Register of Debates in Congress, Comprising the Leading Debates and Incidents of the First Session of the Twenty-Fourth Congress Page: 25

                                
APPENDIX—To Gales S? Section's Register-
Documents accompanying the President's Message.
[24th Coieo, l"st SEsg.
of tho tax collected from the people in postages, amounting
now to more than S3,000,000 annually, ever appears upon
tho Treasury books; and it is all expended without appro-
priation. Ifso large a revenue may be properly raised and ex-
pended, without going into the Treasury, by one department
of the Government, it is not porceivcd why the other depart-
ments mxy not be authorized to sustain themselves in a
similar way; thus evading entirety the constitutional pro-
vision. The more safe construction would seem to be, that
all moneys collected by the Government, whatever may be
the mode, shall, in the legal acceptation of the phrase, bo
paid into the Treasury, to be expended in conformity with
appropriations made by Congress.
There would be nothing impracticable or seriously incon-
venient, in the application of this principle to the revenues
of the Post OiTz '-c Department. To effect this object, it is
not necessary that ths moneys be collected and deposited in
banks, or any other designated place, or that the existing
system of collection should be deranged. Almost a third
of the gross revenue is absorbed in commissions to Post-
masters, and the expenses of their offices. Upon settle-
ment of the Postmasters' accounts, the sums thus expend-
ed may ho carried to the debit and credit of the post office
appropriation at the same time. The amounts received by
contractors from postmasters, may be disposed of in. a siini-
lar way. The result would be, that although the treasurer
would have open accounts only with the Deposite Banks of
the Post Office, his books would exhibit the whole amount
received from the people, and expended by the. Govern-
ment, on ascount of the mail establishment.
There is another feature, in which the present organiza-
tion of the Post Office Department is defective and unsafe.
It is believed to be a sound principle, that public officers
who have an agency in originating accounts, should have
none in their settlement. The War and Navy Depart-
ments are in general organized upon this principle. In the
orders, contracts, and regulations of tho heads of those de-
partments, er their ministerial subordinates, issued and
made in conformity with law, accounts originate. The
moneys are generally paid by another set of agents, but
partially dependent on the heads of the departments; and
the aa 9unts are finally settled by a third set, who are
wholly independent of them. If, from any cause, an illegal
expenditure be directed by the head of a department, it is
the duty of the disbursing agent not to pay the money; and
if he does pay it, it is the duty of the Auditors and Comp-
trollers to reject the item in the settlement of his account.
But the Postmaster General practically unitps these three
functions in his own person. He issues orders and makes
contracts and regulations, producing the expenditure of
money; settlae tho accounts and pays the money. Al-
though he is required to render a quarterly account to the
Treasury, to be settled as other public accounts a-e, this
requisition has long ceased to constitute any practical check
upon him, nor can it ever be otherwise under the existing
system.
Herewith is submitted a printed pamphlet, exhibiting the
interior organization of the Post Office Department, as it
now exists. The most important improvement required, is
to separate the settlement of accounts entirely from tho
Post Office Department, and vest it in an Auditor, appoint-
ed by the President, with the advice and consent of the
Senate, whose duties shall in general correspond with
those assigned to the Accountant under the present or-
ganization.
_ The Postmaster General would then be placed on a si-
milar footing with the other heads of Departments. His
power over the funds of the Department should extend on-
ly to a superintendence over the rendition of accounts, to
prescribing the manner in which postmasters shall pay over
their balances, to making drafts for the collection and trans-
fer of post office funds, to issuing warrants on the Treasu-
ry for the purpose of paying balances reported to be due by
the Auditor, and making advances in special cases. The
remaining portion of his duties would be those of a minis-
terial character, now performed upon his responsibility, mo-
dified by salutary restriction upon his discretion.
Vol. XII. — D
To enable him to exercise an effectual supervision over
jmstmastSrs and contractors a third assistant should ba
frven to the Department. These services have almost
oubleid since a second assistant was added, and have been
reeently extended, making them too onerous to be perform-
ed by two assistant#) however distinguished for their indus-
try and devotion to the service. Moreover, these duties
are constantly ireleasing, and will be greatly enlarged by
the extension of mail service which is anticipated within
the coming year. If the United States were, for this pur-
pose, divided into three divisions, and an assistant assigned
to each, the stations would still be among the most labo-
rious and responsible in the Government.
Three Assistants, on the footing of auditors as to salaries,
with eight clerks each; a chief clerk on the footing of chief
clerks in the other Departments; twelve clerks for other mis-
cellaneous duties, including the dead-letter service; an
agent to superintend the Post Office building and property,
and attend to purchases of stationary, furniture, &e.; a mes-
senger, an assistant messenger, a laborer, and two watch-
men ; would constitute a force with which the ministerial
duties of the Department could be performed with comfort,
promptitude, and efficiency.
The Auditor's office would be the most extensive and la-
borious accounting office in the Government, meriting cor-
responding provision in clerks and salaries. Like other au-
ditors, he should have a chief clerk for general duties. The
examination of postmasters' accounts, amounting to about
4SJ,000 annually, sending out errors, and other attendant ser-
vices, constitute a severeduty, and requires 18 clerks. The
registration of postmasters' accounts, after examination, and
keeping the legers of the Department, requires eight clerks.
To keep the pay books, see that postmasters pay over their
balances and return the receipts, and prepare contractors' ac-
counts for settlement, requires nine clerks. To collect ba-
lances from former postmasters and others, make out state-
ments of the accounts, and superintend suits and prosecu-
tions, requires at present seven clerks. Over each of these
considerable branches of duty there must be, as at present, a
principal clerk, for whom liberal provision should be made.
It is but just to the gentlemen employed in this arduous
portion of the public service, to say, that their compensation,
in general, compared with that given in other Departments
of the Government, has hitherto been disproportioned to the
labor required of them, and, as to married men, inade-
quate to the support of their families, and the education of
their children. T o complete the organization of that office,
there must also be a messenger and one assistant messenger.
The proposed re-organization would somewhat reduce
the number of persons employed in the business of the Post
Office, by rendering useless the clerks now occupied in
making out the Postmaster General's accounts for the Trea-
sury, as also the clerks employed in examining them in the
Fifth Auditor's office, if not also those in the Comptroller's
office, assigned to the same duty.
The utility of requiring all the Post Office accounts to
be reported to the Comptroller, is not perceived. It would
perhaps promote the ends of justice and operate as a saluta-
ry check upon the Auditor, if an appeal were allowed to ths
Comptroller, at the instance of the claimant or Postmaster
General, should either, in any case, be dissatisfied with his
decision.
If the business of the Post Officc Department were thus
organized, it might be required of the Postmaster General
to furnish to Congress, annually, specific estimates, setting
forth the sums expected to be required under each head of
general account now appearing on the books, and any
others that Congress might require to be opened; and after
obtaining an appropriation of the aggregate for the support
of the Post Office Establishment, not to exceed the current
revenue, to render an account at the next session of the
amount expended for each purposespecified inhis estimates.
It would be a further improvement if all allowances were
prohibited, other than for services rendered in pursuance of
some pre-existing law, contract, or lawful regulation, and a
small contingent appropriation were assigned to the Post-
jnastor General, like those made to the service of the other