north america-2-第71节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


expense　per　mile　of　probably　less　than　a　fifth　of　that　laid　out　on　our　railways。　Single　lines　of　rail　are　common；　even　between　great　towns　with　large　traffic。　　At　the　present　moment；　February；　1862；　the　only　railway　running　into　Washington；　that　namely　from　Baltimore；　is　a　single　line　over　the　greater　distance。　　The　whole　thing　is　necessarily　worked　at　a　cheaper　rate　than　with　us；　not　because　the　people　are　poorer；　but　because　the　distances　are　greater。　　As　this　is　the　case　throughout　the　whole　railway　system　of　the　country；　it　cannot　be　expected　that　such　dispatch　and　punctuality　should　be　achieved　in　America　as　are　achieved　here　in　England；　or　in　France。　　As　population　and　wealth　increase　it　will　come。　　In　the　mean　time　that　which　has　been　already　done　over　the　extent　of　the　vast　North　American　continent　is　very　wonderful。　　I　think；　therefore；　that　complaint　should　not　be　made　against　the　Washington　post…office；　either　on　account　of　the　inconvenience　of　the　hours　or　on　the　head　of　occasional　irregularity。　　So　much　has　been　done　in　reducing　the　rate　to　three　cents；　and　in　giving　a　daily　mail　throughout　the　States；　that　the　department　should　be　praised　for　energy；　and　not　blamed　for　apathy。　In　the　year　ended　June　30；　1861；　the　gross　revenue　of　the　post…　office　of　the　States　was；　as　I　have　stated；　1；700；000l。　　In　the　same　year　its　expenditure　was　in　round　figures　2；720；000l。；　consequently　there　was　an　actual　loss；　to　be　made　up　out　of　general　taxation；　amounting　to　1；020；000l。　　In　the　accounts　of　the　American　officers　this　is　lessened　by　140；000l。　　That　sum　having　been　arbitrarily　fixed　by　the　government　as　the　amount　earned　by　the　post…office　in　carrying　free　mail　matter。　　We　have　a　similar　system　in　computing　the　value　of　the　service　rendered　by　our　post…office　to　the　government　in　carrying　government　dispatches；　but　with　us　the　amount　named　as　the　compensation　depends　on　the　actual　weight　carried。　　If　the　matter　so　carried　be　carried　solely　on　the　government　service；　as　is；　I　believe；　the　case　with　us；　any　such　claim　on　behalf　of　the　post…office　is　apparently　unnecessary。　　The　Crown　works　for　the　Crown；　as　the　right　hand　works　for　the　left。　　The　post…office　pays　no　rates　or　taxes；　contributes　nothing　to　the　poor；　runs　its　mails　on　turnpike　roads　free　of　toll；　and　gives　receipts　on　unstamped　paper。　　With　us　no　payment　is　in　truth　made；　though　the　post…office　in　its　accounts　presumes　itself　to　have　received　the　money；　but　in　the　States　the　sum　named　is　handed　over　by　the　State　Treasury　to　the　Post…office　Treasury。　　Any　such　statement　of　credit　does　not　in　effect　alter　the　real　fact　that　over　a　million　sterling　is　required　as　a　subsidy　by　the　American　post…office；　in　order　that　it　may　be　enabled　to　pay　its　way。　　In　estimating　the　expenditure　of　the　office　the　department　at　Washington　debits　itself　with　the　sums　paid　for　the　ocean　transit　of　its　mails；　amounting　to　something　over　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　pounds。　　We　also　now　do　the　same；　with　the　much　greater　sum　paid　by　us　for　such　service；　which　now　amounts　to　949；228l。；　or　nearly　a　million　sterling。　　Till　lately　this　was　not　paid　out　of　the　post…office　moneys；　and　the　post…office　revenue　was　not　debited　with　the　amount。　Our　gross　post…office　revenue　is；　as　I　have　said；　3；358；250l。　　As　before　explained；　this　is　exclusive　of　the　amount　earned　by　the　money　order　department；　which；　though　managed　by　the　authorities　of　the　post…office；　cannot　be　called　a　part　of　the　post…office；　and　exclusive　also　of　the　official　postage；　which　is；　in　fact；　never　received。　　The　expenditure　of　our　British　post…office；　inclusive　of　the　sum　paid　for　the　ocean　mail　service；　is　3；064；527l。；　we　therefore　make　a　net　profit　of　293；723l。　out　of　the　post…office；　as　compared　with　a　loss　of　1；020；000l。　on　the　part　of　the　United　States。　But　perhaps　the　greatest　difficulty　with　which　the　American　post…　office　is　burdened　is　that　〃free　mail　matter〃　to　which　I　have　alluded；　for　carrying　which　the　post…office　claims　to　earn　140；000l。；　and　for　the　carriage　of　which　it　might　as　fairly　claim　to　earn　1；350；000l。；　or　half　the　amount　of　its　total　expenditure；　for　I　was　informed　by　a　gentleman　whose　knowledge　on　the　subject　could　not　be　doubted；　that　the　free　mail　matter　so　carried　equaled　in　bulk　and　weight　all　that　other　matter　which　was　not　carried　free。　　To　such　an　extent　has　the　privilege　of　franking　been　carried　in　the　States！　All　members　of　both　Houses　frank　what　they　pleasefor　in　effect　the　privilege　is　stretched　to　that　extent。　　