The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-03
THE WASHINGTON UNION.

9{6n be 10 boond tdpats Ne s5sio& upo6 Tho XroaRs
Ne have, have "a ~ ha'A &pd Asty ous2nd
W. huodfcd and tbx8 sIaes OF fosF fuas
Congress aud on fhe lit day Of January sBs, ere
in opc,aton In the United States twenty scven
thousand eight hundred aud niy-seven miles Of railroad
the cost OF which 1851 041 ,3sl
This Is another great fact to show the rapid progress
country, iis advancement ia wealth, power, and
everything that minister 70 the physical ntelloc-
tual comfort Of Yoar mails carried ou these
railroads which gives 10 them such accelerated speed
10 almost annhate space and enables the parts
Of ourcouutry ma few hours or few days 70 comniu
nicate with the Capitol Of the nation ~ flld a
This has grown up within the last few year and
matter OF coose, the expenses have largely Increased
Whenever Congress establishes mail route il nst
Increase the expenses still Again sir the cost
everything has gone up. AT tho Last lettings had occa
sion 90 examine the bids because they covered my
tion OF the country aud know that they from fifty
90 hundred per cent higher upon average than
they were -four yeam before, when first 10 Con
gress tsFt - sssasas n .t.,a1
Sir would countensnce useless expenditure of
money by amy department of the government but when
properly expended, l would vote money out OF
the public treasury the Post Office Department az
the civil list the army, the navy II more d.
recty ia contact with the people than any other branch
OF the government IL is through that department all
your correspondence, public and private business and
social must pass and he who receives sends but half
dozen letters year appreciates the convenicnce high
y the merchant who sends and receives bis thousands
Every willing TO bear his part Of the expense be
aud felt almost every day. 6uaiaab. Il have hest
taticn in saying, then, that while the government
serves 70 itself the exclusive right of carrying the mail
and refuses 10. allow individuals TO dol would hlse
sufficient mail service 10 supply the whole country il
every dsilar of the cost had TO from the public
overland mail routes, steamship lines and mail
upon rivers which of very little They re-
que the Postmaster General to put service upon them
and then, when appropriation bill comes up gentle
Init
expenses too high. Why did Congress pass bill es-
tabishiug post road the Mississippi river To the
Pacific ocean That done the last day of the
sion, previous 10 the incoming Of the present admins
tration. Neither this Congress this administration
had thing to do with the establishment of the
land mail route to California. II they had had Judging
from the past, it would not have been established AT
the last session OF Congress resolution passed by
both houses establishing another overland mail route
from ST. Joseph, in Missouri and but for the of the
President, would have become law. ~ ~
Ii you want to reduce the expenses of the Post Office
Department. you must repeal your laws establishing the
several overland mail routes sir and you must stop
authorizing these steamship lines You place these
lines upon the footing with the mail service upon
the land and let out the contracts to the lowest bidder
you win do that stop the steamboat lines where they
unnecessary and upon the Postmaster Generals
recommendation to give the carriage of the mail upon
land and upon to the lowest bidder, without regard
to the carrying of passengers and OF the opinion
that in five years. with the present postage the Post
Office Department will he self sustaining 1t has had
fair trial II has had crowded upon it railway carriage at
enormous prices. There, too, would interfere and fix
reasonable maximum price for carrying the mail II
reasonable price settled upon have no doubt il
would be acquiesced in by these companies With these
reforms sir the department be made selsusiinng
without the increase OF postage, or the abolition Of the
franIing privilege.
need not speak of the present head Of the Post Office
Department did not come here to defend him. He needs
defence One thing however, he has done which has
not been done heretofore He has gone beyond the rail
roads and the big steamships He has, sir, furnished the
country proper the hills and the valleys with mail
vice. to which they were entitled but which had here
tofore been obstinatey denied thcm For this he is
titled 10 credit. a. "a EaHa0aa e3stG
Now, Mr.. Chairman, if want to reduce tho cxpcn-
ditures OF the government let go to work and do
something of the kind that have indicated Let us re
peal these laws which render it necessary to make
less expenditures; which require the erection of useless
public buildings, which millions of dollars thrown
away annually Let repeal the laws establishing
land mail routes and steamship lines and we can save
millions in That way Let try, at every other point
reduce the expenditures of the government before
call home the ships that protect every
and citizens in every cline, before call in
O'hoas and leave the people the frontier to the
mercy of hostile savages - s1atsass 8ssSt g68C
1t has not been my purpose Mr.. Chairman in the re-
marks have submitted, to show that the expenses of
the government cannot be reduced but first that for
the last half century they have not than kept pace
with the growth expansion, wealth. and population OF
the country and secondly that they have not exceeded
the necessities OF the pubic sefycc now oranlzed by
law. IT, then, too much money has been expended
upon whom rests the responsibility answer, upon
Congress, and not upon the administrations
Sir, during the last Congress there hundred
and ninety distinct items of appropriations made which
not asked for recommended by any executive de-
parnent of the government, amounting III all to ST.
4S9,TI9 90 And at the last session of Congress, all
remember that 0o0 900 had to be added TO the loan
bill to meet appropriations not asked for contem
plated by The Executive Yet gentlemen complain OF the
extravaganza of the administration. Nay, more, sir
These gentlemen, who complain much about extrava
GAUGE, make no move TO repeal the laws to execute
which the appropriations made Let them commence
reform in the light way by repeal of those laws re-
quitting unnecessary appropriations and not defeat the
appropriation bills and leave the law remaining the
statutebook uncxccntcd ask you, is IL satosmankc
is il just for gentlemen to sit here from Congress to Con-
grcs and wait at each session for the appropriation bills
up and then defeat them, TO exhibit their
ozng spirit to the world and particularly to their
sttuentsf While | ann here expect to vote such APP
required by existing law and the
requirements of the public service demand and leave my
constituents to settle the question TO whether am
right wrong,
Here The hammer fell
GLEdNINGS FROM TIE MAILS.
The first State election of 1859 is in New Hampshire