The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-15
Irregularity or the Mails.

Every winter we are sure to hear innumera-
| BILE complaints of the failure of the mails, and
| each returning season is wont to be character
| lied as worse than its predecessor, or than any
| that has before been known in the memory OF
| the Coolest inhabitant" But were there such
a thing as retrogression in time, it is not un-
likely that we should hear people signing for
| the good times and regularity of the mail in
| lS50-'5l. Heavy snow-storms and tremen-
dous floods are not always to be prevented OF
guarded against, even by the greatest prudence
and care; and these are the source of numerous
| failures every year all over the country. But
| there is another cause for these failures which
| we find SO well explained in the following ar
tcle from the Galena (ll) .Advertiser, Of the
.2Sth ult, that it saves us the necessity at pres
ent of any further remark of our own:
"TnE MAILs.-Many OF the western papers are
complaining bitterly Of the irregulariy of the
crn mails We have suffered as much probably a,
any of them by this rreguarity, but have hithertl
RETAINED from giving utterance to our dissatsfac
| ton, hoping, that soon as the winter arrange
ments, consequent upon transfer of the plails
from water to land conveyance, were perfected
should have cause for complaint Album
dance of time, however has elapsed for the compile
| ton Of these arrangements, yet there is no i'm
| provement in the mail service. Things instead o.
| getting better, grow worse For example: aftci
waiting several days after they were due for New
York papers, received those of the date of tho
9th and It'll, and then, two three days after
| wards came dates of the 4th and 5th. Again, W,
| received New York papers of the l2th and few
days subsequently, those of the 10th and 18th. w,
do not pretend to know where the blame in this
matter lies, do we expect the evils com
planned Of will be remcdied altogether, while
the present outrageous and swndng frank
| ing system continues. Few know the enor
nous burdens which this system imposes upon
the Post Office Department, and the manifold
inconvenience and wrongs it inacts upon the
! people. Almost every mail from the East that now
reaches this city ia numbered down with franked
! matter, and will continue to be while Congress is
| in session. The matter sent ia not confined to
| speeches, pamphlets, &c, but huge piles, thou
sands and tens of thousands of volumes of massive
I books, thus distributed all over the Union. We
saw at post office lately large heap of books,
each containing perhaps 400 pagcs-enough in
number to make tolerable library--which had Just
| arrived by mail, and were destined for Minnesota,
having been sent to the people Of the Territory by
| their mindful representative, Hon Mr. Sibley. Our
readers are that when the ice will not
permit travel on the river the mail is car
ricd the greater part of the distance from
| here to Minnesota by land, on horseback. Some
| idea of the difficulty of the transit may be
| formed, when state that informed
that the free matter above referred to would require
gilt ten horses to carry it to the Territory ii
| is thus that mails filled up. Half of the
time the stages not able to carry them all
through, and part is necessarily left behind and
az often otherwise, this part contains ncwspa-
pers and letters of importance to business men,
which are crowded cut by these unimportant, stale
documents, sent by olhceholders to their political
cronies and constituents II is too much to e1pcc,
that our Congressman will reform this monstrous
evil, unless driven to it by the force of public
| opinion.
| II is privilege they hold very dear, for
by OF it, they cannot only retain the affection
and good will of their partisan friends, but are in
the habit of getting many little articles Of convc-
| nencc from their homes, such as small articles oil
| apparel, &C., free Of expense. Will the people
suffer this abuee longer we trust not"