Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1834-07-10
. expre.s mail on lhe same Iine.

< W. CAhiNsH Hiail Ou ttiE SduiC mt
In the above case il will be perceive
that the contract is. in the aggregate. "a
eleven mail routes; so Intervening an
compllcaiing the transaction as TO rende
il exceedingly difficult TO unravel il and {
| find whether the bids at which the route
were struck of are the most favorable 10
the department. and it is still more dill
cult 10 ascertain the reality Of any allege,
improvement. and their actual value i
they exist. The same objection occurs il
numerous cases improvements are sal,
10 be made by expsdi,ing on one route
changing the schedule on another, and or
dering additional trips on third; so tina
a single contract is in this manner render
ed SO complex as 10 require tho labor o
several days 10 reduce II TO its element,
and ascertain its true condition.
E. Porter and Co. are contractors 70
carrying the mail from Stuanton, in Viz
GINA, TO Catlettshurgh. Kentucky, thre
times week in four horse post coaches
from the LIST Of January, 1881. TO the Sis
December, 1884, at an annual compensa.
ton Of s7,566
On this contract, legal and regular in
IFS inception, is engralted extra allowance,
compensation for extension and private
, contracts TO the enormous yearly
sum Of sfS,166
The two largest OF the items which
compose this extra sum, namely, 5000
dollars for extending steamboat mail be-
tween Guyandotte, Virginia. and Cincin-
natl. Ohio; and II 900 dollars year for
extending the steamboat mail 10 Louis
vile. IS, in the opinion Of your committee,
not only an unnecessary and extravagant
expenditure OF the public funds, but is an
, act wholly unauthorized by law.
Every one acquainted with the siiua.
ton of the country. and the course Of blu,
siness between those points. viii be AT
once satisfied that it is unnecessary. 1t
wholly immaterial whether the mail be
carried between those points in two
horse coach, or in a steamboat, provided
it be carried safely; and the lines on which
it was carried before the establishment Of
this route were ample for that purpose
No one travels in stages from Guyandotte
TO Cincinnati. or from Cincinnati 10 Lou
isvlle; and the aid Of the department is
not necessary TO keep up constant and
regular line of communication by steam
boats between them The establishment
Of this line was therefore unnecessary Ell
Their for the transportation Of the mail or
the accommodation Of passengers.
II is also against law. The general act
Of the third day of March, 1926, reducing
ing into one the several acts regulating the
Post Office Department, in its first section
enacts: That the Postmaster General
"sball provide for the carriage of the mail
on all post routes that are or may be esta
blshed by law" This clause contains his
whole general authority for contracting
for the transportation Of the mail; and this
does not authorize the setting up Of this
line Of steamboats,, inasmuch as the Ohio
river, between these points, is not mail
route established by law. But the au,bo
rity here exercised may be supposed TO be
conferred by the fifth section Of the act
which provides, THAT the Postmaster
General be authorized to have the mail
carried in any steamboat or other vessel
which shall be used as packet in any of
the waters of the United States. on such
terms and conditions as shall be consider
ed expedieni: Propided, That he does not
pay more than three cents for each letter.
and not more than one half cent for each
newspaper conveyed in such mail" But
it is perfectly clear TO your committee
that this provision of the law was never
intended TO authorize, and does not au.
thofize, The establishment Of steamboat
line by contract for The purpose Of carrying
The mail, the whole frame and language OF
the section forbids it. 1.-The Postmaster
General is authorized to have the mail
carried in any steamboat which shall be
used as packet" He may avail himself
of such means Of transportation when he
finds it already existing, but he is not au
thorized TO incur the expense OF providing
it. 1t also provides that he shall not pay
more than three cents for each letter, nor
more than half cent for each newspaper
transported on such route. A restriction
wholly inconsistent with the supposiliun
that he had power to get up steamboat
lines by contract for the transportation Of
the mail. And the reason that this is not
permitted is obyious,--the expense Of get
ting up steamboat line by contract, for
the transportation of the mail, 10 enor-
mously dsproportioned 10 the object;
while, at the same time, the department
may avail itself most advantsseously Of
| an existing line of packets for the cheap
end expeditions transportation OF the mail!
The fifth section Of the act above referred
to is a transcript of the third section of
the act of the 9th OF Feb. 1917. And while
the last named act. was in force. it was
thought expedient by the department TO
contract for carrying The mail from New
Orleans 10 Louisville by steamboats,.
But as the power was not supposed TO be
conferred by that law. special act was
passed ON the Cd March, 1919, auihoriz.
ing such contract. with the express provi-
so, that the whole expense of sending the
mail in steamboats, should not exceed that
of transporting the same by land. In the
steamboat contracts made by the present
Postmaster General not the slightest at.
tention is paid to the restrictions in either
Of the above named statutes, and the sum
paid for the transportation of the mail
from Cincinatti 10 Louisville consumes
greatly more than half the nett revenue
received by the department in both those
cities.
r.Lo~. o1ofhor fransae(inu xxlth the