Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-06-20

difference in favor Of the new route and ser.
vice OF 1919 AZ per annum. In his letter Of
the 23d May, lo4S, TO the Post Office Commit.
lee OF The Senate, ne says that this was true al
the time; and that the change in The statement is
owing to the necessity Of providing for the
transportation, in wagons of the local mail be-
tween Richmond and Petcrsburg-a measure
adopted BY tn. department since December
last.
The present route is thus shown to be more
expensive than the old one; and the committee
have abundant evidence that it is BY no means SO
efficient
For example: the great Southern and North.
ern mail which leaves Richm nd at s, A. NJ,
is not received in Baltimore Ill s, A. NJ, the
following day, if the trip be performed in
schedule timc and letters by it to Washington
arrive at III, A. NJ; % hours. Whereas, by
inc old route, the mail from Richmond reached
washington The same day, about 4 o'clock, and
went on North, through Baltimore, without de.
lay Thus there is always between Washing
Ton and Richmond delay Of IL " Is hours
and sometimes much more In going North and
IN The reverse direction an equal or greater
delay; while a letter for the South, mailed al
Washington in The evening" goes to Baltimore
by The morning train Of cars, and must remain
TILL II, P. NJ, the same day, before il can start
thence Tor the South. These delays are very
vexatious, and have given rise to great aud Just
complaints.
IL may also be safely assumed that the revenues
o! Inc department suffer, and, under The present
arrangement, must continue to suier certain and
unavoidable loss by the private conveyance Of
maiable matter. All these delays and evils are
The result OF The change OF route, and their COR
recIion seems 70 be equally demanded by public
opinion and public interest. The manifest RENE
| dy is the restoration OF the mai 10 he old route
| But this the Postmaster General will not DO, be.
cause he declares himself wilhou. lesaI authority
10 do 50, upon the terms demanded by The rail
road aad steamboat company. He thinks him.
sell prohoned BY the acts Of Congress and the
| previous decisions OF his department, from con
tracing with The Virginia steamboat and railroad
| company on the same terms as heretofore.
The sum Of 49,. 253 heretofore paid The com.
pany, was made up OF l2,752 dollars for the
steamboat service on 81 miles OF The route, and
$4,000 dollars for the service over the railroad 76
miles long. In March, lS47, the Posi- Office De-
| par,men notified The company that these rates,
| wnchihad been paid Inc company since 1912 and
1913, could not be allowed alter Jug of that year;
though Inc company continued, without contract
| TO carry the mail till December last
| The legislation OF Congress in relation to mail
| contracts with Iailioal and steamboat lines NAV
| be found in the acts OF July 7, 1898; January IS,
! 1889; and March 3, lSi5-ride pages 2S3 3l4,
5S5 aud 139, Of Sir vol. Laws U.s., by Little &
| Brown.
| The second section OF the first named act De.
clares all railroads 10 be post routes, and requires
The transportation OF The mails thereon; provided
| the Postmaster G neral scan have it done on rea-
sonabe terms; and not paying therefor, in any in
| stance, more than % per cent. over and above
| what similar transportation would cos! in post
| coaches"
The act Of 1889 prohibits The Postmaster &C.
neral from allowing, under the ID section Of the
&C. OF 1888, above quoted, "mo:e than 300 dol.
| lars per mile per annum 10 any railroad cempa-
| ny in The United States for the conveyance OF one
| or mole daily mails upon their road; provided
tina, nothing in this &C! contained shall be con-
srued 50 as, in any way, 10 remove or impair
| the limitations upon the power oil The Postmaster
| General imposed by that section"
The act OF rs directs the Postmaster General
| 10 classify the railroad routes and provides that
no higher compensation Than that now allowed
by law shall be paid Tor The conveyance OF the
mail on any railroad or railroad AMI steamboat
| line oil the first class &c.
sdered himself prohibited from paying 10 Inc
Virginia railroad and steamboat, company more
than S237 50 per mile per aanum lor transport
ing The mail on their road.
