The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-06-03
The Mails.

AenluChJ. l..
The Mails @"''
Mr.. SANDERS
In the Enquirer we find advertised by the
Postoffce Department, that proposals will be
received at the contract Office for carrying the
mail as follows:
No 14O4 From Indianapolis, via Bridgeport,
Plainfeld, Bellville, Stillsville, Green
castle, Manhattan Reels Mill Har-
mony, Brazil, Van Buren, and Glover
Land to Terre Haute, "a miles and
back, six times week, by such
mode of transportation as will in
clude the entire mail
.T5t.a e E1 SCHEDULE eae
Leave Indianapolis daily, except Sunday
at P. NJ, and arrive at Terre Haute next
days by 4 A. NJ rea tei fo
Leave Terre Haute daily, except Sunday, at
8 P. M. and arrive at Indianapolis next DAYS
by 10 A. M. a1
Now this is the mail which brings and takes
all our Eastern mail matter. Let us see how
it will work This contract is to be for tuo
gears, from the LIST Of July rext, and under it
our mails will, for that period, continue just
as they now are and have been, since the 1st
of April last, when they were thrown off the
I. H. & R.. Railroad because the government
would not pay what it claimed as fair price
for the service rendered. st
ask is this to be endured? Is there no
remedy? Are we of the Pocket to be denied
the privilege of speedy mail facilities for two
years longer, at the insane caprice of an in
competent Post Master General? U
Suppose the Railroad Co., from indianapolis
to fTerre Haute does ask too much for carrying
the mail, (Which. however l do not admit }
does that justify the government, in cutting off
the whole of our mail accommodations in this
quarter-on the narrow and false plea of econ
omy? Why, is it not evident that by refusing
to submit to the necessities of the case, three
times the amount of overcharge laid to the
road, is lost in the decrease of business done
through the mailsf Who as things stand,
will send letters by mail, when through the
express and other means they can be sent in
one-third the time? Then, what was the duty
of the government as well as its interest? Was
it not to do, as an individual would have done
make the best of matters as they were, until
better could be done? Submit to moderate
Inconvenience, rather than suffer greater
But does any one suppose there will be any
saving in expense to the Department, by the
course it proposes? Let US sec. The road
asks $3.50 per mile, or SIS, 800 per annum for
tyIf1nr
other in the State-the distance being IA miles.
Is it probable any one will undertake it by
wagon, or coaches at less than this; mail so
large as frequently to fill two four horse coaches
and winter, distance of "a miles, in fifteen
hours? In the first place, the time can't be
made, except when the roads are very good
and then only with relays of horses every ten
miles; and in the next place, it can't be done
cheaper than the price asked by the railroad
if so cheap. e..
What folly is this, to talk of going back tc
wagons and mud roads, with railroad running
alongside? Out on such humbuggery Talk
of economy! Where are the rights of the peo
pie? Are they to suffer, to crafty the stupid
obstinacy of incompetent officials? Econo
my indeed! Look at the case of the Illinois
Central Railroad road built with land do
mated by the General Government. We there
find 500 per mile paid by this same govern
ment, for carrying mail over road built by
means furnished By ITSELF and a mail too, MOI
larger than can be packed into an ordinary
hand cart. And yet forsooth, because roac
+ in Indiana, built by individual enterprise, dare.
ask price even less than this-the service
rendered being considered, the demand is pro
nounced extortion, and the large and populou.
region served with its mail through this route
coolly told it mustput up with such accommo
datons in the way of mail as slow coaches car
afford, and thank fortune and the PROGRESSIVE
democracy that it is no worse ID
: Where all this time is Smith Miller that he
: does not see this grievance corrected? Bah
what need to ask? What can he do? If we
will send cyphers to Congress, we must expect
:, to suffer Yet we should not suffer without
at least an effort to gain our rights, and it is
time we were taking this business in hand
and let us do it energetically, unitedly and
with determination to succeed Let a meet
t ing be called. Let the public voice be heard
and perhaps even the dull ear of authority may
be reused to listen-to heed-to do-and in
, DOING to do as public right demands.