Mr. RAMSEY. Now, if the Senate will indulge me a few minutes, I think I shall be able to explain to them that the action which was taken upon this bill on Saturday evening last was proper, and that the ComPostOftics of this body acted judiciously and discreetly in recommending the passage of the bill. I premise by stating that there is no one of the great Depts of this Government increasing and extending itself as rapidly in its business operations and its personnel as the postoffice Dept. Growing as it has grown with the growth of the country, it is not surprising that annually there should be some modifications of the laws for the government of that Dept asked for. In this instance the modifications proposed are moderate and reasonable, and such as I think justify the senate in at once adopting them. I will proceed to consider the bill section by section. The 1st section provides That the schedule of charges or postalmoney orders, establishedby tfheeesthfoirrd issescutiine gn of the act approvedJune 12, 1866, be, and the same is hereby, modified so that the charge or fee for an order not exceeding ten dollars shall be ten cents, for an order of more than ten but not of 30 dollars the charge shall be 15 cents, an for an order exceeding 30 dollars a feeof 25 cents shall be charged; and, furthermore, that the compensation of deputypostmastersfor the payment of money orders is hereby increased from one 8th to one 4th of 1%; on the gross amountof orderspaid at their respectiveoffices. The PostMGenl, in his annual report at the Present session of Congress, states very clearly the reason for this modification of the law. He says: “The Present charge or an order feeestablishedby law for of 20 dollars or less is ten cents, and for an Theosredrearteexscaereeddienfgective 20 dollars 25 cents. in this respect: that an o: licant who desires to remit anysumunder 40 dol ars could do it more cheaplyby 2 ordersthan o one, inasmuch as 2 ordersfor 20 dollars each would cost him but 20 cents, while for a single order of 40 dollars he would have to pay 25 cents. The manifest tendency of this state of things is to augment unnecessarilythe number of orders, issued, involving a waste of time and of ical iabor cler at both the issuing and paying offices, as well as increasingthe liability to error. The adoption of an additional rate of orders of more than ten, but nfoiftteeexnceceednitnsgfothr iratyll dollars, without any changeof the Present fees for. orders of ten dollars or less, or for orders exceeding 30 dollars, would remedythe defect in question aacntdiopnroomf tohteebeuxpsiendeistiso.n and accuracy in the trans “At some postoffices, particularly those located at peeanidtevresry of gtrraedaetlaynd commerce, the number of orders exceeds the number issued, so that the paymentof ordersconstitutes the chief business of these offices, and as the postmaster's compensation for paying orders, being one 8th of 1%. on the amount thereof, is much less than for issuing them, for which he receives 1/3rd of the fees, it is recommended that the commission oorders bpeerincecrnetased from one 8th to one 4th of one compensation sptroopaoffrotriodnate postmasters at such officesa to their services.” In 1864, the tariff for money orders was as follows: for an order of one dollar and not exceeding ten dollars, ten cents; for an order exceeding ten dollars and not exceeding 20 dollars, 15 cents; for an order over 20 dollars, 20 cents; and the limit to money orders in that law was 30 dollars. It was subsequently amended by the act of July 12, 1866, and the tariff for money orders was then changed so as to be for money orders not exceeding 20 dollars, ten cents; and exceeding 20 dollars up to 50 dollars, 25 cents, and the limit of orders was increased to 50 dollars. It seems to me that is a suf. ficient explanation of this 1st section, and I trust the Senate will think so. The 2nd section provides That in caseof the lossof a money order, a duplicate thereof shall beissuedby the superintendentof the money orderofficewithout charge, on the application of the remitter or payeeof the original, propvoids etmd atshteerapplicant furnish a certificate from the on whomthe same was drawn that it had not been and would not thereafter be paid, and a wsiamsiliasrsuceedrtthifaictatitefhroamd ntohte bpeoesntmaansdtewrobuyl, dwhnoomt bite repaid to the purchaser; and a 2ndfee shall not rbeepleahcaeragnedorfodrerathdautphliacsatbeeemnorneenyd eorreddeirnvisaslui dedbteo cjauose orf non-Presentation for payment within one Illents. its date, o r becauseof illegal indorse The PostMGenl in his report says: “In caseof the lossof a money orderthe owner, in order to obtain a duplicate thereof, is required "to