The Texas Republican

We regret exceedingly that the Confederate government has deemed it expedient to increase the rates of postage. We concede that the Department ought to be self-sustaining, but we doubt the propriety of resorting to the augmentation of the rates, as a means of making it so. A more legitimate means, in our judgment, would be a discontinuance of the franking privilege and of the non-paying routes. The cheap postage system has, we believe, worked well in England, and would do so in any populous country. If it has not succeeded so well in the United States it has been from the two causes above specified. The first and perhaps the most enormous incumbrance has been removed. As to the second we think, that if it is the duty of the government to extend mail accommodations to all its citizens, however enormous the cost, compared to the revenue, in sparsely settled sections, the increase of cost is a more proper charge upon general revenues of the country than upon those of the Post-Office department. To charge them on the latter, does seem to us, to be the imposition of an unjust tax on knowledge. If the use of coaches in the transportation of the mails, be more costly than other means, either they ought to be abandoned or the additional expense be borne by those who avail themselves of them for traveling purposes. They ought not to be an incumbrance on the revenue of the Post Office Department.