Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-02-18
MAIL. BETWEEN RICHMOND AND
WASHINGTON.

To the Editors Of the Enquirer:
Gentlemen II had supposed that our countr
wa. vet free, and tina, if INTERPRETATIONS ema
n.,ed from The Post Office Department, an,
were made public through the press, II was law
tul and proper, through the same press 10 altemp
n nreyent injury from them. Hefce, when
saw that under law which made he duty o
,he Postmaster General TO have the null carried
IN The railroad, provided he could havelt done OF
reasonable terms, he excused himset Tor tht
breach OF this duty upon The allegallol mat III
on, il carried another way Tor SOB 4S les
,han he would have had 10 pay by lh,rairoad
/ deemed i, proper 10 notice this aegalin, and Il
s,a,e The main and naked truth, that IN Depart
mcnt instead Of paying 1915 as less hn for Iht
did service was paying So 2i5 marc TIN il pai0
tnr Inc old. and SSOl5 more than il oG1d Tor the
old showed that the way the Pos'mash Genera
90, 10 his result was by deducling S5tS 4S, The
did nav for carrying The mail on The riIroad be-
tween Richmona and Petersburg; Whens, under
his rev arrangement. the mail stilRent thai
way and he wonld still have 10 mahhat pay
ment. Notwithstanding the article sich you
have re-published from The " ffedickshurg
| News" under The signature oil "Cafof," &c
see nothing improper IN Inc endeaY thus To
correct a misrepresentation; Tor u Y pialnlv
ono and is now clearly established i1e one by
The fact thai since the Postmaster GerhPs com
municaiion TO Congress and The comb ee-and
inacrd since the first day oil Janua} he has
continued TO pay for carrying the nj on the
Isilroad between Richmond and PeVburg, at
,be hid ra,e Of S5,Sl5 As. And thuse fact is
established, tina! upon The pretext ihahe could
mi have the mail carried by The railrd on rea-
sonablr terms, he has changed il 10 a ,Uer and
inferior route, and is now paying fcbad SER
vice IS. 245 more than he paid Tor gooHow TAR
his course is consistent with publicly, is a
matter 10 be settled between The Posmer Gene
raj and those to whom he is response. II i,
aives satisfaction both TO The PostmasGeneral
and the pnbic, il will suppose. be ccnued.
But suppose, on the other hand, neE be sa-
,is6ed with il, what lhenl Are the sItholders
!, inc company 10 acquiesce in The ,mpt 10
make i. carry the mail for less than Gems a
inst COMPENSATION Tor less than the Eulment
is having Tor worse service; Tor less tPresi-
dent Tpiey, in ls43, awarded, as a jus'mpen-
saliou for carrying il on the raiioand less
llan The Department, under Join, 'r.Cion of
: Congress, fixed upun in 1913, as lus6pen-
salon Tor CARRYING il ON the Potomac1an-
: swcr. no. The railroad is IN work OF lhwho
paid for il; j! is their property as mucr as
: their lands or their houses; and if this Isrly
{, be wanted, either for carrying The mail or any
other public use, just compensation rtbe
paid for il. On the one hand, we have iiost-
: master General representing the Govcrntot
: the United States and endeavoring 10 GET Use
OF The road for the mail tor az little as ne con
!, the other hand, there IS the company, Oh
y wants more-which is unwilling 10 caihe
i mail for less than il has been heretofore recss,
; and thinks il ought 10 have as much as I'd
!, for the transportation Of The mail north OF b.
ington city. n
Now, in The language of the writer OF Cse'
;. "who is 10 iHdsc7' He asks "is The comP
i ask, is the Postmaster General The eg
! 10 both questions is: if the company and thu.
master General can agree, il is all wei! ;E
:. they cannot agree, the judgment OF neiihn
Il bind the o,her The principle is sacred-,.
d nized by our constitutions both Stale and Ed,
that private properly shall mol be IL ken for c
use wihou, Just compensation; and decan
: either by the legislative or executive pot
what is jus, compensation, can never bis
;, owner OF property. The only mode, in whic-
: der The constitution, private property can{es
!, taken for public use, is By The passage OF n
: providing just compensation Tor il, and i
= ling some dislnleresled tribunal 10 pass be /
the Government and the owner OF such pro /
:, aud determine wha, will be just compens
= The monsirous prelension OF The Pos,ut
General, tha, his ipse dizit is absolutely loI
: ern, is one to which can never yield. Wei
: yielded TO- we should be prepared 10 relintl
: one of the most fundamental principles oil
: eovernment-we should be ready Tor The eSe|
;, of despotic power.
;, one OF YOUR SUBSCRIBED