The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-18
LETTER FROM THE POSTMASTER
GENERAL.
PosT OFFICE DEPARTMENT,

August lin, Io42.
SIR: have examined and duly considered the
communication of Messrs. Pomeroy & Co., of the
9th Of July, which you did me the honor, some few
days since to hand me-
These gentlemen propose to act as the sworn
agents of the Department, to take charge of, dstr-
butte, forward, and deliver all the mails on the route
daily from NewYork, Albany, Troy and Buffalo, each
way to furnish the necessary number per-
sons, not exceeding ten who shall act travelling
agents, to perform this service to provide the requl-
site number of local and stationary agents; will eX-
ert themselves the utmost increase the revenues
of the Department and will give bonds for the faith
full discharge of these duties the entire service, in
GLIDING the employment and payment of all the ira
yelling agents, and the employment of local and resi-
dent agents. for the sum of seven thousand five hum
dred dollars per annum.n These gentlemen, as an
nducement to the Department to close in with their
offer, pleased to accompany the proposal with
the expression of their opinion that the business
which they propose to do will cost the Department,
according to the arrangements and plan now in use,
trenty thousand dollars per annum If this SUPPOSE
ton of fact be true, them indeed, would it be not
only the interest of the Department but its duty to
adopt the proposition submitted by them.
When | assumed the duties of this Office, found
in the employ of the Department on the railroad
line of conveyance, between Albany and Buffalo, six
agents engaged in the management of the mails on
the railroad cars. | very became satisfied the
service equally demanded that agents should accom-
pany the mails on the steamboats, between New York
and Albany, and | have recently appointed two for
that purpose; making the whole number eight, and
4, knlo d cloy Irpl dol.
lars less than Messrs Pomeroy s. Co. offer; that,
upon the principle of employing the cheapest agents
and accepting the lowest bid, should be compelled
to decline the offer of service at the cost of 1900,
which is very well performed for $4,000. If the
present plan cost me the same a little more than
the sum bid by Messrs Pomeroy s. Co., should
be disnclined to dismiss the present agents, who
so far as | have information, perform well an
acceptable service to the Department, and appoint
Mr. Pomeroy and his agents
You will pardon me, sir, if, in replying to MIR.
Pomeroy's proposition through you, you requested,
avail myself of the occasion to dsabuse the public
mind upon the subject of the recent arrangement,
and the assignment of additional responsible duties to
the agents of the Department.
had received the highest evidence of the contln-
ucd and increasing violations of the Post Office law
of 1926 upon this route, well the other impor
tant post routes in the northern and sections
of the Union, by what termed private expresses
Letters from Posmastcrs and the special agents Of
the Department as well as from private individuals,
gave the evidence of these acts of violation. have
heretofore refrained from instituting prosecutions
against the individuals engaged in transporting letters
over post road and in the conveyances employed
by the Government for the transportation of the
mail.
The quarterly returns of the Postmasers present |
cd me with diminished revenue along these great
lines of mail communication, which satisfied my
mind that unless step taken by the Gov
ernmen to arrest the evil, the income of the Depart
ment would fall short of its expenses, and that the
General Post Office would soon become annual
pensioner upon the public Treasury. Charged with
the responsibility of experimenting the interests of
the Department, it behooved me to do all the laws
would allow to arrest this growing encroachment
upon its revenues.
The complaints at New York, Philadelphia Bos-
ton, &c. were, that the reception of letters at
these offices to be sent by the mail each day. ceased
about one hour before the mail left the place of de-
parture they were deprived of the opportunity, al
ways desraOie OF communicating through the man
the latest intelligence consequently, they com
PEELED to these private expresses by which they
sent their letters To satisfy myself of the truth of
these complaints, and also of the extent of the in
roads which these private letter expresses" were
making upon the Department travelled over these
lines AMI made my own personal observations. |
saw the evil, and recognized in a great degree the
difficulties which gave rise to and succoured il,