The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-07
THURSDAY, JANUARY 0, 1s4s.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
The journal having been read

lhe journal having been read
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUTHERN MAIL.
On motion of Mr.. G. w. JONES, the House resolved
itself into Committee of the Whole on the state of hd
Union, (Mr T. b. SMITH in the chair,) and resumed ihd
consideration OF the JOINT resolution in relation to the
transportation OF the great southern mail
Mr. Il. W. JONES. In order to understand this queSI
ton properly, would seem to be proper to look the
several acts OF Congress for the regulation of the Po
master General in making mail contracts as well as al
the time when they were passed. and the circumstance
which induced their passage The first law to which h
would advert this subject, the act of July T. 1881
which, IN the second section, provides and enacs "hal
each and every railroad within the limits of the United
States which now is, or may hereafter be, completed
shall be postrou and the Postmaster General sha
cause the mail TO be transported thereon provided he cal
have 1t done reasonable TERMS and not paving here4
tor, IN any instance more than twenty-five per centur
over and above what similar Transportation would cod
in ost-coaches."
In December, 1898, Mr. Kendall then Postmaster Geni
era reported the President and through him to Conf
gress his action under this law and the construction
had gwen IT. In that report, Mr. Kendall declares tn
he found difficulty in arriving at what intended ,
the actby the words "simar transportation" He va
properly concluded that they could not relate to spec
alone; for no post-coach could possibly come in
competition with railroads in this matter Neh4
could the words have reference to the same mail id
that case, the word similar would not have beef
used Mr. Kendall took for the basis of his estimates
great western route from Baltimore and found the
post-coach transportation this route to be $3.50 p4
mile per This was certainly a better basis n
estimates than the road from this city to Richmond cou
possibly have been because the cost of postcoach ran
portaon to Richmond at that time only s. AS NJ
annum, and the twenty-five per cent which the law d
lows to be added for railroad service, would only
the sum to SIX thousand eight hundred and some few DO
lars moreonly about iiy-two dollars per mile per
num- II this route had been taken for the basis, h
small sum would have been all that could have been
ered the railroad company in question, instead of 1927
per mile now offered he did not see bow thus compa
could complain of the basis of estimates At all event
this construction and decision of the Postmaster Gene
acquesced in he believed, by every railroad conp
ny in the country, except, perhaps the company nos
question. But shortly after the appearance Of Mr Key
das report for the year 1898, this company-he kne
not iron what cause-perhaps from indications manltes
ed in Congress with reference to the route in that deY
forward and took the contract at $237 so H
mile per annun on the railroad part of the route for I
term OF four yearsfrom jan L. 1892 to July |, ls41
and this settled the construction of the law by Mr. hs1
DALI and all the railroad companies acquiesced in it.
OF them, after the first Of January, 1899, conena
for more than saa7 so per mile But another diaep'