The true Democrat., 1854-07-19
The Mails.

We have learned from Washington city, that the Post Master General has determined to abandon the project of daily land mail be- tween this point and Memphis, and restore the White river mail, as before, in all of it's con- nections.
 The policy as established and endeavored to be carried out by the general government, ot making the post office department support it. self, works great injustice upon the western states. In Arkansas there is not, we believe, a single route of which the revenue is sufficient to defray the expense of transporting the mails over it, and consequently, whenever an apph- cation for increased mail facilities is made, our citizens are met at the threshold with the reply, that the burden of carrying the mails in this State is already as great as the Post Office De- partment can bear. Thus in carrying out this policy the people of Arkansas have suffer- ed, and must continue to suffer-
 We should be rejoiced at the establishment of daily mail between Little Rock and Mem phis, if sufficient amount of money could be appropriated to put the road in such condition as to render the transportation of the mails reg- ular and certain at all seasons; but if the same illiberal policy is to be pursued towards this route as has been towards all others in this State, it is far better that it should be aban doned and more certain and cheaper one adopted. As the matter now stands we are in very bad way about mails. For our eastern mail, by far the most importantma in the state, the one upon which all of Arkansas portion of Louisiana, and portion of Texas depend for their mail matter, we are dependent upon the contract between this point and Napo- leon and that has been reduced to a very low grade of service. This is consequence of the policy which has been adopted by the gov- ernment of making tn Post Office Department bear Its own expenses.
 We notice in the Standard letter from Ro- bert w. Johnson, defending himself against censures cast upon him in consequence of the wretched condition of the mails in the northern portion of the State. They are truly in wretched condition, but no one of our del- egation is responsible for this, unless he is to be held responsible for acts against which he contended and protested.
 Against the policy which governs the Post Office Department in its mail arrang gements, par ticularly for this State, all of our Senators and Representatives have struggled in vain. They have sought, in every instance where the pub lie interests demanded it, the requirement of the highest grade of service, but, we do not think, were successful in single instance- They were overruled with the reply that the service they demanded was too expensive for the Department to bear
 The censures that have been cast upon Rob't w. Johnson, in consequence of the contract for the route between this point and Napoleon not being what it was before, are equally unjust.- To his efforts, the people upon the Arkansas river are wholly indebted for the first establish ment of the Arkansas river route, and to the sustaining of both it and the White river route, he has at all times given his attention and his in- huence And to condemn him now, for fa- lure to keep it up at the highest grade of ser vice. and that too, when the Arkansas river mail route has been constantly represented by our own citizens here as impracticable, is an in- justice that we did not think any one would descend to do him.
 Without his efforts, in the first place, the route would neverhave been established and. in the second place, he has kept it up to what it is, in the face of opposition from this place. His object has always been to keep both the Arkansas and White river lines in operation and had the contractors of the government not failed in their undertaking. for which he is in nowise responsible, the mails would have been carried on both of them to the present day.
 We are rejoiced to learn that the Postmaster General has determined to restore the White river mail. We trust he will give us a tri-week- ly mall also from Helena.