The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-01-17
: THE POSTMASTER GENERAL AND
THE RAILROADS.n

THE POSTMASTER GENERAL AND
THE RAILROADS."
| We observed an article under the above title
in Saturdays lnteigencer, which we deem to
be worthy OF particular attention The know
ledge Of the subject displayed by the writer, and
his vigor and facility Of expression, (were it not
for the So at the end Of the arlicle,) would
lead one to suppose that il emanated from the
popular Postmaster General himself Be this
as it may, the changes, sc. recommended, are
| certainly entitled to the consideration of Con
gress, and will surely receive the favor Of the
people. The writer concurs in :" The views Of
the Post Office Department in regard to the plan
proposed in the late Report from that quarter,
for the better regulation Of the mail service, and
for obtaining for Government permanent Sc
surlty in the rig ut of transporting and controlling
the transportation Of the mails on the railroads
Of the country" and continues, in emphatic Ian
guage, thus
+" In these latter days Of the Republic" when the
great vortex of party politics, like that of the ma-
sroom of the North is wont to seize upon every thing
that comes within its reach, and mingle it with the
elements of its agitated circle, it is proper to premise
ulat concealed
in the plan recommended by the Department In a po-
ltca point of view had politics indeed been allowed
any weight in the matter its strongest tendency is to h
minish the power of the Post Office by diyestng of
the great patronage growing out of favoritism in
porary tracts and the corruptng influences of ex-
4 ira pay while at the same time the companies are
stripped of every inducement to attempt constraint
upon their inferior officers and agents for the purpose
Of moulding their political conduct into such shape
! as may secure favor at headquarters
The writer's Interpretation Of the meaning
Of the Posmater Generals Report, is obviously
correct:
"The Postmaster General never had an idea
of asking for authority to bring about any interfe-
renee of the General Government with the internal
! Improvements or public works in the States BY sub
scrpton, donation, purchase, in any other manner
that could be thought unconstitutional by the most
fastdious, or as an improper interference with the
State authorities by the most jealous constructioniss.
His proposition is simply TO be invested with power
to enter into contracts with such railroad companies
the interests Of the Department and the community
may indicate, to transport the mails for Government in
perpetuity instead of temporarily"
The limited preIogatves of the Department.
and its difficulties, are explained in lucid man
ner by the intelligent writer, and we invoke the
immediate attention Of Congress to the vaua-
BILE suggestions in the following paragraph:
" 1t is known, presume, to the business part Of
the community that the Department has no control
whatever over many railroad companies that now
transport the mails and that the mail service is per-
formed upon some of the most important routes in
the country without any of the sanctions or obliga-
i tons of contract of any kind the party being
at liberty to withdraw FROM and the other party to
! discontinue the transportation of these important
mails at pleasure. The consequence is that the De-
partment has no power to regulate the schedules by
which the arrival and departure of the mails should
always be governed Hence there are many inter-
ruptons to the continuity of the transit of the mails
over lines that themselves continuous. The great
Northern and Southern railroad line is especially re-
markable for the numerous points at which the mails
are detained from twelve to fourteen or more hours
and yet there Is no power in the Department to
rect tie evil on this great line, not only most mpor-
tant in itself, supplying as it does mail facilities to
the large cities along tide water but also a line of
distribution through its connexions to the whole con-
tlnent. The important position held by this line in
regard to the whole service makes the base line of
the Department, by which the movements of all
others are regulated the passage of the mails upon
II, therefore, should be perfect and permanent
as possible; for changes i'll the schedules of arrival
and departure upon this base line produce cores
ponding changes all the lateral lines and derange-
ment of the whole of this widely-spread machinery
for weeks is the invarable consequence; and every
such change involves the labor and expense of cores
ponding with four thousand contractors
come under our personal observation. Ii was
but few days since that call was made BY
Congress on the Department for information
which could only be obtained from the i" four
thousand contractors" and the Department was
under the necessity of having ''four thousand"
circulars printed, at an expense but little short
ofa hundreddollars
We give the concluding paragraph of 'fS.ns
very valuable suggestions. If his advice were
followed doubtless great reforms would be eff
fected
"The accomplishment Of such All arrangement as
the Postmaster General proposes would be the ac-
compshmcnt and perfection of all the purposes for
which the Post Office Department instituted. BY I
such organization this great engine of the Post
Office, the machinery of which has no concert of ac
ton in any of its parts, would be made to harmonic
in all its qualifications, and the mails would be dis
tribued over the continent with the regularity, uni
formy, and certainty of never-aillng stream;
while at the. same time an institution that mani
esty defective, as at present constituted, would be
enabled to make great Improvements IN its internal
regulations and improve its revenues The simplicity
AMI uniformity of the permanent contracts with rail-
road companies would simplify and amelioratc their
with the Department and the latter would
have occasion for but few and simple regulations,
easily understood and as easily enforced. Under the
present system of temporary contracts II is impoSsi-
bic ,r the Department to look forward with any as
surance to its prospective revenues for the ncrca7-
ing demands for transporting the mails upon every re-
than kept pace with the ratio OF increase of tie IN
come of the Post Office whereas with stationary
for the whole service, as IN the proposed