The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-06-24
We have received from the Post Office Department the
following communication for publication
Richmond Railroad

Union.
Richmond Railroad.
In Yesterdays Union endeavored to show that there
was Just ground of complaint against the present
Postmaster General for refusing the price demanded by
showing that he had concured with all his predecessors
in the construction OF the acts OF 1888 and 1882 The
report of Mr. Pearce however, attempts TO show that the
original decision was wrong. Whether the original de.
cision ten years ago, was right wrong, after it had
been long acted by his predecessors, acquesced in
by contractors and reviewed by Congress twice. would
not have been safe prudent to have changed it.
not, however but think the opinion expressed in the
port hasty one
The act of 1898 prescribed the rule, that the mails
should be placed railroads. if the Postmaster General
could get the service "upon reasonable terms, and moi
paying Their for in any instance more than IS per cent
and aboue at similar transportation tcod cost
post coaches" The application of the rule to the actual
service was dlfcu-it was settled. as think e
more and Cincinnati the mountans-the most cost
ly in the United States, which averaged $3.50 per mile,
and made the maximum $2s1 So THIS decision pro.
refused the mails at the price; and the question was
again submitted to the next Congress, which passed an
| explanatory law on the 25th of January, 1882
This act prohibited the Postmaster General from pay
ing than three hundred dollars per mule per
mum TO any railroad company IN The United States for
roads prsu,dsd ot nothing in tbs act shall Se
strued so any ,cayto remove or impair the lmita.
tons upon The p0Der Of the Postmaster General imposed
| on that section"
| Now, what were the limitations imposed by that act
They were nothing else than the IS per cent coach
service which had been settled by the Postmaster
General at S237 so for single daily service, and re-
ported to Congress. If the phraseology "one more
daily mails" authorized the payment Of 5000 per mile
for single daily service, it would be at war with the
pove the absuay Of authorizing the POSTMASTER o Gem
eral pay for single daily service that railroad
much the railroads from New York to Baltimore,
which twice daily with double the amount of
mail matter 1t construed to authorize $500 per mile
for more trips than daily, and $237 so for single
daily sevice has been ever since 80 practised on and
Al
at 1927 So and continued the service until the LIST Of
July, ls43.
The 18th section of the act of ls45 limits the power to
pay to the first class railroads than is "noU aoUed
lar" Can be possible that this construction of the
law could have been long before the country-twce
before Congress- yielded to by such men as Louis Nc
eminent lawyers as any in the Union-and not be
sdered settled questions Mr.. Pearce is. presume
the only in the country not interested in these cor
porauons whose attention has been turned to this sub
ect, whose opinion does not correspond with those given
/ in the department
The report however treats the price demanded by the
company reasonable. Is it sol The cost of the mai
this route when the railroad completed by steam
boats and coaches was IS 400 per annum Now, the
railroad demands $50, 272 The transportation of every
thing ese this route has been reduced by the rail
road than 100 per cent How is it that the trans
poratIon has increased muchl 1t is evidently by q
combination Of the Maryland Steamboat Company with
the virginia Railroad Company that breaks down BY the
And the moment the Postmaster General is enabled to gel
line of boats the bay, to take the mall the
line bought up by the stockholders of the other
panies, and they have the control of it, They will have
the government contract In some ways and now tho Sen
ates resolution directs the mail to be restored at the old
price, $32272, and leaves the contract in force tc
pay them $4,000 for taking the same great southern
mail between Baltimore and Petersburg.
II Congress thus chershes these mammoth monopolie'
out Of the public treasury, there will he but little money
left to establish mail IN the States reduce
the rates OF postage for the benefit Of the public al large
And wha, benefit is the public to derive from IL SOM
eight or ten hours expedition in the malls.