Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1840-01-11

The latest accounts from the Explorino
Expedition represent it as proceeding sue.
cessfuly in its objects, and promising result,
no less useful to trade and navigation thar
to science.
Inc extent of post roads covered by mai
service on the first of July last, was about
ioo,9S9 miles, and the rate of annual trans.
Is pertatlon upon them 34,496,878 miles.
y Inc number of post offices on that day wa
% twelve thousand seven hundred and eighty.
n and on the thlrteth ultimo, thirteen thou :
sand and twenty eight.
I The revenue Of the Post Office Depart- :
X. nent for the year ending with the sOth of
June last, was four million four hundred and
eventy-six thousand SIX hundred and tbir-
weight dollars-exIibitng an increase
'ver the preceding year of two hundred
Ind forty-one thousand five hundred and
: sixty dollars. The engagements and La.
blllties of the Department for the same De-
riod are four million six hundred and TWEEN
ty-iour thousand ohe hundred and seventeen
dollars.
The excess ofGablities over the revenue
tor the last two years has been met out of
the surplus which had previously accumu--
lated. The cash on hand on the thirtieth
uItlmo, was about $2O6,7O1 95, and the cur
rent income of the Department varies yery
little from the rate of current exrenditures.
Most of the service suspended last year has.
been restored, and most of the new routes
est 10 llshed by the act of 7th July, 1888,
have been set IN operation at an annual cost
OF Sl36,963. Notwithstanding the pecu-
mary difficulties of the country, the revenue
oithe Department appears to be increasnp-
and unless it shall be seriously checked by
the recent suspension of payment by the
banks, it will be able not only to maintain
the present mail service, but in short time
to extend it. tits gratifying to witness the
promptitude and fidelity with which the.
agents Of this Department IN general per-
form :heir public duties
Some difficulties have arised in relation
to contracts for the transportation of the.
mails by railroad and steamboat companies.
ltappears that the maximum of compen-
/ satlon provided by Congess for the trans
portation OF the mails upon railroads is not.
sufficient to induce some ofthe companies
to convey them at such hours as are reaul-
red for the accommodation of the public.
1t is one of the most important duties of
General Government to provide and MAIN
tain for the use of the people of the States
the best practicable mail establishment.
10 arrive at the end ii is indispensable that
the Post Office Department shall be enabled
to control the hours at which the mails
shall be carried over railroads, as it now
does over all other roads. Should serious
lnconvencnces arse from the inadequacy of
the compensation now provided by law, or
from unreasonable demands by any of the
railroad companies, the subject is of such
general Importance as to require the prompt
attention of Congress.
In relation to steamboat lines the most
efficient remedy is obvious, and has been
suggested by the Postmaster General.
The War and Navy departments already
employ steamboats, in their service, and al
though it is by no means desirable that the
Government should undertake the trans
poration of passengers or freight as a'busi-
ness, there can be no reasonable objection
to running boats, temporarily, whenever it
may be necessary to put down attempts ut
extortion, to be discontinued as soon as
reasonable contracts can be obtained.
The suggestions of the Postmaster Cen
eral relative to the inadequacy of the legal
allowance to witnesses in cases Of proscu-
tions for mail depredations, merit your ser
GUS consideration. The safety of the mails
requires that such prosecutions shall be eff
cient, and justice to the citizen whose time
required to be given to the public, demands
not only that his expenses shall be paid, but
that he shall receive reasonable compensa-
ton.
The Reports from the War, Nary and
Post Office Departments will accompany
this communication, and one from the Treas
ury Department will be presented to Con-
gress in few days.
For various details in respect to the mat
tiers i'll charge ofthese departments, would
refer you to those important documents,
satisfied that you will find in them many val
liable suggestions, which will be found well
deserving the attention of the Legislature.
From report made in December of last
year by the Secretary of State, to the Sen
ate, showing the trial docket of each of the
Circuit Courts, and the number of miles
each judge has to travel in the performance
of his duties, great inequality appears IN
the amount of labor assigned to each Judge.
The number of terms to be held in each of
the courts composing the ninth circuit, the
distances between the places at which they
sit, and from thence to the seat of Govern
ment, are represented to be such as to rem
der it impossible for the judge Of that circuit
to perform, in manner corresponding with
the public exigen2es, his term and circuit
duties. A revision, therefore, of the pres
ent arrangement Of the circuits seems to
be called for and is recommended to your
notice.
Think it proper to call your attention to
the power assumed by Territorial Legisla-
lures to authorize the issue of bonds by
corporate companies on the guarantee Of
the Territory. Congress passed law in
1883, providing that no act of "a Territorial
Legislature incorporating banks should
have the force Of law until approved by
Congress, but acts of very exceptionable
character previously passed by the Legisla-
ture of Florida, were suffered to remain in
force, by virtue of which bonds may be is
sued 10 a very large amount by those in
sttutions, upon the faith of the Territory.
A resolution intended to be joint one pas
sed the Senate at the same session, express
sing the sense Of Congress that the laws in
question ought not to be permitted to re-
main in force unless amended in many ma
terial respects, but it failed in the House
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