Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-04-02

La consequence Of the incrca sed rapidity d
TINS mail. the newspapers which were formerly
sent by the east and other routes were now sen,
upon tins and the general cry Of the public 20,
the more rapid conveyance Of newspapers rcuui.
rcd them 20 be sent in the rapid line instead a
the slower line, as was contaminated IN ,hei,
proposals, which so loaded il as almost TO exclude
passengers, they were therefore allowed. on the
hrst OF April, 1879, for transporting all the pa.
pers oy their most rapid line, at the annual rate
And the Postmaster General in his address
above referred to, makes the following staterneni
OF the tranaction.
"Messrs. Reside and Slaymaker entered IN.
TO contract TO transport the mail between Phila.
delphia and Pitisbarg, daily, IN four horse most
coaches 10 run two lines a day, one 10 90 thro'
IN few hours more than two days. the other IN
three and bali days. The object of the two
lines was, that the weight ofthe whole mail be
ing too great TO admit OF its Transportation with the
rapidity required by the shortest time, the prin-
cipai letter mail for Lancaster, Harrisburg Cham.
bersburg, Bedford, Pittsburg, and all places west
oil Pittsburg, and the same returning, might b.
carried through with the greatest possible rani-
dity, that mail being not overloaded nor required
to stop at all the way Offices to exchange mails |;
but that the more tardy line might carry The hea.
Wy newspaper mails, and the letter mails for the
intermediate offices called the way mail In
inns way they commenced their operations on the
LIST OF January 1882, the day when their contract
commenced. IL was bat short time before bea.
Wy complaints were made by editors and others
on account of the delay of the newspapers -
When information was received by letter or bv
newspapers put up in letter as is customary with
those who have the privilege OF frank ing earlier
thah oy The regular newspaper mail, the contrac-
tors were accused OF OBTAINING the mail on the
road, and the department was censurcd for suf.
ferlng them to do so. Messrs. Recside and Say-
max m fheh has r.
no persons could be more sensitive than they,
when any complaints were made touching their
Characters as mail contractors To allay these
complaints, they, agreeable 70 the wishes Of the
department, undertook, from the LIST Of April.
1880, to carry all the newspapers for Pittsburg,
and places hey ond thai point in their more rapid
line After three months trial. they came ID
Washington, and alleged that the loss which
they had sustained by carrying the great news.
paper mail IN their more rapid line was so great
That 1t would prove rninous TO continue il unless
they should receive something approximating 10
remuneration for the same. They urged their
right TO relinqush their contract, If they were
required TO continue The service, as il was inyol-
wing an enormous expense 10 render il practicable
aud demanding Of them a service which their
contract did not contemplate nor require This
conversation was verbal but told them to re.
duce their statement to writing, and | would
take II into consideration. Upon this they pre-.
scented me the following written statement -
lie sets forth letter written 10 him by James
Reside and Samuel II. Saympkcr, dated Of
Washington, July II, 1892, which contains this
clause: " To satisfy the public and sustain the
credit OF the department. and ourselves. we made
the experiment Of trying 10 carry the ncwspa.
pers with our most rapid line. We have partly
succeeded but with very great lnss. For three
days in the week, we are compelled 10 exclude
all passengers, 10 the loss Of not less than one
hundred dollars day"
The Postmaster General then adds, On the
presentation Of the above, made the allowance
II was Tor a service which the original contract
did not require them TO perform, and service
for which the public voice was clamorous'
Your Committee will now proceed TO examine
how Tar the above statements coincide with the
evidence, and first, that Of the Postmaster Gen
erai, N which, speaking Of this allowance of
Sl0,o0o year, he says, cit was for service
which their original contract did not require them
10 perform" Is this the fact!
The contract, as executed and sealed by the
parties, sheds no light whatever on the subject
1t contains no clause showing even the speed al
which the mail is to be carried, nor what is 10
be carried by it. There is no schedule attached
to il in the contract book though one was furn-
ished to your committee on their call, which
very nearly with the bid Of the con-
tractors. Ii is 10 this schedule and the bid there
FORE that we must, in the first place, refer for an
explanation of the understanding Of the parties
at the time Of entering into this contract.
II will be seen by the bid Of Reeside and 9TH
ers, that they propose TO carry the mail pursuant
to the advertisement; that is through from Phil.
adelphia 10 Pittsburg in three days nine and a
half hours, in four horse post coaches at the au-
nual compensation of $1,000. (doc. no. s0.)
Or TO run two daily lines, carrying the mail
twice daily from Philadelphia TO Pittsburg The
first mall from the LIST If April to the LIST Decem.
Der, through in two days and five hours and the
re idua n he uea in three daUs aud fhxnuoh
TO Wheeling by Washington Pennsyl ania, from
in all except the winter quarter,
in three days. and in four days during the win
ter. To run the second line Of stages from Phil
adelpha to Pittsburg through in three days and
five hours, changing the mail at all the way Off
ces, and Of course carrying the way mail for $27
900 year.
There is nothing in either The proposals or In The
contract which countenances the idea that the con-
tractors had light to direct or regulate the kind
Of mail matter, whether letters or papers that
should be carried in their most rapid line. And
il was the duty of the Postmaster General 10
send by that line all the mail mail matter which
the public interest required TO be transported
pidly. There does not seem from the first to
have existed doubt that all the mail matter.
which was TO be sent through was TO 20 in the
rapid line. William Thompson, (sec doc. 75)
the agent Of the company stationed at Chambers
burg. and who has been seven or eight years in
theiI ttnpiOtHtuts says THAI nc haa HSStI hhoWu
any part OF The mail through carried in any other
than the rapid line. and such seems TO have been
the case, unless indeed by some accident, or un-
der special circumstances, mail bag which be-
longed to the rapid line CHANGED 10 be displaced.
John w. Weaver, a witness above referred
to as partner OF the company, in answer TO the
following iuterrogatory :(see doc. no. 64,)
Question 5. odd you carry the whole mail
through in your quick line from lst Of January
1892. or did you carry part Of il IN the slow
line :"
Answer. "I think we carried all the mails in
the fast line except the way mails. At Bedford,
think, during that year we put some OF the bags
for places south Of Pittsburg in the line BY Wash
ington and Wheeling"
This witness corroborates the testimony oil
Thompson, aud establishes TO a reasonable GER
tainty the fact, that the newspapers were carried
during the first quarter Of 1882 in the rapid line,
and all that IL said by the parties and the Posmas
ter General, about the original understanding,
III NJ the new spapers were 20 be carried in the