furnish a statement under oath or affirmation, set;getheforrtwhitthhealocsesrotrifidcaetsetrufreotmiontohfethpeosotrmigainsatel, rtoo whom it was payable that it has not been and will not be paid. R certificatemust alsobe obtained from the issuing postmasterthat the order in questionhad not been and will not be repaid tooIn trheegamrdajority of cases the applicant'sinformationwith to the loss of the original order is limited to the fact that it was mailed at a certain office, but failed from causes unknown to him to reach the person addressed. He is obliged, however, to furnish a statement to that effect under oath, (which is to be administered by the postmasterwithout charge.)and to defray the costof a 5 cent revenue stamp affixed to such statement. This additional expenseis bur densometo the owner, who is rarely tobeblamedfor the loss of the original order, for which the regular fee had already beenpaid to the Dept, and the latter having undertaken, in consideration of tmhoant efyeree, ptoretsreanntsefedbrythrough the mails the sum of duty the order, should performthat without exacting any further compensation. Experience, moreover, showsthat the certificates of both postmasters afford complete security against the ehrardonoenocuesbiseseunepoafiad.duIptliwcaotueldinsleieeumo, than reofrodreer, that the legal requirement from the applicant of a sworn statementas to the lossor destruction of the original is entirely unnecessaryaswell as onerous, and should be abolished. For similar reasons no chargewhat ever should be madefor theissueof a duplicate order to replace an original, that has becomeinvalid be Causenot Presentedwithin one year after its date, or because o indorsed. In such casesthe Invalidation of the order is in itself a penalty for any negligenceof the holder, who, on application, should receive paymentof his moneyby means of a duplicate without a 2ndfee. That I trust is a sufficient explanation of the necessity for the passage of the 2nd section. The 3rd section provides feTith, at if any person shall falsely forge or counter or willingly aid, assist, or abet in falsely forging or counterfeiting, or shall procure, directly or indirectly, to be falsely forged or counterfeitedany postal money order, or any material signature or indorsementto any postaf money orderissued by the postoffice Deptor any of its agents, for the purposeand with the intent of obtaining or receiv; directly or indirectly, or of procuring or enabling others to obtain or receive, directly or indirectly, any sum or sums of money, and thereby to the U.S. defraud either or any person of such sum or sums of money, or any part o:or shall E.i. utter, or publish, or attempt to pass, utter, or publish as true, any such forged or counterfeitg?postal money order, with intent to defraud either the U.S or an person of any sum or sumsof money, knowing such postal money orderor any signature or indorsement thereon to be so falsely forged or counterfeited, every such person shall be deemedguilty of being felony, and thereof duly convicted, shall be sentenced to to be imprisoned and kept at hard labor for a period of not more than 5 years, and to be fined in a not exceeding 5,000 dollars. sum The postoffice Dept conceived that under no Present law could the forging of money orders be prosecuted as a felony, and hence they asked for this additional legislation, to which, I Presume, no one can have any objection. The PostMGenl says in his report: “During the last fiscal year 5 cases have occurred of the payment of orders to personswho had forged the signatures of the Thesepersonshad previously, through lack of precaution or injudicious confidenceof the remitter or payee, beenput in possession of all the information required to obtain payment of the order. To forge or counterfeit a money order is made a penal offenseby the act of May 17, 1864, but there is no provision of law to punish the forgery of the payee'ssignature, and as the latter crime is liable to be often repeated, especially at large offices, the there as I necessityfor additional legislation to providean adequate punishmentfor it, as well as for any attempt to obtain payment of a money order by fraudulent means. The 4th section provides: SEg. 4. Abife:, That the Postmas ter.General be, and he, is hereby, authorized to appoint in the bureau of the 1st AsstPostMGenl a superintendent of foreign mails, at an annual salary of $3,000, and one additional clerk of class 4 for that branch of the postal service, and that the superintendent of receivean annual salatrhye money ordersystem shall of $3,000. I have a statement of the number of letters, the number of newspapers, and the amount of postage upon the correspondence exchanged between the U.S and foreign countries, each fiscal year from 1863 to 1866, inclusive: Letters. Newspapers. Postages. 