The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-12-08
IF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.

IBEPORT OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.
Posr OFFICE DEPARTME.r,
az December 2, l843
SIk IL y cause OF satisfaction TO the undersigned,
10 submitting 70 you statement Of the condition Of
the rost Omce department and its operations for
The past year. that he enabled TO saw for the tw
he has had the honor Of experimenting its af
fairs, the annual current expenses have been met by
It's ANIMAL revenues that an extension of the service
has been made, commensurate to the growth and
spread OF our population.
The idea Of making the Post Office De, artment a
source OF revenue to the Government has not been
entertained by any one charged with its management
since the termination Of the last war during short
period Of which an increase of fifty per cent. upon
the then rates Of postage was imposed for revenue
purposes Nevertheless, the principle upon which
II was originally es ablished-that its expenditures
should De limited by its income---has been distinctly
engraited upon all the legislative enactments con
corning ITS organization and prescribing the duties of
those charged with their administration.
have thought this principle, upon which the De-
partment has been established, sound and safe one
Tor the Government, and opposed to its abandon
ment' II, however, the expenditures of the Depart
ment were fixed by law, and appropriations from the
general Treasury annually made to meet them, much
of that labor and responsibility in the supervision of
the service, which now rest upon its Chief would be
removed
II is no small task, to say nothing of the RESPONSE
blIy, SO to adjust the mail service Of the United
States as to accommodate the wants of the commu
nifty, and at the same time to produce by its own op
erations, the revenue 10 meet its own expenditures
This reflection suggests to me the propriety here Of
doing an act of justice to these who have been assoc
ated with me in this Department, by frank acknow
ledgment OF the able assistance which they have
gwen by their constant and re aous labors; thus en-
abting me TO give 10 the country the best service
Nhlcl tlc means Of the Department would allow.
h Ine AMOUNT q annual transportation q the mail,
}saitss: lhf rSst of which was ri, III 753.
4 The amount 81 annual FaSbortaUUn on tho St,th
June, l64S was IS, 252805 miles the cost Of which
was s, 976,284 4.
for the last year less by $l34 than was for
the previous year, whilst the transportation through
out the year was greater by 4l6 Sl4 miles.
The number of Post Offices supplied in 1912, was
10 I33: and the number supplied in l843 10 8l4
) 10 accommodate the service to the extension of
population reductions in the service in sections
and an extension increase 10 other portions of the
Union, were rendered necessary.
The aggregate of these reductions was Sl34, 1853,
and the amount Of additional and new service was
$40, 555. For more detailed statement of service
refer your Excellency to the report of the First
Assistant Postmaster General, No. l.
For similar reasons it became necessary to discon-
tnue in the year preceding LIST july l843, 400 Post
Offices, and to establish, during the period 45I.
The total expenditures of the Department for The
fiscal year ending the 3Oth June, iS42 as stated in
the report Of this Department to the House of Re-
representatives., under date of the 28th of February
l843 were $4,975,37 AZ. In this amount was in.
cluded $500 664 81 for debts paid out of the special
appropriation at the extra session.
The total expenditures of the service for the wear
ending 3Oth June, l843, were $4374,7l3 u.s. includ-
ing payments account of debts due by the Depart
meAt, for which the appropriation above was made.
The amount OF gross revenue for the year ending
the 3Oth June, l84l stated in my annual report Of
| Dccemher was Z r. paO
was "a ,546,246 10
The revenue of lS43 so far as the returns exhibit
the amount for the year ending 30th June is "a $685.
925 49,
| considerable portion Of the current revenue of
the Department. for the years 1912 and lS43, has
been absorbed in The payment of demands claimed
! by Deputy Postmasers for expenditures in previous
years. by the allowance Of credits therefor in the set
Element OF their accounts which credits so allowed
have been charged to the expenditures of those years.
the probable amount of which is not less than $50
| 600.
ltWlll at once occur to the impartial mind that
public service so complicated and extensive as that
of the General Post Office, requiring the harmonious
cooperation OF twenty thousand agents and officers
scattered over the vast extent of territory must
be subjected to occasional if not vexaous inter-
ruPtlons by the nfdelity of some of its agents. and
often by causes which no exertion can overcome or
foresight avoid
1t is the duty of the head of this Department, under
the regulations and restrictions of law to provide by
contract for the transportation and regular delivery
oil The mails. This duty is performed once in four
years IN each of the great divisions of the Union and
IRON Tune to time, as the public exigencies require.
BONDS with schedules for the arrival and departure
of every mail taken to the Government so as to
PROVIDE Tor The continuous travel Of the mail in I'M
broken connection, by the division Of time and dis
lance IN suitable proportions When failures in the
regular delivery Of the mails arising from neg
gence Of Contractors or their Agents take place the
law is rgidly enforced by fines and deductions from
their pay and when that is found inefficient TO pro.
duce strict performance Of the contract the higher
and only power given 10 the Postmaster General Of
annung the contract, is exerted.
When the extent Of our territory and the condi-
ton and nature Of the public highways and channels
oil intercommuncation are considered, there is more
cause for admiration of the general regularity Of the
system, than reason Of just complaint at occasional
failures.
Upon two of the great mail roues-the one from
Washington City to New Orleans the other from
Baltimore to Cincinnati-there have been expert
enced, within the last few months irregularities in
the service which have given rise complaints man.
fested through the public press. The causes ofthese
failures have been Investigated, and where they have
been found TO arise from neglect or inaenton the
part OF Contractors, the proper and only corrective
has been applied.
Many of the failures however, on these two lines
have been caused by obstacles wholly beyond the
competency of the vgilaDt Contractors to over
come. The mail upon the great Southern route is
transported by railroad and steamboats, from Wash
ington City to New Orleans, with the exception of
the distance between Madison in Georgia. and Mo-
bile, in Alabama. Between these points it is trans
ported in post coaches daily. The whole time al
lowed is seven days eight and half hours in win
ter twenty-four hours more are allowed.
That portion of the route between Mobile and
New Orleans, and betweeQ Charleston and Whining
ton which is performed byrsteamboats, is dific ut
often INSTRUCTED by high winds dense fogs. If a
failure occurs, from any cause, between Washington
City and Madison, Georgia, where the stage line
! commences, double mail is thereby thrown upon
the stage service, which is often too large to be
transported in single stage portion thereof is
assessarIy left, for the time, which produces conf
sion and rregularity in the delivery at Mobile and
New Orleans, for several successive DAYS From
causes not unlike these, irregularities and failures
have taken place on the great western route.
/ The service between Baltimore and Cincinnati is
on railroad To Cumberland and a double line daily