Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-12-29
S3ii OGS 10
Total


It will he that The surplus funds Of The d~par
meat, which al time exceeded S-Ooupu have bee
greatly diminished
The determination Of Congress not TO REFUGE letter
postages suggested in my annual report OF lco was
considered in the light OF instruction 10 npr!y the
cash on hand, and The increasing current revenue 20
of the mail service 1t estimated lhat
the 700 established in lSat and The improve
Of service many old ones, in con JUNCTION with
the usual annual increase Of business in III" country
would add at least IL cent 10 the for The last
year, which would he maintained with sui further
during the present year The extension Of mail
service accordingly carried far enough To consume
this anticipated increase, and also, in the progress Of
few years, reduce The surplus hand To the Lowest
amount consistent with the convenience of the depart
ment. The general financial disasters Of last year have
not reduced the revenue, might have been expected
but have prevented most ot the antic pard increase and
thrown the department upon lis surplus, to sustain
large porinn OF It's extensions. The indications now
that there will he ;h Improvement in Tho
OF The current fiscal year, the preceding, but
not enough 10 produce material effect An odvan-c
somewhat greater Giay he reasonably scced year
but not great enough to meet the increasing cost Of mail
service and put into operation the routes established
The last session Of Congress. II will hence be seen,
that for more than To come The curaIlmcn rather
than The extension al service, routes
ton, IL 10 he expected.
In general the accounts o! Posimas!ers rendered
and The du'Ies # Contractors performed, with the utmost
fidelity and precision. Indeed the world may be c:aI.
inJcu iUI any hllaT establishment, embracing 80 much
intelligence, activity and energy and yielding millions
OF mankind So nuci unqualified good The chief 90.
slruciiJas which It has recently encountered IN lis
Of usefulness have arisen 0m The Deficiencies md
unreasonable demands d corporate bodies, which it had
employed, deenIrd il useful to employ, in The public
service
Ia sng It's funds through the public agen's who
under h"Gds for their security and removable WILL
and III dealing with the individual rccmen Of the States
and Of the United States in competition with eaC! ONeT
it Gnds all its operations easy, safe and prosperous
Al their last session, Congress enacted "tha each and
every railroad within the lnls 81 the United States,
which is, or hereafter may he made and pctcd,
s!si be post route, and The Postmaster General shall
The ia 10 be transported thereon provided lie
have done reasonable terms, aud not paying
than twenty FIVE per cenun owe. and ab've shat similar
transportation would cost ~ pest c1aches."
To avoid further trouble with the railroad companies
The mai lines, II determined 10 pay them,
upuG renewal o! cxs,ing contrncts the highest price
which this Law would admit But there difficulty
in GSjnT on that price Ia the Ere. place, Il 70 6e
,nin.d wha Congress meant by tie p!aa" "S,Gi
lar Interpretations, end. in Ike mex, place. cLat hat
transportation wcud cast in pos! cC0ckrS Ii was obvious
TINT hey could not Transportation rguGl sprcG
Cor that would tc mIrn.siae they could the
same importation, The transportation n The
mail upon the same roulc-ior IN that case the word
same would have been used instead Of The word similar.
seemed prutabs that they had reference TO the O'di
narg post cnhc transportation III the same section OF
country. ard 10 The points Ul similarity between that
saI railroad transportation, in!cniing The additional 20
uer cen, as Compensation for the increased speed This
construction would nave given the railroad companies
rs liberal condensation they had night 10 expect,
iHasnuch it wCTid have materially increased the
costs of mail transportation, WHILE in respect 10 Passen
gers produce and merchandise the cos, is every where
chcapened by them.
Eu, upog \ careful consideration of the words Of tie
law III connection with the mail service existing at IL"
l- Of lis passage, the department felt Itself constrained
ADOPT construction more favorable 10 lie railroad
Companies That the word "Smiiar' Should b. cen.
which according 10 Legal well just rules Of consruc
tor could not be maintained From \. I"'k Ia Bali
more the great Southern and Western mails are united IN
~ the latter pomt they separate, one p'frn, DC
.vtG IL be the larger Euiu2 West, aud The other South
l. ccud rot be dousted The transportation Of the
Western mall in lis Ju!k lis ecsg, lis Importance
and also lis SPEED, 'snIlar 10 that on the nan
Southern it;c Than any other aPpertaning TO The Depart
ment The department, therefore felt constrained to ake
the OF that transportation Us lis guide III hx!nS on
the basis for the allowance railroad companies The
Southern line, provided for BY law. The average
Of this line, from Baltimore TO Cincinnati was found
b. S1n pr mile 10 this sum, % per cent wac ad
drd and The aggregate S237 80, offered 10 the rail
road companies between Fredericksburg, Va and The
Roanoke river the highest compensation which could
bc ALLOW ed them by law he rule intended to
hp applied 10 aiI railroads under like circumstances Il
not doubted that This provision would be readily ac-
crrrG ample than The railroad companies had a
right expect and that this troublesome matter wonld
have been forever adjusted far regards those roads
/
TO- and not only higher compensation demanded but
conditions insisted On extraordinary as the con
cessnn Of them would be impclitic and illegal The
department is. therefore, engaged in making provision
for the transportation of he great Southern mail by
other means after the first Of January next not being at
liberty under the law if it otherwise disposed,
10 acccdc To the terms demanded by The railroad compa
MES This cannot be done the same line Without
public ncnn nIcnce in the loss Of time and although
rival line may be raised up The Of few months.
fully equai III speed yet it will not be convenient 10
the department. i'll all respects useful To the public
the in question. But having offered all that the
law admitted. and more than uslIce and good policy
would have sanctioned had law been passed. the &C.
parmrnt does not feel itself in any way respon,ible for
the public Inconvenience which may ersue.
These details have been given, that Congress may
correct the construction given 10 the law Of last session
If liberal too strict, resort 10 such further en-
aclmenls as the public interest may TO require
The principle that Congress may cons,i:utionily make
roads for the transportation OF The mails, once entertain
ed by some TO be generally abandonea but Thai
they may for that purpose oil roads constructed un
der the authority Of the Sa,cs, has hitherto been uni
yersny conceded The charters Of railroads granted
for The public convenience, end in their construction
they are considered far public that private property
10 taken at yalu alton for their without the consent
of the owner. Whether these roads are 10 form an
ception the right Of vested in The United Stale:
by the Constitution, is question which II mag soon
| become necessary to consider.
The valuable books and papers Of this department ore
in constant peril from the combuslibe nature Of the build
ing now occupied. II has shngle root, and much wooc
work Within and in the department and the Auditor
Office there are daily about 20 fires II is perhaps ir
greater danger from The proximity OF stables and olho
wooden buildings which could hardly burn, in some ti
recsions of the wind, without involving tie whole slIuc
,ure occupied by the department in their destruction
The consciousness of this constant peril is OF Tx
mos, painful incidents TO the administration OF the de
pa,tmeu,; and only relieve myself from weigh
of responsibility by requesting you TO bring this sublsc
! 10 he serious attention oC Congress.
With The highes! respect,
Your obedieni servant,
! AMOS KENDALL
t. tie President cf The IrHed SAFES.