6,039, 680 3, 411, $1,520, 494 01 7,024, 430 3, 546, 567 1, 642, 560 12 7, 401, 605 4,092, 145 1, 819, 92586 9, 430, 546 4, 186, 166 2, 289, 21930 All correspondence with post depts of foreign countries, embracing the negotiations of international postal treaties and arrangements, which are conducted directly between the heads of the respective post depts, and also the direction and management of our ocean, mail steamship service to foreign countries, is assigned to the officer in charge of the foreign mail service. Postal treaties and conventions, establishing and regulating the interchange of correspondence in open or closed mails have been concluded with GreatBritain, France, Prussia, Belgium, Italy, Hamburg, Bre men, the British North American Provinces, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Venezuela, and negotiations are in o f.for direct postal arrangements with several other countries. A new convention with GreatBritain, on a very liberal basis, has recently been negotiated, reducing the international letter rate of postage from 24 to 12 cents, and admit ting into the mails printed matter of all kinds at low rates of postage, the advantages of which will also accrue to all correspondence forwarded to and received from other countries of Europe and Asia, through the British mails. Negotiations have also been opened with the French Post Dept, with the view of readjusting our postal convention with France upon a more liberal basis, establishing not only reduced rates of international postage, but also providing for the territorial transit and sea conveyance of correspondence in closed mails through each country upon a basis of reci [. ". mutually advantageous to the public of oth countries. The recent establishment of direct mail so lines to Brazil and to Japan and China will enlarge the operations of our foreign mail service, involving the necessity of direct postal arrangements with the different countries of South America and Asia, which can be reached by means of these new routes of communication. All this large and important branch of business is now in the charge of a clerk. The Dept conceive that the importance of his duty justifies an increase of his compensa:sation and a change in the denomination of his office, so as to advance him to a higher grade. The expense under this section will be, for the superintendent $3,000, and for an additional clerk $1, 400, making $4, 400. Then there is the superintendent of the money order system which. grown into vast consequence, several 100,000 money orders being issued every year. It is proper that this important service should be placed in the charge of some responsible officer. It is all in charge of a clerk, and the proposition is to give that officer some increased compensation. The provision is that he shall receive an annual salary of $3,000, and there is provision also for 2 clerks of the 4th class, amounting alto gether to an expenditure of $5, 600. The 5th section provides for the appointment in the bureau of the 3rd Asst PostMGenl of a superintendent of dead letters, at an annual salary of $2,000. I Presume it is not necessary for me to explain to the Senate the importance of that branch of the postoffice Dept. The increase of this business is evidenced by the number of clerks which it employs. There are now some 85 there employed, and the proposition is to place as superintendent of this large office an. of this denomination, and to give him a salary of $2,000, which certainly is not very large. Then there is an addition by this section of $2,000, making thus far $17, 600 increased expenditure. The 6th section provides That the PostMGenl be, and he is hereby, authorized to appoint in the bureau of the 2nd Asst PostMGenl a superintendent of domesticmails and a superintendent of inspection who, with the chief clerks of the 3 bureaus an the topographer of the postoffice Dept, shall each receivean annual salary of $2, 500;also, to apoint an additional clerk, to be in charge of mail ags, locks, and keys, at an annual salary of $2, and an asst topographer at a salary of $1, 800 per annula. Isuppose every one will concede that in the growth of the business of the postoffice dept there must be a readjustment of its management, of its government, and this is all that this section provides for. Although a number of clerks and bureau officers are spoken of in it, all that it provides for amounts to about 10,000 dollars in money, so that the whole increase of expenditure proosed by this bill in all its various provisions is but $17, 900 in this great Dept of the Government.