New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-20
FROM HARRINGTON.
THE CALIFORNIA MAIL SERVICE
osvsspssSssse Of TSs n Y. Tribune

sses 10 drawing toward close. The hotels are full
o. at filing up, and the rOtunda Of the CaPits "a
each day thronged with q multitude Of strange ana
ssxious faces. Many are here for the purpose .,
eettjDg Office and they think BY being on me gIeuno
they will be able 10 obtain hearing iio , .nor.
Who are 10 dispense the patronage: But mere orc
napv here CLOSELY watching the action OF CohgrTs',
and are looking for larger game than once, inc
tAousapd and one schemes OF specuianon' P'unoel,
or relief presented during the TWO sess'Vus VI .pi.
(,oneress not vet dsp0fed OF, WILL u Is lhought ny
- ;ntsye,ted parties, be decided during the next
E.r weeks. and hence the rush here ofthose whose
An.;nSss il 10 be present when the crisis arrives.
TIE most important Of these, perhaps, are the diff
frcnt schemes for getting ocean mail contracts;
ana o. claim 10 have some knowledge Of the prac-
teal effect of such contracts on the California
branch Of the service, let me ask the privilege OF
saying few words
And first, hold that the whole mail service rs,
as far az the people of California are concerned an
unmitigated nuisance. II subjects them to a tax
On their correspondence for which they get no ade-
quate or corresponding benefit. IL gives monop-
OIy Of business TO the Government which couid De
done more promptly and satisfactorily at private
exHense. and with the same less rates OF letter
carriage than are now paid. The express Offices
IN California are more numerous than the post
Offices. There is not mining camp OF any consid-
cradle size in the whole State where there are not
at least two express Offices. Wells, Fargo q Co.
Express and the Pacific Express, have their branch
Offices scattered all through the State and 1T is a
notorious fact that any business man having an lm-
portant letter TO transmit, an immediate answer to
which 10 important, invariably sends 1t by
express, notwithstanding he is Obliged to in
close il in Government envelope, and pay the
express charge beside. So it is with im
portant letters to Newly Ifa letter of special
importance is TO be sent and received immediately
On the arrival of the steamer the writer pays ten
cents for the privilege OF conveying 1t by express
that is, he first pays ten cents for his Government
stamp or envelope and then ten cents additional to
the express company for carrying and delivering II.
Thus the mail service is direct tax upon him. He
is obliged to pay for what he does not receive The
Government claims monopoly Of the letter-carry-
ing business and those who find the means provided
by it tardy and unsafe are subjected to an onerOus
and unjust tax if they employ more safe and
speedy conveyance. The principle is the same as
though the Government were to undertake the bu-
siness of carrying passengers, and were then to
compel every man who travelled on foot, or by any
other conveyance, to pay the same fare to the Gov
eminent az if he had Travelled in Government
steamer.
For safety the expresses are far preferable to the
mails. Who that loses letter containing nythiDg
of value ever thinks of recOl ering it from the
United States An express company is held to
make good all losses by something stronger than the
Baw. If letter with valuable enclosure be lost
from an express office, it will not do for the com
pany to stand lawsuit about it. Publicity is what
they have most to fear and if they know loss has
occurred, if not very large, they promptly pay it,
and beg the loser TO say nothing about it. But how
is il with the United States Post-Oflicel II any
thing nrusted to that is lost, it may be found aud
so may the philosophers stone. The express con-
pany depends entirely on the public confidence for
its support. If the newspapers are filled with re-
ports of suits against any company for letters or
packages lost, the public patronage will go straight
way TO another company which meets with no such
losses, or, if it does, promptly pays for them.
The express charge on a letter from any part of
California to New-YOrk is now the same as the
postage. But it is additional to the postage, for
the expresses are not allowed to carry letters un-
hess they are incosed in Government envelopes.
Gould they have the entire letter carrying business,
there is small doubt but they could and would take
letters to and from California for one half OF what
they now charge. For five cents each they could
afford to bring letters from California to NewIOrk,
where on the payment of three cents more on each
they could all be mailed to any part of the Union
To send letters the other way it would only be
necessary to prepay them to New YORK to the care
of any particular Express Company, aud leave the
latter to collect its pay when the letter was de-
hvered. Payment beforehand with an express
company would not be compulsory. Thus, II the
mail service to California done away the public
would be better served at II less price, and the
Government would not be subject to pay II mail
1t may be feared that if the mail-service were
dispensed with, the expresses would have monop-
oily of the letter-carryng business and might raise
the price to 20 or even SO cents letter vi TINS,
however, there could be no danger, for so soon as
anything Of the kind was attempted any we'll known
and responsible citizen who was going on the same
steamer carrying the expresses might advertise
day or two in advance that ne would carry letters
through for five cents each. OF course then he
would get nearly all the letters. The expresses
would be compelled not only from the competition
among themselves but from the transient inter-
lopers to carry what is now mail matter for just
living profit.
it's perbaps, idle to show how advantageous all
around it would be to have the Pacific Mail service
discontinued. The people have an idea that Gov
eminent mail is one of the bulwarks of republican
institutions. Though it lie shown that the public
would be as well accommodated by private ex-
presses, and that the dangerous political engine
which the Post Office has now become would
be destroyed, yet no considerable portion of the
community would hazard the experiment OF its dis
continuance. The people Of California would very
likely think it great outrage if they were not
taxed with letter postage for the privilege Of send
ing their letters outside of the mails. Reasons
may be plenty black berries, but they avail little
when the public mind is set against receiving them.
You may show by facts and figures that Protection
ia necessary, but you have proved long since how
little your arguments have avshd against the pop
ular cry Of Free Trade" The mail service will
doubtless be continued for many years, aud only by
continued hammerng can the idea be- driven into
the public skull that any other system will answer
as well. There must be years of discussion before
any radical change can DC effected.
There is another evil connected with this Ca.or
MIA mail service which more palpahle and has none