The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-05-26
RAILROAD MATTERS.

In the Standard of the Goth. we find a
letter from Mr.. Fisher, President of the
n. G.. Railroad, in relation to the RAILROAD
Correspondence" with the p. o. Depart
ment. Mr.. Fisher thus explains the matter !:
..As it does not seem to be clearly under
derstood by all interested, what was the
precise nature of the application lately
made to the Post Master General by the
authorities of the Charlotte i South Caro-
lima, the Raleigh Il CASTOR. and the North
Carolina Railroads, and as the facts have
been both Inexperienced and misstated,
think it proper to state them briefly, that
the truth may be known to the stockholders
and to all concerned.
1t is not true that this application to the
PostOfhce Department was for mail service.
We. who applied, had no reference what
ever to what is known as the Great South
ern Mall and cared very little about it,
(although we might have agreed to carry
it as we'll as the mail line has)-we pro-
posed neither to bid for it. to interfere with
It's general schedule time, nor in any wise
to disturb its present transportation,-we
asked simply this:
That the Post Master General would al
low this Line of Railways to have the bene-
fit ofone halt the time nOeo lost on one of the
through trains at Augusta. The mails and
passengers lie at Augusta six holrs-we
asked that the South Carolina Railroad
should be directed to come forward, after
three hours delay at Augusta, and deliver
the mails and passengers for this route at
Columbia, in order that we might deliver
them along our roads so much earlier, and
at Weldon IN time to connect with the
,rfh Iva al,
of our present time.
This was the whole matter, and so per-
fectly reasonable did it appear to the Post
Office Department that we should have
what we asked for, that the immediate re-
ply was if the President of the South
Carolina Railroad sends his written con-
sent, the Department will not hesitate to
order the proposed change of time" The
South Carolina Railroad could not be JUS
tilted i'll refusing to consent, and therefore
did consent; whereupon, when we looked
daily to receive the promised order, we got
from the Second Assistant Post Master
General, a communication informing US
that 1.-The Wilmington q Manchester Rail-
road objects to the proposed changes as in
furious to its interests" and the Department
therefore declines to fulfill its promise to US
alleging that the schedule of the mail had
been agreed upon by Convention of Roads,
and could not be changed but by general
consent. We, on the contrary, insisting
that the change of few hours time OH one
single road was not change in the general
schedule, except for the benefit of the public
service. and for the advantage of the Will
mington & Manchester Road, which had
notably failed in its connections within the
last six months, and needed, on the ..straght
level lines" more time to get through, as
well as our ''long route.'
Mr.. Fisher then comments on the ungen-
erous attacks of newspapers and others on
the course pursued by the Presidents of the
upper lines, and shows that they were I'M
called for and unfair. Had we space we
would publish the whole letter.