Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1842-01-08
rights Of the General Government, In its

If there is any grant of exclusive power
to Congress upon which all unite in opin'
ion, it is the power to establish post offices
and post roads; and it may fairly be as
sumed as an admitted principle, that when
Congress, in the exercise of that power,
has established post road, the right of
State, or the individuals of State, to es-
tablish lines of transportation, for letters
packages, and newspapers, upon aud over
the same roads, tor compensation, cannot
be successfully maintained.
How far this usurpcd power has been
exercised by individuals, and to what extent,
| am not fully informed; but the informi-
ton communicated to the Department in
dnced me to avail myself of the services
of the First Assistant Postmaster General,
while on a temporary visit of business to
Philadelphia, to collect and report to me
such information upon the subject as his
other engagements would permit; and !
have the honor now to submit to you his
report.
Another report from the First Assistant
Postmaster General, herewith submitted,
will present you with detailed Statement,
of the amount of mail service for the year
ending the 3Oth June, 1871, and the rate OF
cost for the same in each State and Ter
ritory, distinguishing between each charac-
ter of service. BY this report it will APP
pear that the United States mail was
transported on railroads and steamboats,
3,9i6,450 miles, at the cost Of $5S5,S43;
on horse and in sulkeys 120SS, 1862 miles.
at cost of l,S07; in stages and in
coaches lS,96l,2l3 miles, at a cost of
$l,79l ,635; making a total aggregate OF
annual transportation of 14,996,525 miles,
at the rate of cost of S3,l 59,375.
The act of 1888 declares that leach
railroad within the limits of the United
States which now is or hereafter may be
completed shall be post road;' and in
that law, and the act of 1899, provisions
limiting the amount be=ond which the
Postmaster General is prohibited from pay
ing for the transportation Of the mail on
railways will be found.
Great embarrassments to the department
have arisen in the making of contracts for
the transportation Of the mail with many
of the railroad companies, under the laws
now in force. The embarrassments arise
mainly from two causes: the one, that the
price which the Department is enabled to
pay, whether in reference to the means or
maximum fixed by the legislation Of Con-
gross, has been deemed inadequate by
many of the principal companies. The
other arises from an unwillingness on the
part of some of the companies to run by a
schedule prepared by the Department; pre-
fcrring to run at such times as will best
suit the travel upon the road; regarding
I,r - e Cor fN r., no fnr "
ing of the mail as secondary to the trans
portation Of passengers. The latter evil
has been particularly felt in the great
Southern mail, on its transit from Wash.
ington city to New York. The mail going
south from New York is necessarily thrown
upon the Philadelphia and Baltimore rail
road in the night, between Philade phia
and Baltimore; and the Southern mail for
New York is compelled TO lie over twelve
hours in Baltimore. unless the Phi!adal-
phia company can be induced to run that
trip also in the night. This they have de,
clined doing, unless the Department would
pay them a compensation greater than Is
authorized by the laws of Congress. I'm
! der hope that some arrangement coulc
be made-to last during the session o
: Congress, if no longer-l addressed to the
b, presidents of the railroad Companies con
E cerncd in the transportation of the maj
: between the city Of Washington and n
| York letter, copy of which, ard the re
j port Of the First Assistant Postmaster Gen
: eraI, on this subject, are herewith submit
), ted.
: An anxious desire to effect some pcrma
nent arrangement with the railroad compa
! nics for the transportation of the mail, ny
i on basis which shall be both just and Uni
= form, considering the nature of the servlc
i performed by each. induced me to invite
c meeting of the presidents of the ditfGren
0 companies, in the city of Washington, O
: the lst Of January next, and | am gratifir
= at the prompt manner in which a.! win
/ have been heard from have consented to at
> tend, and hope is cherished that some a!
rangemcnt, satisfactory TO all parties an
: beneficial to the public, may yet be effect
y ed.
The improved mode of intercommu
> nication by railroad and steam, opcratin
> under chartered rights granted by tn
: States, and over which it is not prctende
= that the General Government, much les
4 the Post Office Department, can exercis
any control, imposes upon Congress, in m
opinion, new duties and obligations, whic
can only be cancelled by the adoption G.
some measure whereby the Post Office De
, partment may, upon adequate consdera
ton, secure by compact the right to trans
port the mail in the cars Of railroad CON
panies, and at the same time give to the De
partment the power to control the dapaI