Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1834-07-01
'Fwenty-tl,ird Congress.--ast sess.
VIEW OF THE MINORITY
" ne C0'niiIfee on the Post Once and Post Roads
lCoNrINUED

General, them i'm their INVESTIGATIONS n ,y.s go
pose" h' The long experience Of these gentlemen the
"spsilsht would enable them prose
oil The inquiry wish facility aud success than could
otherwise be done. The report the result of iher In.
curry has been furnished the committee and in comparing
with the reports OF the department. discover con-
siderable discrepancy, for which readily account
LIE mcssrs Bradeys observed in their port that the
postmaster General reported in Novem 1929 that the
whole length oil post roads lis 900 es; in 1890 he
reported them be l76 niles in 1892 he reported
sm 70 De only lol i67 miles; and in 1888, he reported
hsn 10 be 1926 miles.
The facts appear to be follows the late Postmaster
General IN his last report November 1925 reported the
ebgh oil post roads TO be III 536 n,es This have
embraced The new routes which had been established by
lhe law Of The preceding Congress, 1t exhibited an ia
efease ., s'zoo niles greater than the statistical
o ,ne Department showed Tor the preceding year.
fhe present PosmaserGsneral, in his first report Of
November 1929 assumed the report of his predece
sor as the basis OF his statement He did not oe.,ioo it,
correctness lie had esms ed al addition OF between
lour and hive hundred miles, in putting into operatou
s'' a,onSo routes "iin The yea'; aking the total
asoun' III 1000 miles In $780, lie predicate his report
on i'e same presumpon that the last report of The .te
PosimasteT-CeDerai correct and reroreI an
o. 40 miles, which had been added by thu establishment
routes, 10 furnish the seat OF Justice TO some ne
counties which had been established some of tie States
w"n 'hai perod, and by varying of The old routes
SO as 10 increase their distance the purpose of qving
a. nia 10 new settlements, or growing neghborhoois
is gave the number Of Il5. l76 miles in 1880 I'm the
mean une he had caused textbooks 10 be made in
wnc NE names oil The several offices on each route
gwen the distance from another and the total .pyb
OF each routes the length having been ascertained rom
oil cir
su"essen 10 Them by The Postmaster General ID 1892
he took The sum total oil all these routes from the route
DOCKS showing The whole length of all the post roads to
oe oniy io44oI miles. The discrepancies which they
Vhe Mess Bradleys speak Of appear TO have be en- oc
casioned by the estimate which had made in Tie re-
port OF the late Postmaster eneraI: and the n;n,;oo
rom 1910 10 iOil6 Is produced by the present Post
msser-Generals correction, giving the true amount of
man transportation, ascrr,aDed in the manner heretofore
stated The routs-books ia the department. opeD TO
and any errors exist in them, they sub.
Ject TO correction. Between the eport of 1890 ami ,b
" ie'S 'he new routes established by The law OF 1882
were brought into operation, which added more thai,
ioooo miles 10 The length Of post roads and increased the
total smount 10 1895 miles, Tie Messrs Bradley,
stale they have endeavored to ascertain The enpth o 80
'oaos III seven States and Territory by examining h.
advertisements Tor proposals, and when Tie distances are
ho' 'efcd, by measuring the distances on the man
ana III the result they have found di renee or hal
a'ey "ser 70 DC an error OF 4.l95 miles This what
might have been expected, when comparing their i,ar
anu uncertain method OF calculating, with correc,
me'hod OF The department. They not inform MS what
states and Territory they tool, whether they incnd
Tue new routes which went into operation in 1893 nor do
.hey furnish us with any detail OF the routes ysi, ha
length oil each, the department has done We ~.
oeen furnished hy the department with detail of all The
routes ana The length OF each, bc certainly The mos,
found errO woS &c % S%s The
the whole OF the several routes in detail, stated the
route books AID without pointing where the les
Every route IN those States, and that Territory which may
have been subsequently established, which is In
cluded in the advertisement hc they examined,
have been excluded from their calculations and their adj
measurement on the map. must have been exceedingly
Imperfect, while the data which the report The Post
iser General is founded, Is clear and porabe
They next proceed TO show that the increase The
poriaiou OF the mail has been great epore by
the Postmaster General. They state hat by The last re-
port Of the late Postmaster General the animal snspora-
ton OF the mail was shown to be 10 100 039 miles. On
reference 10 that reror of I7i November. 1925 find
him 10 say that the FIRST Of July, 1926 the ranspofa-
toO Of the mail was,
In stages. 44s0 ,744 miles.
