those “accidents done on purpose," of which children sometimes tell about. It is quite as well when reforms are 
to be adopted that there should be no child's play about it. The restoration of low postage on all articles is 
demanded for the convenience of the public, and is not opposed to the interests of the Government or of any class, 
excepting the express company monopolies. 
Low postage is not responsible for the failure of the Post-office Department to pay expenses. The increase of 
rates last spring largely reduced receipts while it did not decrease materially the cost of mail service. With a steady 
increase of business under the low rates the carrying even of third-class matter was beginning to prove remunera¬ 
tive in most localities and with proper economy would soon have been so through the entire country. Cheaper 
postage for letters would, with very little doubt, be more nearly self-sustaining than it is now. The country is 
doing business at a loss because it fixes rates so high as to restrict its own business and encourage its competitors 
and rivals. 
Fixing the rates of postage properly belongs to Congress — the direct representatives of the people, who will 
soon be in session in Washington. There are grave doubts whether the increase of rates made last winter is consti¬ 
tutional, because the bill for establishing such increase originated in the Senate rather than in the House. It is 
certainly not within the province of the head of a department, an executive officer of the Government, to pre¬ 
arrange legislation for the representatives of the people. The official and public recommendations by the chief 
magistrate of the country to Congress arc provided for by the Constitution and arc therefore tolerable ; but it would 
be an impertinence for even the President of the United States to unofficially and informally advise the country 
what Congress ought to do five or six weeks before that body was in session. There have been altogether too 
many “ rulings" by executive officers which were really supplemental legislation — sometimes defeating the will of 
the people as expressed in legally-enacted laws. Where doubts arise as to the meaning of the law it is very easy 
to make up a case and have an authoritative decision by the proper judicial tribunal. The idea that a Department 
decide, ex cathedra, what the law is, has already demoralized popular ideas of the functions of our judiciary; but 
we protest against the interference of executive officers with the law-making power of the country. 
- — » - 
SIMPLICITY OF THE POSTAL BUSINESS. 
As Mr. Bangs seems to be a live man and willing to learn, and the Postmaster General has 
been to Russia, and therefore must have seen a good deal of the world, and has probably learned 
that all wisdom is not confined to one man, nor all knowledge to one people, we would suggest 
to these, and to all our readers, that our Post Office business is unnecessarily complicated, trouble¬ 
some to Postmasters, and vexatious to their clerks. Every paper or package must be “ peeped 
into,” to see that it contains no writing, or is not fastened in a manner which violates some ruling 
of the Department. Every Postmaster, also, is a judge, and while one feels himself authorized 
to charge letter postage, because of the manner in which a package is fastened, another will 
write, complimenting us highly on the neat and careful style of our packing, at the same time 
giving a passing grumble at others whose packages are so badly secured as to allow their contents 
to become scattered through the mail bags. 
We propose a plan that, if adopted, will simplify the work of the Department, and cause 
rejoicing in every Post Office in the land. We believe, also, it will make the Postal Department 
self-sustaining. We would be quite willing to contract to do the work for the revenue. Abolish 
all class distinction in mail matter . Charge one or two cents for the first ounce, and half-a-cent 
an ounce for all over one ounce up to a certain weight, regardless of what the package may 
contain. The Postmaster will then only have to see that the postage corresponds with the 
weight. No scrutiny would be required—no peeping—no complaints of unfair charges. The 
only exception to this rule should be papers prepaid at the office of publication. This should not 
be granted as a favor, for we do not believe in favoritism, but in a purely business way. Papers 
are the largest and most regular customers of the Government, and therefore entitled to special 
rates. With proper arrangements as to the size of packages, we see no reason why the Postal 
work should not be made very simple for the Postmasters, very profitable for the Government, 
and very beneficial to the people. We do not claim to be wise above measure, nor to be wiser 
than some of those engaged in the postal service, but we do claim to know a little about business 
and to possess a small share of that quite uncommon article, common-sense, and we think the 
application of a little of that kind of sense would sweep away a good many of the complications 
that now embarrass the postal service, and make a batch of mysterious rulings , that appear every 
month to plague our Postmasters, altogether unnecessary. Every business man desires to simplify 
his business as much as possible, for without simplicity there can be no uniformity or success. 
Governments are apt to attach too much importance to red tape, and a government office is too 
often a Circumlocution Office, where the great aim seems to be how not to do things—or how to 
do them in the most round-about way. 
26 
