Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1857-01-17

obige me by informing the readers of the TINES
the result of the investigation? Is Walker or
are his agents to blame? If not, can you tell me
where the blame lies? ~al
Respectfully Yours,
TN. NEWSON.
ST. PAUL, January 9th, 1857.
T. NJ. Newson, ESQ.,, Editor of the St. Paul
Daily Times. DEAR SIR: Your note inquiring
what is the reason of the detention of the mails,
and requesting me to inform the readers OF the
TINES the result of my investigation, recently had
with a view to the ascertainment OF such reason,
was received yesterday. l take pleasure IN re-
plving as promptly as possible. especially as you
are the only person, so far as know, who has
sought "a correct knowledge of the facts before
utterins censure. Promptly, at the time required
by his contract with the Government OF the Uni
ted States, Mr.. Walker placed upon the route be-
tween st. Paul and Dubuque, force Of men,
horses, coaches, &C., amply sufficient to carry the
mails and accommodate the public, and much
greater and more perfectly organized force tnan
had been upon that route during previous seasons
From the beginning the mail and passengers have
dit;on of the roads and circumstances beyond the
control of Mr.. Walker would permit. There has
no. been, so far rs have been able to discover,
after dilligent inquiry, single instance OF wan
ton, intentional, or culpable neglect or remiss'
ness on the part of Mr.. Walker or any OF his
agents in performing their difficult and arduous
duties. 1t is alleged that mail matter has been
left. from time to time, at different places along
The line of the route.
This sincerely believe to be an unjust accu-
sation. There is not single fact to support it.
no portion of mail matter, once taken from Du-
buque, has been left at any point on the route
short OF its proper destination. Again it has
been charged, that q large quantity of mail mat
ter has been suffered to accumulate at Dubuque,
and that such accumulation has been caused by
toe fact that Mr.. Walker, his agents, have pre-
tered carrying passengers, to carrying the mails
There never was more utterly unfOunded
charge made than this, so far as it imputes fault
to Mr.. Walker, or any person employed by him,
and think can safely appeal to every citizen of
Minnesota who has travelled over the route during
the month of December last, or during the pres
ent ronth. to sustain me in this assertion. That
there has been, at brief intervals, large accu-
mutation of mail matter at Dubuque, is undoubt-
edv true. But that this has been the result of
any neglect of duty on the part Of Mr.. Walker or
his agents, confidently deny. 1t is we'll known,
especially. to those who have made the journey
from or TO Minnesota, Eastward or Westward this
winter, that the great lines of travel between Du
buque and points Eastward have been seriously
DISTRACTED by snow, and that the cars have been
frequently prevented by this cause, from arriving
ut or leaving Dunleith for days, in one instance,
for six days. Thus the mails are gathered by
successive trains passing Westward, and when
they reach Dubuque the accumulation is necessa-
rily large but it will not be pretended that MIR.
Walker or his agents are responsible for that.
All that can be required of him, or them, is that
the mails shall be carried fast force fully
sufficient for the reasonable and usual { not ex
traordnary emergencies Of the route will carry
it. No just person will insist that when tons OF
mail matter are thus unexpectedly and unayoida.
bly, collected at Dubuque, the contractor must
provide teams, no matter how many, nor whether
such provision be possible or impossible, to take
it all at once. AL! that can possibly be asked is,
that he shall make reasonable provision, and use
reasonable diligence. This has been fully done,
and whenever such collection of mail matter has
occurred, two four horse teams loaded exclusive
ly with it, have regularly left Dubuque for Saint
Paul, and on the l4th of December, the coach
which then left, carried with it every particle of
mail matter then at Dubuque for this place, and
the mails have throughout the season been taken
thence promptly and as rapidly as practicable.
The allegation that Mr.. Walker has refused to
carry the mails because he preferred to carry pas
sengors, is not only untrue in point of fact, but
it refutes itself. and the direct contrary is the
truth.
What earthly motive could he have for such re-
fusal? Not surely to make money, for his fines
for failing to fulfil his contract with the Govern
ment would amount to more, much more, than
could be reasonably charged to passengers! The
fact is that he has refused to carry passengers at
times. in order to carry the mail, and it can be
easily proved that not only was this the case re-
peatedy, but that passengers, whose fares would
hare amounted in the aggregate to two hundred
dollars, were in one day SO refused, and for such
cause.
been much INSTRUCTED this winter by snow, par
ticolarly the Southern end of the road, where
the snow has been three feet deep on level.
The road passes generally over prairie. Winds
have prevailed to greater extent than usual this
winter, and consequently, the snow has been drift
ed into the track to an almost impossible depth.
Light loads and slow progress has been the in
eyitable and unavoidable result. But if railroad
trains, through settled country, with all the
force at the command of powerful corporations
to aid them, have been prevented from arriving
ct their destination for sic days at time, with
what propriety is a stage proprietor censured for
delay and difficulty, who runs line through two
hundred miles of comparative wilderness, with
no aid save his drivers Unless he can control
the clements, accidents will happen, and delays
will occur. Such accidents and delays are nju-
rious to his interests, as of course they are I'm.
pleasant to his feelings. To incur them inten-
tionally or recklcssly, would be suicidal folly.
Allowances will be made by all right minded
people for the difficulties he is obliged to encount
er, and submit the inquiry, which you intell-
gently and kindly Make should precede, not
follow censure. 1t is natural that disappointment
anu irritation should follow from the irregular
arrival os the mails, but such disappointment
and irritation is not, respectfully urge, justif-
cation OF an united effort to crush an important
enterprise, in the success of which the public is