On horseback, 55lIl96
Since that time, there has be en- added,
In stages. I9i9s5O
On horseback, 1868 $40
We end, by the addition of these sums,
that the mail transported ia 1928, I36l0039 miles.
And not they state, Ii ,709 ,03g miles.
THIS taken by the Postmaster General tie basis
on which he calculated The increase Of 1929 49, and 81
The document before referred to. (marked 81 gives
statement OF The length of each route, with The
and frequency OF transportation, showing the annual
mount OF transportation each route. The total oil
these different routes, they stood the LIT of Juy
1882 is % 633 $50 miles the annual amount Of the trans
perAton OF the mail at that time. Tie beiw
that time and the Let OF july 1888 asoned by putting
The new routes into operaion aud by many Improvement
on The old routes is stated TO have amounted Upw afd
OF three millions; making The total amount Of ransrosta
ton the let OF July, 1893. equal 26 s54 4S5 miles
To dprove the correctness OF this statement the Mess
radleys report that they have examined tile
meDts aud calculated from them the annual amount
transportation and this added the amount stated in tbs
report Of the extra allowances, made 10 The Senate III,
81 OF March last, which they 10 be The toa
amount OF annual transportation lie incorre ciness o
their method must be obvious every person who vii
make Dul sR examination OF the SuJecl. Besides The
inaccusoy OF their distances especially such they
certain by measuring the ap, there arc and always have
BEEN tail routes III operation, which not In the aver
scments. Some will be omitted in the ads eIseens b,
accident. Some additional will every year be requ
ed TO supply county seats OF justice. But what wil
make much greater difference is, that The advertise
invite proposals Improvements, such running fire
qucny, extending routes gresier lengths aud other
services TO increase the transportation OF the ma also h
greaer portion OF steamboat not adyersed Thu
improved Ills are frequently accepted, 10y means O
which, great attentions are made between hc advertise
men's aud the contracts which will not be brought int
view, either by examining the sdves'isemen or the re
port OF extra allowances; because they contsine
either IN tie one the other Routes are sometimes al
vertise@ TO run but once week aud contracted 70
10 run three times week They sometimes adyer
,iFed TO run three times week, aud contracted Tor
'un daily They are sometimes advertised 10 run daily
aud are contracted for twice day. So we End M
route iTom New York 10 Philadelphia siyeriised e
run once day; but the made for il TO rur
twice day. The route from PhiI5Gophia to PiNsbur
was advertised TO run day; but the contract wa
made Tor u 10 run twice day. The route from Phsdel
phd TO Potisvc advertised to run once day; bn
tie contract was made Tor IL TO run twice day. tn
route rom RcadiBg TO Harrisburg advertised 10 RAJ
once days but the contract made 70 twice day
The contracts Tor Theses four routes alone provided Tor
annual transportation Of the mail 83S 36O miles more hd
what could be embraced in the Ct lie Messrs
Bsdeys They rot IN the advertiser Tor The
arc covered by improved bids; add they conisne
IN The report OF extra allowances, because heyare pro
ylded Tor ~ The original contract. Thus Il appears, Ina
the report Of the Messrs BfsJeys be very efrone
Que; bat tie document furnished by thc department
showing the whole in detail perfectly clear that
presents difficulty; and If there exists ~ the eaculs
ion singe error, furnishes The data by which ma
be detected.
In their report, the Mossrs Brsdleys complain that the
bad not access TO e archives Of the department On t