The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1851-01-21
The River Mails.

pressing the claims of the West upon the at
tention Of Congress A memorial OF consum'
mate ability was unanimously adopted and has
since met with universal approval throughout
the Mississippi Valley. This memorial Is a
lair exponent Of Western sentiment, ana OIL
fers no barrier to Union Of Western men TO
secure lis objects. No man, certainly, who is
identified with the West. whose home is here
but will support the memorial and resolutions
with his whole heart-will aid "to carry out,
in the language oil the memorial, land per
feet thorough postal arrangement through
ont the Western States, and especially along
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and thei tr'b-
uiaries, so that daily mail may be furnish
ed to the towns along The first named streams
from Pittsburgh TO New Orleans"
1t may be urged, perhaps, that the Con-
vention asked Tor what already existed but
how is it2 We have an Arrangement which
is dignified with the name Of a daily rirer
mail. 1t exists only in name. Mail bags
accumulate OH our wharf boat by the score.
and so it is at every landing below this and
ST. Louis.
The merchant who entrusts letter 10
Messrs. Buckles & Stewards line, regards it
as hide and go seek operation,- caIcu-
lates upon nothing certain if mailed to-day
it may reach st. L. uis in three days, or three
weeks and the latter is, by far, the most
probable time. Such contractors in the East
ern States W ,uld be kicked out Of the service
in twenty-'our hours, and We leel that njus-
tice is done us when they are tolerated after
repeated failures.
We write in no captious mood. Human
skill can perfect nothing beyond casualties
which the prudence Of man cannot ioresee. A
| locomotive may be thrown from its track, a
mail coach stopped by floods, and steam
boat delayed by fog or ice, causing tempor,-
ry arrangement Of the mails il is only for a
day. when the whole machinery moves a ain
with lis accustomed regularity, and the public
acquiesce, for there has been no violation OF
duty. But when the navigation Of our rivers
is unobstructed, when boats are passing every
hour in the day, and we are unable TO send a
communication 10 a point within the sound oil
boats whistle for an entire week without
violating the Post Office laws-when the
commerce ofthe whole Mississippi valley, suf-
iers. and our merchants are subjected to Sc
rious losses and vexatlous delays, we feel It a
duy we owe to the community to give the
true cause of these complaints. We shall
give our present daily river mail its proper
title. Every hour of its federation as now
carried out, is fraud upon the public-a spe.
cies of iegerdemain by which money is OBJ
tanned under false pretences.
A mail line on the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers is not merely for the benefit of town
or State even, but for several States, COLI
tanning millions of people, almost exclusively
dependent upon these channels for postal
communication. There Is no favor Ia Ink
case shut a right due the West; aud we in
woke the aid oil those. members OF Congress,
who have already distinguished themselve,
by devotion to Western Interests, to secure
to US equal facilities with other portions o
the Union. We ask the Hon. Humphrey
Marshall, whose trapscendant abilities ar,
everywhere acknowledged, and whom III,
West cherishes as one OF her m,st devoted
sons. TO raise his voice against that horde oil
stock jobbers and SPECTATORS, who are plying
all the tricks Of bribery and corruption I,
build mp Ocean Steam Companies, and at tn,
public expense enrich, beyond all calculation
"a favored few.