Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-06-28
From the Fredericksburg News.
The New Mail Arrau9eme

OF course our respected contemporaries of the
Alexandria Gazette and Sentinel are very much
"upliited" at the 'snew mail arrangements" for
carrying the ssgreat Southern mail, - by ssthe
Alexandria and Gordonsvle and Central roads y
to Richmond, instead of by the Fredericksburg
and Potomac road, as heretofore, for n time to
which the memory of the Oldest inhabtant run
meth not to the contrary. We are not surprised
at this; and we sorry to interrupt their rejoic
ings. We should be glad for Alexandria to have
two mails a day-she must have been in a very
benighted condition without them--it will give
her an added dignity and Importance ''at home
and abroad. y
But we cannot be expected to have any extra
ordinary affection for the Orange and Alexandria
railroad and we must be excused for thinking it
has made very foolish arrangement. Indeed,
1t is difficult to decide which has acted most I'M
wisely in the matter, the Railroad Company or
the Postmaster General. We did not expect
much from him. If he is reasoning animal, -
rat all qualified for his position, Dispatch regu-
larity, ffdseconomy would have been the ele-
Inonta from which to form correct decision in
the case. We think he has ,lisre garded all three
of these primary and most important cons;dera
tions.
BY the confession of our Alexandria conten-
poraries ''the contract has been made at rates
something less per mile than the sum allowed the
Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac rail-
road, but the aggregate is larger, - the distance
being greater. We venture the assertion that
the distance was not considered by the Postmaster
General, the s'less per mile" doubtless decided
him. He pays charger" sum, then to which
must be added the increased cost of the way mails
between Aqua Creek and Richmond, which of
course the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Poto-
mac railroad will refuse to touch
He has wasted the peoples money, then, by
the new arrangement. Has he made up for it ia
"dispatch" 1t is idle to think So The distance
being greater, the presumption is in favor of the
old arrangement With new road and sheavy
rail- on the gu route" the speed can be greater
now on the old route. As soon as the heavy rail
is laid all the way on ssthe line by Fredericksburg
that speed will be much increased, and ssthe new
route" distanced completely. On the whole,
then, we are glad of this s'new arrangements Git
will not last two weeks.) We have been urging
"the route by Fredericksburg" for two years to
lay the heavy rail without delay. Through
mistaken idea of economy it has been neglected
This rap of the Postmaster General will awake
this company ssto sense of their situation, - and
we shall have the heavy rail along the whole line
in short time Besides, the Richmond and
Petersburg road refuses TO touch the mail under
the "new arrangement" and 1t is to be carried
in wagons between those two cities. If it does
not reach Petersburg in time, the Petersburg and
Weldon road will not detain passengers for the
accommodation of the Postmaster General, and
thus the .'dispatch" will be increased tremen-
dously. The mail facilities" will be great; the
Telegraph" will make money; a man can get
to New Orleans day or two before a letter can
be carried by the 'new arrangement. "Ds-
patch, then, as well as ECONOMY" has been
dsregarded by this wise Cabinet officer
But this g new arrangement, compensates for
these small deficiencies by its Regularity We
predict il will be g regularly behind the old
route. The "fogs" on the river They will be
avoided. We do not think the Postmaster Gene
raj can possibly "avoida fog" Hewas certainly
in one when he made the !" new arrangement. y
How often do the g detentions from ice and tors,,
occur' The detention by the "new arrange
ment' we have shown will be t,cicc in ere,p
t,centgjoT hours not counting the chance Of
accidents, sc. Half dozen times year deten-
ton may occur by the old route, to avoid the
possibility of which the Postmaster General has
illustrated his wisdom by making this new
arrangement at the sacrifice of time and money
and whatever character for common sense he
ever possessed, TO say nothing ofthe accommoda-
ton and convenience of a large section of Vir-
ginia. This last item has not entered into our
account, because we supposed the Postmaster
General considers it too small matter for his
consideration.
We have but little space left for the Orange
and Alexandria Railroad Company Perhaps il
is as well; we might have said something un-
pleasant To be brief, they have sacrificed the
States interest in the road as well as that of the
private stockholders, which is not Of any great
value, and with which we have nothing to do,
for we are " not poor enough" to own stock in
that road. The compensation will not begin to
pay the increased expenses. IL is vain TO ex-
pect to get the travel, which it is always difficult
to turn from its accustomed route, and which al
ways goes by the quickest line. We admire
their enterprise, but il is not worth while TO be
reckless. We wonder if increased dividends are
among the benefits which the Gazette antici-
pates from the proposed arrangement 10 all con-
cerned. +"