One of his predecessors arrived al This result,
thus: The act OF 1888 limited the compensation
10 - per cent. advance on The Cost OF similar
transpor alton in poast coaches and the Postihas-
ter General SAYS that 1870 dollars per mile was
the hiehes, compensation then paid &c any coach
line 10 The United States Tor transporting me nai
To this sum he aided % per cent and The result
was 3d. dollars and so els; which he considered
| the maximum allowance authorized bY law lor
one daily mail.
| rhi. seems 10 the committee an arbitrary rule.
I, does no, follow that because The highest price
| nov ma id for ansporalnn OF The mail 10 coaches
is 1870 dollars pr mile, that the great oounern
mail could be transported between Richmond anu
Washington in post coaches al that ralei ane Inc
| similar transportation IN poast coaches coh'enl'
plated By the law cannot mean such service oe-
tween he same point, or tefmini. Now, II IS not
pfetended tha; the Postmaster General could have
Inc great mail transported between Washington
and Richmond in poasl coaches al l90 dollars per
! mic, On the contrary, the only offer recently
made To carry the great mail between these points
in touy horse rcti.l.s constructed for the purpose,
was for the sum oil $4,000 dollars per annum
which, as The route is l2l miles long. would give
, about 2S2 per mile per annum; aud 70 per cent
added 10 that would exceed considerably me
amount demanded By the company.
Nor can This demand Of % 600 dollars per an
nun for transportation OF the great MAIL 10 Jour
horse vehicles over this route, be consiicrel eI-
orbitant The department now pays l3,Uuo hol,
Lars psr annum Tor The conveyance oil me local
mails on the same route, III two-no!se wagons
, and the size and weg hi OF the great man IS luch
more than double that OF The loca mail. AN e1-
animation as 10 this, IN The month oil june, - =
showed the average weigh, u The mails, gong
Souh 10 be 5000 lbs The largest mail during
,ha, lime, was $500 lbs. During The session oil
; Congress il would OF course, lie much heavier.
IJoon The whole, therefore, il is very clear 10
The committee, that the Postmaster General was
NOT restricted by proper CONSTRUCTION 81 me law,
10 1897 80 per mile which was his ofier 70 inc
Virginia company And though they give MN
credit for yigilant watch over the iatelests Oh
The department, and are sensible how easiiy IN
corporated companies, as well as indiViauals,
may be induced 10 demand Of The government
; more Than a service is really worth, 'ney mus'
think that he would have consulted the require
mert OF The Law, the economy OF The pubic money
and The efficiency oil the mail service, by renewing
The contract with the company Tor The same sum
as that which he had been paying Tor more IMAM
two years after he came into oihce.
In relation 10 the steamboat part oi the iou'ei
IN, Postmaster General assumed that there was
distinction between tina. and the ralifoad par,
and that he could not properly allo" Tor me ior,
mer what he offered 10! the later. he lnsis.eo
upon deduciing l2i per cent from Ihe ME price
Of The railroad part oil the route making ~ on
, about 500 less Tor This part OF the route.
In this the committee see no legal reason
Neither the act OF 1898, nor any other acI, make
.. such or any other Distinction. The act con'em
mates three classes Of railroad routes, "incudins
those in which The service is partly by railroad
and partly hy sleamboa's;" and the postmaster
General is directed 10 classify hen according 10
The siz. Of The mails, The speed with which they
are conveyed, and he importance of The service :
} The Postmaster General himself considers Lhi'
as first class route, as it certainly is. The
} company is subject 20 unusual difficulties and e1
: pcnses on This part OF he route, which, indeed
D seem 10 be recognized by The legislation OF Con
gress.
. In 1912. Congress passed a resolution authofi
, zng The Postmaster General 10 extend me con
,rac, for The conveyance OF the mail on me fo,o
mac. Tor four wears from The termination OF me