The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1843-10-16
From ihe Ulster County (M ~ HlguerOt.
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.

The city presses, with some honorable exceptions
have been wagng a most furious warfare against
Gov. Wicklihe, the Postmaster General; and some
of them continue to keep up the fire with undated
yrueree. And what would the uniformed reader
than the simple enforcement of the laws in relation
to his Department according to the solemn oath
which he took on being installed into Office 1t seems
that combination Of foreigners, under the name Of
Harnden & Co. have been running, for some time
expresses between New York, and Boston, in oppo
sition to the United States Mail And they are now
extending their operations, to include nearly
all the seaport cities throughout the country. In
sequence of their systematic arrangements, they have
made vast nroads into the income OF the Post Office
Department, having carried daily thousands OF let
lers and newspapers, for merchants and others, at
lower Iates than those fixed by the laws and charged
by the Department. This they have been enabled to
do, because they have SKINNED the OF the BUSH
and because they without expense, have awaited
themselves of the railroads and steamboats, employed
by the Government-having agents only in the large
ctles while the Department Is compelled to keep up
Post Offices in every sparse settlement well in the
thlckly Inhabited places They have carried Their
croachments to such an extent that 1t Is now plainly
to be SEEM that they must be put down. the Post Of
flee establishment ITSELF will fall and they coune
nanced and sustained IN their awless course by hun
dreds if not thousands of the rchants in the cities
and by the newspapers in their interest. Former
Postmaster Generals have either winked at their ope
rations or have not possessed the requisite energy
take them in hand They either afraid of their
popularity they did not dare to look the danger
the face. But Gov. WIcKLFFE possesses vast deal
of tie spirit OF Old kentuck and in taking these
foreigners IN hand, backed up they are by the
camille classes, he has displayed moral courage un
surpassed since the days of OLD Hickory.
The proceedings of the present able Postmaster
General may, indeed, cause some Inconvenience to
the merchants of the Giles. They may be com
PEELED to pay as much for their postage the people
in the Country The newspapers in the CITIES, TOO,
may suffer little, and they may be subjected to pos.
tage as well as the newspapers in the COUNTRY. And
why should they not be thus subected' If the Cry
merchants and the City publishers should be permit
ted to fleece the Department in this way, it must
either be abandoned or the whole expense of its sup
port must fall upon the COUNTRY-ch chiefly upon the
farmers. Messrs. Harnden s. Co., may make pro-
ftable business by running their Expresses from New
York to Boston, to Philadelphia Baltimore and
by carrying thousands Of letters in small packages
But who will run Expresses through thiDy inhabited
districts OF country like the Post Office Depart
ment? Will these foreigners convey letters along bar
rem roads-through wiidernesses-over prairies and
wild lands hundreds and thousands Of miles, for 10
or 25 cents each? Or, To- come home at once, will
they run from Kingston to Shawangunk Ellenville
with five SIX letters for persons along routes of
thirty miles, for six cents each' Will they run from
Kingston to Delhi, with about the same number of
letters, along route of eighty miles of rough road
for compensation Of six to ten cents each' The
city merchants may get along well enough by their
expresses from city to city. But how will parents
writing to children, friends writing to friends in
distant parts succeed in transporting their letters ,?
1t is high time that the people in the country, the
agricultural classes should look at this matter before
they join in the hue and cry against the Post Office
ablishment they raise their voices sign pc
tons in favor Off combination of foreigners to sup
plant institution of Governor Wcklitfe
has struck effective blow in behalf of the interests
Of the counlry-the whole country--by prosecuting
The violators Of the law, and every whose bust
ness intercourse is not confined to seaport cities
should rally in his defence. We refer readers
the circular of the Postmaster General, to cOntrac.
tors, in another column.