The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-07


law, and he should require obedience to 1T from all III
did not agree with the gentleman from Ohio Mr. Roor
ton OF the public should be aggreved they ought to es
ablish private expresses He was lover of law, and h
should seek to make il adequate for the purposes design
ed Ii the duty OF Congress 10 provide the
mail facilities, expedtiously well cheaply, especially
on the main routes He was sorry to made aquesio
by gentlemen this floor, between the Postmaster Gen
eral and the railroad company In his Judgment tina
officer had nothing TO do with it, He had done his duty
according to the law, aud the constructions OF it, which
had all the force Of law Had he done otherwise h.
would have violated his duty He is in this matter hs
mere agent OF the aw and has "eyes to aid tongue
TO speak" only as 1t gives them to him. The question
was between Congress and the company; and we ar,
possessed OF II egsailvey and not judically should
dispose of it for the public good For his part he was
satisfied from the statements made to the committee tina
The price asked was not exorbitant In fixing that com
pensaon reference should be had to the circumstance
by which the railroad company is surrounded tappeas
that yields te income TO its propretors, and
that, IN running only once a day, The travel upon
that route Is limited, and Is divided between it and
the Bay line The case presented by the gentle
man from illinois, OF the route from New York to Troy
IS not parallel one That route susains rival lines
without reference to the mail service and all the
penson received beyond the expense of the hand
ling of the mail is clear profit TO the line which obtains
the contract The peculiarly OF this route is ap
and east, from New York to Baltimore is enjoyed by a
single line. AT Baltimore ii is divided between this
pany and the Bay line and beyond Richmond, it again
unites line. So that the price paid either side
or the other can form OF compensation. He
was special friend OF corporations He did not belong
to party which encouraged them On the other hand,
in their place They We're, he had found good servants,
but bad masters. He would, therefore, always oppose
them when they took advantage of the monopoly which
their great wealth gave them TO exact unjust terms But
he did not consider such the He would
sent to pay such not exceeding the former contract
price, as the service could be obtained for and would
from Virginia, mir. MEADE.l He could advan
age in passing the resolutions OF the committee They
proposed the thing that the Postmaster General
authorized and willing to do. He had evidence
that the company would recede to that point The reso-
utons would probably be nuy, But it is said that
yielding. as tits called, by Congress, will form prece
dent for exactons from other companies. tie did not be-
eve it. Public opinion always controlled these matters
The case in Connecticut, referred to by the gentleman
from Tennessee Mr. JoNEs] this morning, shows that
strongly, The railroad company there submitted when
the public declared it in the wrong. He feared public
opinion justified the claim of this company, least far
as he could gather it in his section of the country
Should the amendment of the gentleman from Virginia
MIR. MEADE] be adopted, he would also provide that
the damages sustained by the Bay company should be
paid them There must be Legislation Tor particular cases
1t is absurd to suppose that any be fixed as
compensation in all cases. Circumstances will vary it,
and the price must be made adequate for the service
qured, by special law in such where the discre
ton vested in the Postmaster General not sufficiently
broad.
Mr. MEADE said that the proposed measure would
prove to be nuty ltwould be perfectly idle to pass the
resolutions of the committee, without knowing that the
Richmond Railroad Company would accept the terms
We would simply direct the Postmaster General to offer
to the company the same terms has heretofore rejected
The object of the substitute which he had offered yester
day. and which was read for nfornahon was, to relieve
the present law Of its ambiguity. II he understood the
difference between him and the Postmaster General in
their construction of the law The only difference be-
tween them was about matter of fact, to wit What
would it cost to transport the mail between Washington
and Richmond in stage coaches' The Postmaster Gene
raj has adopted his rule in pursuance of the opinions
OF his two predecessors the highest price actually paid to
stase-coaches, which is $3.50 per mile. His colleague
thought it would cost much more; how much more,
matter of onecture He says the road between this
city and Richmond is the road he ever pre-
sumo sad Mr.. ND that he travelled between Alta
anta and Montgomery, between the latter place and
Greensboro in Alabama On these routes, $40, less,
per mile is paid The object of the substitute which
propose offer to render the rule CERTAIN and relieve
the department of all doubt hereafter If the Postmaster
General has committed error, it was in making joint
contract with the railroad and steamboat companies He
could, think, have agreed with the Richmond Railroad
Company at $237 50 per mile. He then ought to have
advertised for competition the river and might have,
by that means lessened the cost OF transportation be-
tween Washington and Aqua creek four or
five thousand dollars. The misfortune was, how
ever that the principal owner of the steamboat company
had, as have understood, also controlling influence
on the railroad company, and by combined action,
cured the contract to both companies 1t is known to
the representative from Virginia that the Richmond Rail-
road Company has no authority to connect itself with
another company; and in all future contracts this diff
Guilty may be avoided by the Postmaster General making
separate contract with the railroad company, and in
VnT competition on the river regard price
by the Postmaster General as high enough and have
no doubt the railroad company would acceptit Public
opinion would force them to accept it, for have learned
that the people of Richmond themselves sustain the Post
master General in this controversy. Sir, the inconve-
nence to the public is not so extensively felt The
country between this and Richmond may feel the change,
and perhaps the people of Petersburg small de-
gree The northern mail arrives now at Petersburg only
Two hours later than did before, and this time Is made
up before it arrives in Wilmington The steamboats,
from that place leave their wharf at the same hours they
did before this change.
| My colleague has (unintentonally, have no doubD
msrepresented the present amount paid by the Posmas
ter General. When the mail Is taken oil the road be-
tween Richmond and Petersburg there will be saving,
and it will not involve delay of twenyfour hours. In
few DAYS the City Point road will be in operation; the
mail from Richmond will be deposited here and in thirty
minutes will be in Petersburg.
The miscarriage OF letters spoken OF by my colleague,
must have been owing to other causes for we know the
steamboats, have performed their trips with great
ty and the mail from Richmond wagons arrives here
regularly once day. Mr. NJ. would Che sad) add an
other resolution the substitute which he had proposed
and would read il for the information OF the committee
| This substitute would be as follows:
Be resored By the Senate and House of Rpesentatires o.
the United of america Congress assembled, Ina
the Postmaster General be- and he hereby authorized, IN
future TO contract with the RAILROAD Tor tue trans
portaop mail of the first class, price not exceed
ing hundred and and hall dollars pc
nle for transporting the mail once day. and three nun
ded dollars for transporting the same twice day. ffop'
ed That for such service performed IN the nighttime an
additional compensation, not exceeding - per cent OF
those sums, may be given :,
RESOLVED That the Postmaster General be- and he Is here
by required the great nothern and southern maj
TO be transported by steamboat and railroad on the usual
rome Otherwise directed by laws Prordsd, The SAINT
ho tona IN