The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-11-25

had any need whatever, oil Letters or papers,
that they ever wrote the first or read the
last; or that in any way, they were connected
with other sections OF the Union, from which
they would be glad occasionally to hear
That our merchants and men of business. IN
terested In an internal commerce OF more than
two hundred millions Of dollars, extending
along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers more
than Two thousand miles, aud their tributaries
much farther, should be left 10 the casual
chance OF way passenger on a steamboat,
or the more uncertain one, OF a flatbOaf TO
forward their business letters in adrdnce of
the mail, to their correspondents slor, those
great streams, would hardly be credited
let Tor the want OF more direct and certain
conveyance, this is frequently the Case and
We venture to say, that for want Of more di
rect mail facilities, One-fhird at least, Of the
correspondence Of our business mt n and 9th
ers, is carried out Of the mails, OIL the West
ern waters-that postage enough is lost to
the Government, from forwarding letters
otherwise than by mail, than would pay all
the expenses OF a daily river mail, touching
at every town from Pittsburgh to New Or
leans. Yet notwithstanding our constant APP
plication to COngress-our reiterated Com
plants, for years. to the Fost Office Depart
ment, who would believe that of the large
sum Of s., $40, 0C0 asked for and Appropriated
by Congress, for the transportation Of the
mails within the United States less than
$50, coo is applied for the transmission of
the mails by the river from Pittsburgh to
New Orleans: :hat there is no rirer mail
from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, although there
Is daily line of steam packets running all
the year. But a ri-reekly mail is carried he
zen Louisville and ST. Louis. aud u similar
III.
1p the Kentucky anG Green rivers, with
rekly packets running all the year To
l..naiort aud Bowling Green. no mail is car
IIri-nonc OH the Tennessee or the Cumber-
land, making at least l,SO0 miles of inland
navigation in the most populous portions Of
the West, unsupplied with Il river mail, and
which might be supplied at comparatively a
small expense, three times week, by steam
boats running OH the waters. That the Post
Office Department absolutely refuses to al
low more than the ptitul sum OF sirty.fre
dollars a ~. Internationally. for carry Ing
the large mail from Louisville TO New Or
leans, when, for The moderate sum of one
hundred dollars q trip, Internationally, the
best contractors in the West, on the best
ard fastest boats that navigate The " estern
waters, otfert carry it daily and regularly,
supply ing with mail matter all the year, the
whole oil southern Kentucky Indiana, Illinois,
Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Texas, eight States OF the
Coniederacy, and fully four million of inhab-
itants.
Less than fifty thousand dollars applied to
this great object while Congress lavish up
wards Of eieren hundred thousand dotiars to
fit nut expensive steamers, euriching beyond
all calculations, a lew spectators. TO carry
mail to two ports on the coast Charleston
and New Orleans, thence TO Chagres and
from Panama TO Saa Francisco and Oregon.
The adveuturers to the first, and the Indians
Of the latter, receiving mail facilities to an
amount exceeding one million Of dollars,
while the whole population and business Of
the Valley Of the Mississippi by steam con-
municaiion. gets less than fifty thousand.
But this is not all For Carrying the mail
on steamers to Southampton and Bremen, an
additional sum OF $685. 900 is annually paid
by the government, and the argumen, used
Tor this immense outlay. as in the case OF
those carrying the mail TO the Pacific, is, that
that they are 10 be turned over 10 tie United
States in case Of rar'-an event not very
likely. as We trust, soon TO take place. AT
least during the life OF the steamers, un-
less, as some predict, it should happen
among ourselves, in which case the con-
test 10. their possession would be be-
tween other parties the West taking 10
part in The matter except as paciticatOrs.-
Again, il WAS only at the last stssion OF Con-
gress that the modest sum Of 81 ,22l 600 was
asked for a mail line to Africa, with the
avowed purpose Of carrying all the free ne
groes out Of the country, at $50 per head.--
The chairman of the Committee who intro
duced the bill (the Naval Con,mltee) was
distinguished gentleman from the West
from the Valley iisell. We feel no dsposi-
lion to criticise these appropriations for for
eign mail service; they may be all right but
may we not ask the honorable chairman, and
especially the members of Congress from the
Hest, whether one-tenth or oiic-tweltih OF
these sums granted and asked lor Tor an OBJ
Ject exclusively domestic and national, for
Increase Of mail facilities on tie Western
waters when they are SO much needed would
be at all extravaganza Whether, in fine, such
in appropriation would not be just and meri
torious under ill the circumstances So far
from such al appropriation being an adJi-
iional tax upon the Post Offce Department
we firmly believe II would be the very best
economy, insomuch as we are satisfied with
additional facilities thus giver for the trans
por,alon OF the mails OIL the Western waters,
the revenue OF theDepar:meut would be great
ly increased, & that the increased transmission
Of letters by mail along these waters would
double the amount expended in ii single year.
so that viewing the question as one OF l.olicy
and not of right, the Government would be
the gainer in a pecuniary point Of view by
granting Us the facilities ASKED for.
Can ou' friends in Congress then f,om the
N"rih and the South be so blind as not to see
At this stale OF things cannot be endured
ionger-that unless something is done
.icnce of our people will be exhausted,
the promises long held out are not
iuiaiied-that while we COMPOSE fully one
1 4 4. Al.