The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1841-12-30
ron the MADISON,
DETENTION OF THEGREAT NoRrnt
MAIL AT PHlLADELPnIk

DETENTION OF THE GREAT NORTut, Y
MAIL AT PHILADELPHIA
The Post Office Department is so inli,o,,
neced in It's ope atoms with the bu,ln,,, ",
feelings of almost every man, woman, ana IA
the county, that it would he almos, as t
day should pass without complaiGt frou some ,
grounds real or imaginary, as it would be finn.
were made for the same time in National n
cfbirths ind deaths Where fifty thousand
OF different grades, are employed ia the mapa,,
OF aconcern, extending over thirty States ap1,r
tories, Tot one hundred of whom can ever h.
the personal direction Of the Chief Engine ro,
and arrangement must often occur How
does it happen within the four walls of a na1lf.
ry, or even In printing office.
Far from wishing to discourage animldyrr,ln
on his arrangements, or remonslrance, when lef
to respect such as is well founded, The Postuos,e,
neral will doubtless, be always ready 10 fec,lye.s
gestons of, as to all practicable Improvement. T.
any quarter; bu, even well founded complain, a.
lose something in their Just force, when aips.
and COMPOUNDED with such as are obviously.tt.,.
ture or erroneous, such as found their way ii Nh
paper of This morning, under The signatule 1T F
the distribution Of the great No,thern mai atP
depha. The facts, to the contrary Of soma IN, I.
alleges, have been recently and distinctly nam,
gated in the Postmaster Generals X port andjt,
companying documents, that it is matter OF sllp,
that they should have escaped his attention
Let us examine his positions fra, be az.
The question toiH nop arise, can the deiay bs,l.
ated blythe use efmt means at The disposal Of f3sp x.
master GeneroR To this quere, tue answer. i. ta
quipocalyih he qGrmatirch Certainly ii no r.su. &
ispaid 10 tar orfaat Buff respect be had for ei.,
then the answer Is unequirocIHy in the negaL.
What says the Postm ,srer Generals official reno.
Speaking of the endorsements Arising in M ~,
contracts for the transportation OF the mail one
expressly says Isl Shat the price which the De..r
ment is enabled TO pay, whether in reference q Il.
means, orthe martmilm .frtd by The tegisiqti.n +
Congress has been deemed inadequate BY many o
the principal companies and again he says
"The mail sing South from New-Yo i,l,erc.
sary tnromn upon The Phi adeit5ia and Boll- r5
railroad IN the night, between PA lad l,h1 ami gs
tinlore; and the ouuthe.n mail for New Yak i,
compelled 10 lie twelve hours in B4liimori dr..
less the Philadelphia company can be iIJuctdl run
that trip also in the night This they have declined
dong unless The Department lrouidpdy Mem G,a.
penSdtion greater than is authorized by tc' t4rs "
Congress Under hope that some arranIc .r.i
could be made-to last during the session d. & wi.
gress, ifno onger-l addressed 10 the presidents *
the railroad companies concerned in tie lrali, IA,
llon OF the mail between the city If Washington Fl
New York letter, copy of winch aud hr IN itt4
the First Assistant Postmaster General upou Ill.
subject, are herewith Submitted, (mark,d +
Now take an extract from this letter aalfssstl
10 the Presidents of the railroad conplnes a. III,
lows
In this matter, il appears that the Department
has gone as tar as the law Will allow. i Is iut tie
law makers, then, 10 provide you the rcdr,ss Ntnt
you ask tor the additional difficulties ami expense
incident to night running. Bur, In ihe mlln ti}lr
is il right polite that the whole nation snouid g
lenied the advantogeswhich perfect a-ran cucngron
IN your power 10 make would giyel LEI me- sHtt q
your dcqutescence; and rhen Congrt mteiS, 5ag.
mil 10 that branch ofMe Goeernment The question: !,
remune or alton"
What more has been done to effect the atranet
ient in question: The experienced and active in,
assistant Postmaster General having charge OF. tAe
contract Bureau, was directed to have pers nal Ia.
erviyws with the Presidents OF the b .!tlmo:e and
w ashington and the Baltimore and Phadep hia
Rail Roads this subject, and what was the report
/ concludes Il US;
'The final result which it becomes my duty to IT,.
port is, that the accomplishment OF this most o>i
md beneficial improvement on The chet mail l,ne N
he United States cannot, under the present uel y.
tlon ofthe parties b. effected at this lInIt Audtlt
emans 10 be decided whether it snail be made The
subject OF further efforts 10y the Department. ~
erreltr the acton of Congress-"
And has not the Postmaster General done both r
Has he not referred the difficulty to Congress-
las he not invited convention Of the rrcside1tss@
Railroads to meet at Washington on the Isl 8
January
g Understand" says F., there will be no impcal
mcnt thrown in the way by the company Ne
verify, no mpcdimenterctpt The snail sun Cf 50 Ga
in addition 10 the $4,000 already paid "N6 tflng con
sideraion q etpcnSe, says f., ngain " shoGld BE- a.
lowed to interfere with the just demands Of The pub
lie" Certainly motif you have plenty of money t,
satisfy every demand, and if the American "publo'
consists OF the people whose residence and corc,pou
lence is this line of road But does notth small
est additional outlay cease to be thrilling when
man has not means to meet existing engagements |
the Postmaster General could persuade himself Il
withdraw mail facilities from the frontier lines ailo
gether, and to lessen them throughout the country
where the people have now to put up with mails one
a week. travelling at ) miles an hour; why them
truly, might he pay fifty or even an hundred thosau
dollars year to satisfy those who, like f. think il
great hardship forsooth that their letters should p
brought, for few months in the year, more than us
hundred miles in twenty-iour hours
Talk of justice Is it "nstn that the correspos
dcncc of the whole interior Of the country should /
severely taxed with heavy postage, aud otherwise r.
strictcd both III respect Of frequency ard sIccd.
satisfy the ever increasing impotence Of tAcsc iCa
I" the great line who cannot be content ohayo lt
letters travel even fer four months dQih, 49,, >lco
so so,c as about ten miles an hour, fer two ltti 4
and forty miles!-that being about the ratr ht.Na
New York and Washington from Deccnborl a
If this is great a hardship on one t~entie l5iG
populations what must be the suIcriug> Of tA q
teen twentietlls for whom the mail does not aE,l n
not travel more than six miles an hour and lDtd 4