The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-16
POsT OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
April IA, 1912.

April IA, 1912
Sin: | am pleased to receive your letter respecting
the dscontinuance of the steamboat mail between
Baltimore and Norfolk 1t affords me an opportunity
Of correcting general error, into which the citizens
of Norfolk and Portsmouth have fallen.
TEat service not discontinued by the direction
request of the Department. On the 7lh of March,
Mr.. Moae, the agent of the Steamboat Company,
wrote the Department as follows "We shall continue
to carry the mail under any circumstances up to the
end of the quarter (3l March, and then abandon it,
unless the Department and ourselves come 10
terms" On the 3Ist March, the Postmaster of Bal
tmore reported: "Mr. Moale, agent of the Norfolk
Steamboat line gave notice yesterday that the Com
pany would no longer take the mail by that route
We, therefore, to-day send it to Washington, and
shall continue to do SO until further advised"
The terms to which the Company desired the De-
partment to come, and the why thcy were net
accepted will be shown in the following letter from
the Department to the Company, written on the l7h
March "Ths proposition of the Baltimore Steamboat
Company, transmitted in your letter of the 7h inst,
has been considered by the Postmaster General, and
in answer am directed to inform you, that the price
asked to wit $50 per trip, cannot be acceded to by
the Department,its finances not being in a condition
TO admit of an increase in the expense of mail trans
portation. The execution of contract has not here
ofore been insisted on because of the uncertainty of
the continuance of the Steamboat line but its having
been kept up for some time past rendering it probable
that it may be continued the Postmaster General does
not feel authorized to make payment for the service
unless contract be executed imperatively required
A.
for daily mail cannot be allowed.
The Company had been receiving pay at the rate
of SO 900 year for daily mail This is something
less than 1922 trip-and it was because the Depart
ment refused to pay them more than double this
amount, $50 trip that they abandoned the mails on
the lst April True, they would have continued run
ming at the current rate of 1922 trip, if had con-
sented to pay them for it, in mode expressly forbid
den by law. The 29th section of the post Office act
of 1886 declares, shat person whose bid for the
transportation of the mail may be accepted shall
ceve any pay until he shall have executed contract
according to law and the regulations of the Depart
ment
The execution of the contract, drawn up according
10 the Companys bid at $4,000 year, has, learn,
been heretofore postponed by the Company from time
solve and payments made upon the ground, that
the service was for that merely temporary No
such plea is now set up. No such ground exists.
On the contrary, they perfectly willing to enter
into contract, if l will pay them over 100 per cent
than they agreed to do the service for in other
words, if | will give them bonus of about $4,000 a
year, simply for signing the indentures of contract,
for there not particle service to be performed
and paid for in consequences of their agreement being
drawn up in the form Of legal contract. trust sir,
that YOU and every other capable of approaching
the obligations of law, resting upon sworn to ex-
ecule and maintain it, will that it impossible
for me to take any other course than did and that
the Company slone responsible to the public for
their voluntary abandonment of the mail service.
But it seems to be thought the Department is
asking too much to require the mail to be carried by
regular schedule of departures and arrivals In the
nature of things, and under the njunctions of the
act of Congress, the specification of days and hours
for the regular departure and arrival of the MAIL forms
essential part Of the contract well in regard
steamboat service any other. But imposs bili
ties required by it. Irregular that service una
voidably is at times, and have much of it under
contract and under schedule stipula,ons rregu
lar than that on the Chesapeake fines deduc-
tions ordered whenever is shown that the delay
beyond the Time set is caused by circumstances which
the contractor could not prevent control No
is asked of this Company, in this respect than is
qured from all What reason has it for standing out
in matter universally acquiesced in?
am sir, very respectfu
Your obedient servant,
(Signed,) G. A. WICKLIFFE.
JOHN w. MuRDAuGH, Esq, Portsmouth, Virginia.