All　Presidents　of　the　Union；　past　and　present；　can　frank；　as　also；　all　Vice…Presidents；　past　and　present；　and　there　is　a　special　act；　enabling　the　widow　of　President　Polk　to　frank。　　Why　it　is　that　widows　of　other　Presidents　do　not　agitate　on　the　matter；　I　cannot　understand。　　And　all　the　Secretaries　of　State　can　frank；　and　ever　so　many　other　public　officers。　　There　is　no　limit　in　number　to　the　letters　so　franked；　and　the　nuisance　has　extended　itself　to　so　huge　a　size　that　members　of　Congress；　in　giving　franks；　cannot　write　the　franks　themselves。　　It　is　illegal　for　them　to　depute　to　others　the　privilege　of　signing　their　names　for　this　purpose；　but　it　is　known　at　the　post…office　that　it　is　done。　　But　even　this　is　not　the　worst　of　it。　　Members　of　the　House　of　Representatives　have　the　power　of　sending　through　the　post　all　those　huge　books　which；　with　them　as　with　us；　grow　out　of　parliamentary　debates　and　workings　of　committees。　　This；　under　certain　stipulations；　is　the　case　also　in　England；　but　in　England；　luckily；　no　one　values　them。　　In　America；　however；　it　is　not　so。　　A　voter　considers　himself　to　be　noticed　if　he　gets　a　book；　he　likes　to　have　the　book　bound；　and　the　bigger　the　book　may　be；　the　more　the　compliment　is　relished。　　Hence　it　comes　to　pass　that　an　enormous　quantity　of　useless　matter　is　printed　and　bound；　only　that　it　may　be　sent　down　to　constituents　and　make　a　show　on　the　parlor　shelves　of　constituents'　wives。　　The　post…office　groans　and　becomes　insolvent　and　the　country　pays　for　the　paper；　the　printing；　and　the　binding。　While　the　public　expenses　of　this　nation　were　very　small；　there　was；　perhaps；　no　reason　why　voters　should　not　thus　be　indulged；　but　now　the　matter　is　different；　and　it　would　be　well　that　the　conveyance　by　post　of　these　congressional　libraries　should　be　brought　to　an　end。　I　was　also　assured　that　members　very　frequently　obtain　permission　for　the　printing　of　a　speech　which　has　never　been　deliveredand　which　never　will　be　deliveredin　order　that　copies　may　be　circulated　among　their　constituents。　　There　is　in　such　an　arrangement　an　ingenuity　which　is　peculiarly　American　in　its　nature。　Everybody　concerned　is　no　doubt　cheated　by　the　system。　　The　constituents　are　cheated；　the　public；　which　pays；　is　cheated；　and　the　post…office　is　cheated。　　But　the　House　is　spared　the　hearing　of　the　speech；　and　the　result　on　the　whole　is　perhaps　beneficial。　We　also；　within　the　memory　of　many　of　us；　had　a　franking　privilege；　which　was　peculiarly　objectionable；　inasmuch　as　it　operated　toward　giving　a　free　transmission　of　their　letters　by　post　to　the　rich；　while　no　such　privilege　was　within　reach　of　the　poor。　　But　with　us　it　never　stretched　itself　to　such　an　extent　as　it　has　now　achieved　in　the　States。　　The　number　of　letters　for　members　was　limited。　　The　whole　address　was　written　by　the　franking　member　himself；　and　not　much　was　sent　in　this　way　that　was　bulky。　　I　am　disposed　to　think　that　all　government　and　congressional　jobs　in　the　States　bear　the　same　proportion　to　government　and　parliamentary　jobs　which　have　been　in　vogue　among　us。　　There　has　been　an　unblushing　audacity　in　the　public　dishonestywhat　I　may　perhaps　call　the　State　dishonestyat　Washington；　which　I　think　was　hardly　ever　equaled　in　London。　Bribery；　I　know；　was　disgracefully　current　in　the　days　of　Walpole；　of　Newcastle；　and　even　of　Castlereagh；　so　current；　that　no　Englishman　has　a　right　to　hold　up　his　own　past　government　as　a　model　of　purity；　but　the　corruption　with　us　did　blush　and　endeavor　to　hide　itself。　　It　was　disgraceful　to　be　bribed；　if　not　so　to　offer　bribes。　But　at　Washington　corruption　has　been　so　common　that　I　can　hardly　understand　how　any　honest　man　can　have　held　up　his　head　in　the　vicinity　of　the　Capitol　or　of　the　State　office。　But　the　country　has；　I　think；　become　tired　of　this。　　Hitherto　it　has　been　too　busy　about　its　more　important　concerns；　in　extending　commerce；　in　making　railways；　in　providing　education　for　its　youth；　to　think　very　much　of　what　was　being　done　at　Washington。　　While　the　taxes　were　light；　and　property　was　secure；　while　increasing　population　gave　daily　increasing　strength　to　the　nation；　the　people　as　a　body　were　content　with　that　theory　of　being　governed　by　their　little　men。　　They　gave　a　bad　name　to　politicians；　and　allowed　politics；　as　they　say；　to　〃slide。〃　　But　all　this　will　be　altered　now。　　The　tremendous　expenditure　of　the　last　twelve　months　has　allowed　dishonesty　of　so　vast　a　grasp　to　make　its　ravages　in　the　public　pockets　that　the　evil　will　work　its　own　cure。　　Taxes　will　be　very　high；　and　the　people　will　recognize　the　necessity　of　having　honest　men　to　look　after　them。　　The　nation　can　no　longer　afford　to　be　indifferent　about　its　government；　and　will　require　to　know　where　its　money　goes；　and　why　it　goes