1S37] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



575 



slowly as fifty miles a day, by horses, (which, by 

 relays, would travel that distance in a walk in twen- 

 ty-four hours) — and on railways and in steamers, as 

 ordinary freight, by not demanding particular hours of 

 departure, orspeed — it is manifest that a far greater pro- 

 fit might be made by carrying the freight at half the 

 postage charged for the present mail expedition, and 

 punctualit}^ of arrival. By this slow mail would be 

 sent all periodical publications ot whieh very rapid 

 transportation is not so important as cheapness, and se- 

 curity from loss and injury on the passage. The ex- 

 pense of contracts for carriage in the modes proposed, 

 need not exceed triple the ordinary freight of wagons, 

 railways, or steam vessels. In this manner, (added to 

 the excluding wet papers,) the fast mail might be 

 lightened by one-half, and kept at a more regular size, 

 by throwing all congressional documents and such ir- 

 regular luggage into the slow mail. They would still 

 travel fast enough to serve their main, if not sole pur- 

 pose — that of electioneering. 



One of the reforms proposed above, is to abolish 

 the franking of exchanged newspapers — and it was 

 intimated, that the privilege, as it exists, is of little ser- 

 vice, even to the publishers of newspapers themselves. 

 If it is a benefit to any, it is to the small low-priced 

 and ephemeral papers, which are established on the 

 most pitiful footing — which are generally unprofitable 

 to their undertakers, and seldom fail to lead them from 

 poverty to acknowledged bankruptcy — and, (if in the 

 country, or small villages,) while they live, are worth- 

 less as public journals, but fruitful sources of calumny 

 and mischief, in their otherwise quiet neighborhoods. 

 Such nuisances as these, and all other infant and weak 

 newspaper publications, receive a bounty from govern- 

 ment, in their franked exchanged papers, as they thus 

 get a part of their necessary capital free of cost. But 

 if the great majority of those new, low-priced, and in- 

 ferior newspapers, are not actually injurious, in the ge- 

 neral, to the public, and a loss to their proprietors — 

 their establishment is certainly a greater injury, (by 

 dividing and withdrawing patronage) to existing and 

 really valuable newspapers, than is repaid by all that 

 the latter class gain by being relieved of postage on 

 all the exchange papers they would care to receive. 

 Besides, the desire to oblige applicants, and various 

 other considerations, induce the publishers of the most 

 valuable papers to extend their exchanges to numer- 

 ous inferior papers which they do not want, and sel- 

 dom even glance at. The carriage of all this super- 

 fluous burden, is a dead loss to all concerned. Now if 

 exchanges, free of postage, were not suffered by law, 

 the publishers of the most valued papers would reduce 

 the number of their exchanges greatly in number, 

 without losing any thing of worth, and be relieved 

 from much injurious competition. 



The whole tax of postage imposed unjustly and 

 without necessity on periodical magazines, is, to its 

 extent, orohibitory to their publication. The excess 

 of tax of postage paid on the 'Farmers' Register,' over 

 and above what would leave the government equal pro- 

 fit, on a reformed and improved system, cannot be less 

 than $1200 a year. The exaction of this sum operates 

 as so much impediment or prohibition to its circula- 



tion — and is, so far, an injury to the agricultural inter- 

 est, without any comparative advantage to the govern- 

 ment. The magnitude of the injury thus inflicted, is ■ 

 sufficient to ser\eusasan excuse for offering these 

 remarks ; and for respectfully requesting for them the 

 attention of members of the Congress of the United 

 States. 



If the carriage of letters and periodical publications 

 were open to jjrivate enterprise and competition, there 

 is no doubt but that it could be eflectcd, on all the 

 principal or important routes, much chea])cr than for 

 the postage now paid thereon. But govi^rnincnt pos- 

 sesses and exercises a close monopoly of all this great 

 business ; and all etfective private competition is for- 

 bidden by heavy penalties. This is not to be objected 

 to, inasmuch as this monopoly, with its profits, is ne- 

 cessary to be maintained, to enable the benefits of mail 

 carriage to be afforded to the routes and localities giv- 

 ing little business and no profit to the post office de- 

 partment. But on the other hand, in return for this 

 monopoly, (a kind of privilege always odious in itself, 

 and which never should be exercised by any power, 

 without good reasons,) the government owes it to the 

 payers, that mail carriage should be afforded as cheaply 

 as may be done without lessening the net! income of 

 the department. Hence, the equity of the claim for a 

 cheaper and rlower mail, in addition to the reasons on 

 the ground of expediency. 



There is another kindred subject, well deserving the 

 consideration of the government, in the enormous 

 losses caused to all publishers ol' newspapers and ma- 

 gazines sent by mail, and also to the post office de- 

 partment, by the gross neglect of many postmasters of 

 existing regulations. On this subject we may offer 

 some remarks at another time. 



COMMERCIAL REPORT. 



An active business has been done in VirfTJnia', 

 during the last two months. The moderate extent 

 of importations, enabled merchants to sell their 

 stock of goods. Confidence is. in a great mea- 

 sure restored, and notwithstanding the heavy 

 losses, which were sustained by the almost un- 

 parallelled revenues in the great commercial cities 

 of London, Liverpool, New York, and New Or- 

 leans, with which manj'ofour merchants have in- 

 timate connections, few failures have occurred in 

 Virginia, and the regular course of trade is al- 

 most resumed. 



Tobacco commands good prices; tlie crop of 

 1836, proved small, and that of the prct^enf yearis 

 considered moderate. The quotations are $3 to 

 •sS — embracing all qualities. A large portion of 

 the Kentucky crop of 1836, was not carried to 

 market, and the extremely low price caused the 

 cultivation to be diminished this year. Still, the 

 aggregate of the old and new crops, will afibrd an 

 unusually large supplj^ 



Cotton has not varied much in price, since the 

 new crop began to appear : the early receipts 

 commanded 11 cents, and the miraediate wants of 

 northern manufiu^.tures being supplied, the price 

 has gradually declined to 10 cents for good quali- 

 ty; it is exported nearly as fast as it is brought 

 to market. The crop of the United States, is es- 



