The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-08

sfOunu OF n miserable qupoiob SCI eSio0 Ni1 PV
vision of the act of ls45 and give to the old stage
! monopolies in New England and New York more
than $3.50 900 year for the term Of four years, IN
stead of retaining it in the public treasury
The aext specification u.s. that he continued to the
country pOsimaslsrs the same commissions which
they received under the high-postsge rates. and this
is charged being against law and with corrupt po-
litical motives The country pOs'asters as the SEX
Ipressp sneeringly calls them, were resigning by
scores and hundreds in consequence Of the sudden
increase Of their duties and great dimnuton Of their
commissions, caused by the new law That law
Expressly appropriated the sum Of $3.50 900 year
out of the treasury for the purpose Of preventing
embarrassments in the operations Of the Post Office
Department consequent upon any deficiency OCCASION
ed by the reduction of the rates Of postage" The
embarrassments caused by the designations mention,
ed, became serious and extensive. The amount Of
commissions which postmasters had received under
the old law was regarded a safe limitation, and
allowance to that extent was deemed moderate and
equitable provision, not granted to or d few, but
to all, and therefore equal and just. partisan ed
tor not called upon for an opinion as to its legal
ity, but the proper authority, created by the people
and the law, was. The Attorney General Of the
United States decided that it legal These could
scarcely be called allowances; for, they did in
crease the commissions beyond what was received
before-but being indispensable and made in small
amounts TO country postmasters for the public bene-
it, il is earped at in the same article that denounces
the Postmaster General for not giving away unne-
cessariy more than million Of dollars to monopo-
lists and spectators.
But the chief misdemesnor Of the Postmaster
General consists in giving offence to the Philadelphia
and New Jersey Railroad Company. or this we
are ourselves the unwitting cause.
Seeing complaints of the delays and irregularities
Of the New York mails,-frst in the Virginia
papers, then in those Of western Pennsylvania, and
again in the Ohio, and more western journals, we
made inquiries at the General Post Office, and learnt
that they had one common origin in the failures Of
the New Jersey rail train to arrive at Philadelphia
in time to connect with the train for Baltimore. II
seems be considered that the Postmaster General
should have withheld or suppressed this nforma-
ton. We published what ascertoned, and 10
Mr.. Johnson is taken to task for it, as well upon
old scores new. He ia first arrsigned for what
he said in his annual report to Congress.
II appears that on all the great railroad and steam
boat lines, it is necessary account Of not stopping
at the post Offices to overhaul mails, to have travel
ling posmasters, called mail agents; and these are
most needed at the largest places; New York and
PHILADELPHIA for instance, for the purpose Of receiy
ing letters written after the mail is closed, but before
il departs, at a hurrying time of the day. The
department has these travelling postmasters from
| NJ W, hty n
New York, from the southern towns by Richmond,
and Washington to Philadelphia, from the west by
Baltimore to Philadelphia. But there is none be-
tween Philadelphia and New York. Why Are
they not needed Certainly More so than on
any other route in the United States but
the railroad company refuses to convey them.
This the Postmaster General believed TO be the
main cause why the low-postage system did not
operate successfully in increasing the number
of mailable letters at those two great Offices, ii
furnished for continuing the private expresses
that struggled letters through, out of the mail, in
violation of law In his report to Congress upon
this subject the Postmaster General states the above
fact. In the Express article, it is called ga false
hood" and yet the writer Immediately eats his own
words by saying, in the same article, "the compa-
ny refused, and very properly refused to allow
mail agent, for whom they were responsible, to go
over their route unless the appointment of such
agent were given to them" Promising that the
company is not responsible for the travelling post
master, and in the nature Of things cannot be, more
than for the local postmasters at the ends at the
intermediate points of their route and that no such
idea was ever entertained by railroad companies
by the department. beg to call public attention
to the claim here set up An United States officer,
created and acting for the and benefit of the peo.
pie, and paid by the government out Of the public
moneys, must receive his appointment from the
New Jersey Railroad Company Can the spirit of
monopoly go further If they are to have the APP
pointment Of the travelling postmasers, those of
local postmasters would follow matter of course.
This would indeed, restore the Bourbons and give
us the reign of privilege and monopoly more potent
even than in the days of the United States Bank.
The express" says, that the company had too
much respect for themselves and the public to have
an agent in the acting as spy on passengers.
Passengers, as such, are not subject to the law
against private expresses; but those who make
business of collecting and carrying letters out of the
mail, are; and to screen them from its penalties
would seem to be avowed as motive for refusing
to carry the governments agents, if appointed by
the government And this the company do out of
respect to the public. How magnanmousl When
the public fail to respect themselves by enactng laws
that they should not, in the judgment of the
privileged few, how gratifying it is for char
tered monopoly to interpose, nullify the law and
thus protect the people "aganst their own worst
enemies, themselves"
But they say further, in the Express, referring to
the Postmaster Generals report to Congress, "the
Postmaster General states also that the com pany
ceive the maximum rate allowed by law. This
is also untrue. They are only paid as stcond-clasS
routes, although he has power to pay them as much
as he does many routes to the SOUTH" &c. The
postage of ls45 divides railroads into three
classes, and authorizes the Postmaster General to
give for the rst-cass the rate now allowed by law;