The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-08

90 Tar viii be furnished then IN ns
....
yate expresses. But the great object of the gentleman
rom Tennessee appeared be not much % give the
pest mail facilities 10 the people, TO ward OIL response
yity from the Post Office Department, by throwing the
amages OF disseminating the Bay route upon the Rich
nond company.
Mr. c. had before endeavored To show that there was
contract existing with the Bay ne and therefore
damages could accrue to the department He had now
before him paper purporting to be contract between
the Postmaster General and the Bay company That for
he local mail from this city to Richmond contained the
reservation of right the part of the Postmaster General
revoke i at any time; and every one who would look
into the Union the Leiftgencer OF this day, might
that this reservation OF right was required by law
Mr.. q. w JONES rose now TO ask the gentleman
from Virginia whether he had in his possession
proposition made by this Bay company to take the con-
tract for the lawful term, only with the condition that 1t
should he rrevocable'
Mr. GOGGIN replied that he in the very act OF
reading it and that what he was complaining OF, be-
cause the proposition solicited by the Postmaster
General Reading the paper; Mr. q remarked upon the
of that part OF it which, ageeaby to law, re-
the right TO discontinue whenever the public con-
venience might require It.
The committee then proceeded to the vote upon the
several pending amendments
The original joint resolution is as follows:
BE Il rsotced by the Senate and House of Represenatres
If the United States of ierca Congress assembled That
he Posa,er Geheal be- and he Is hereby anthozed
Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad and Steamboat
ouhern mail between The city of Washington and the
city of Richmond, and that he pay for said transportation
transporting the mail once day on any other railroad
md steamboat in the United States and no
that the said Postma General be authorized TO allow
the contractors under the recent arrangement such an
equivalent in his Judgment, shall be fair and equitable
lof the routes hereby dispensed with
The question was first taken upon the following
amendment submitted by Mr.. G. w JONES; which was
adopted on division--yeas so, nays 65:
Provided, That in making such engagement
he
,cksburg, and Potomac Railroad and Steamboat Company
ha agree ana snga fe WIN the roaser Gensa TO pay
in his Judgment snail be fair and equitable
Baltimore 10 Petersburg and Richmond on the Bay line,
lnd the from Washington city to Richmond,
against loss by reason OF the discontnuance of the
said routes hereby dispensed with.
Mr.. CHARLES BROWN submitted the following
amendment to the joint resolution; which was ruled out
OF order:
I'd Resored That the construction heretofore given by
the Post Office Department, and particularly that OF the
Postmaster General TO the laws of 1888, 1882 and
1915 regulating and restricting the compensation to be paid
for the mailon railroad routes, hereby approved
Mr. G. w. JONES submitted the following amend
meut, which, however, subsequently withdrawn:
Rsored That shall be the duty Of the Postmaster Gen
ed of the railroad companies, including those in which the
service is partly by steamboats, in the transportation OF the
IF the mails the speed and frequency with which the mails
are or shall be saed 70 be eonyeyed and the
carving the mail with such railroad company any
IL a for ssah
Propi3ed, That for the fscas service in conveying the
pensaton $500 per mile per for ID cas
service any railroad greater compensation than $3.50
per mile per annum for sd-cass service any rail-
road gre mpensaton than 500 per mile per annum
4h service any railroad geaier conpen-
mail steamboats, the steamboat portion of a rail
road and steamboat route, greater compensation than
Mr. ittod hal fort ha
purpose of getting the floor to make an explanation.
Mr. B. said he thought the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee, MIR JONES' and adopted by
Committee OF the Whole, was offered in jest. How was
the case? The Potomac ana Richmond Railroad Com
pany had refused take the mail at the price offered
them by the Postmaster General
Mr.. G. w JONES asked whether the gentleman had
right to explain his Mr. J.s) amendment, under rule
that merely allowed him to explain his own
The CHAIR said the gentleman was allowed five min
utes to explain his amendment
Mr.. Bolts proceeded to argue that the amendment
rendered the act abortive.
Mr.. BorTs's motion was rejected.
Mr.. HALL of Missouri, submitted the following
amendment, viz:
Propidd That nothing in this resolution sh all be
require any increase OF expenditure in the Post
Office Department.
Mr.. H. said that he desired to say very few
words in support of the amendment which he had
had the honor TO propose. He conceived that without
that amendment his constituents might be very injurious
y affected. Under the present mail arrangements, a
letter in passing from the extreme eastern county in the
district which he had the honor to represent to the coun
ty next on the west travels through six counties, and
over distance of two hundred and thirty miles; and
letter from the county of Adair county, to the
ty of Putnam county, goes through eight counties,
and more than three hundred miles. He said these
very few of the Inconvenience which his constituents
were laboring under and had been aborng under for
years, under the arrangements OF the mails He might
mention the mails between Brunswick and Chilcohe,
and between Brunswick and Galatn ,-and multitude of
Others in verifcaon of this observation. He said, for
session after his constituents had been petition
ing Congress for redress of their grievances in this
spect but all their efforts heretofore had been unava
ing because it was said that the of the Post
Office Department would not justify any additional
expenditures in the section of country in which he
resided He read the report OF the Postmaster General
at the commencement of the present session of Con-
gress and said he hoped for better things in future
and thought he saw the dawn of a brighter day.
IT, however any additional expenditure in the Post Office
Department be authorized along the Atlantic sea-
board, his constituents must be doomed to groan on IN
der the annoyance they have suffered so long de was
aware that the saving of few hundred dollars In the
Post Office Department had been denounced as contempt
bic With this denuncation he could not agree 1t was
the fact that thousand dollars would give to his con-
sttuents all the mail facilities they asked or desired He
said true, that small increase IN the expend
ure of the Post Office Department as that would abolish
the 'monstrous of things under which letter is
conveyed three hundred miles around IN order to advance
thirty niles or is DELAYED two weeks IN gong distance
that is usually travelled in five hours by man on horse
back Now an expenditure which can produce conse-
be unworthy consider