is proposed shall be puid from the National Treasury. L. Anothcr reacon for preferring this plan to any other, is, that it will entirely supersede the expresses. The Governmsnt can cairy cheaper than individuáis. 3. A thifd reason is, that under this plan the franking privilege can be properly abolished altogether. Under a high rate of postage it will be retained. 4. It will greatly promote the intelleetual advancement of the people. It is said that in England many are lear.ung to write merely for the purpose of corresponding with their friends.5. lts moral nspects will be highly beneficia!. 6. It will tend greatly to the perpetuation of our free instituiions, by the krtowledge of different sections eacli with ihc other, ond by inducing a closer connexion of interest. 7. The Tiro Cents plan may be connected, as it is England, with a systein of insurancc, by which soiall siime, for a small percentage, can be transmitted frorti one postmnster to another, by nieans of draftss payable onc day aftersight. T his is of great convenience to persons at Fervice, who wish to remit tbeir wnges to their friends, nnd to shopkeepers and mechanics, by enabling them to keep on hand a Jorge aesort ment with a small copital; and it is perfectly safe, as the Government becomes the insurer. 8. The plnn proposes that all letters shall be rated by weight, and not by the number of pieces of paper ehclosed together. This distinction is of more moment thoji would be supposed at first sight. It will permit samples of a vast variety of goods to be sent by mail al a email expense. ín many cases the Indy can bargain for ribbands or drefses-, the grocer for sugars, the merchant forsilks,woollens, or coltons, without the labor and expenso of journeys. Aleo, in an agricultura) commuHity, every kind of new and valuableseeds could be disseminaied in all parts of iho country, at o trifling expense. Vroni nll these considerations, - believing thatthe Two Cents plan is pnicticnble - thnt it vvill reqnire (puropnatinns from. tt.e public trensury if at all,only Tor a few yenrs, and to a small amount - that it will cause llie frankingf system to cense iminediately, and wili supersede the opposition of private expresses - and in a. word, will emincntly promolo Ikc grealest good of the wholc number - we are compelled to profer tbeTWO CKNTS postnge to all other propositions which have vet nppeared. We must defer all remarks on the postage of New spapers till next week.