Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-08-06
"A New Any Of the Opposition. !"

sunisr Tile caption. and referring 10 the redue
ton which the Administration have lately beer
mAkiagin the postal service Of the country, the
New rovk Tunes has The following;
.oar venerable and viriuoas Chief-Magistrate
not Only persmptorily declines TO be again the
candidate of his party. but If the popular .oice
cry;nr o.,s 81 innumcrsbls corners Of the country
speak the truth. has. through his Postmaster.eien
essl. gyas very largely iato the snrprising busi-
ness 81 making Republican votss. AL this comca
al, the presidents love Of economy. which, In turn,
comes IT treasury straitened by past thrftless-
mass, aud 10 generating very contemplate con-
traction Of the mailearrying service and whole
curses from thousands Of letserwriting citizens.
We hear from sundry places in Vermont. Mich
gan and our own State that whereas, since thei
shire towns reioiced in railroads they have ha'
two dnily mails hereafter they are to be indulge
with the arrival Of the mail bags three times {,
week only: and from other more deeply secludc'
spots, where. since the days Of CAyE JOHNSON, til
pleasant sound Of the postboy has been hear
twice a week, we are assured that in the futur'l
this often shabby but always welcome angel is
appear once week only. Possibly this new ant
powerful ally OF Republication Gomez up to hi
great work Of REINFORCEMENT. not 80 much mt
fondpess for the opposition a. In bitterness
spirit toward the daily Press. Or, possibly. II
only sly way Of encouraging the people to re
new their agitation If the demand that the mail
carrying be passed over finally into the hands o
Express Companies. There can be no doubt. o.
course, that this would be the safest promptesI
and cheapest mode Of pertaining the service tina
could be devised; and a. President BUCHANAN de-
lights to 'move in a mysterious way he may b
thus eircumventing his too con6ding P''stmastcf'
General. II, however, the President is honest
and the Postmaster General 10 doing bis work !
"retrenchmeut" in good faith, then both the Pres
ident and the Postmaster-Gencral are b9dly dig
ging particularly deep pitfor their own feet
fall into.
The Northern States are not singular in thei
disapprsbation Of the policy Of the Administration
in "their contemplate contraction Of the mai
carrying service" if We may judge from the fol
lowing extract Of letter written from the Swe'
Springs, BY one Of the Editors Of the Richmon
Enquirer, under date July GOTH
THE Post Office Department is receiving cnrses
both loud and deem" from, the people 1T this po
ton Of Virginia Nerey did Department IF II
Gorernmexa thor itse!f 80 utterly careless IF N
pants cfthe people. as thai nader The manogemcn'
of Mr.. Holt. The proprietor Of the Sweet Spring
has been compelled to bear tho expense Of II
mails 10 this places THE REcKLEss ExTRAvAsANo
OF THIS ApnrNIsTErtoN HAVING EXHAUSTED All TIL
FUNDS, private individuals have to do their owl
mail service, while the Department reaps The rev
enue. An indignation meeting bad becn held
Fincastle, and the management It the De- artmcnl
severely censured.
The thousand visitors that resort to this pine
would have been without any mail bu,iur the O.,
ergy and enterprise OF the proprietor. The ma
is daily received, Withom erpenss to the peparl
ment, while the revenue of the ofice gneS into til
Golfers Of the Government. II Mr.. Holt has bee
equally successful ON other mail routes, he vii
have but little difficulty in the management {
his department. without appropriations. Peopl
from every State in the u Mon annually resol
here, and when the postal department of II Go,
eminent whose annual expenditures reach eight
millions, pleads poverty and compeis private indi
yiduas to bear public burdens there mua be rer !
bad management, somephere. This subject has bee ,
repeatedly brought TO the notice Of the Post ofhc
Department and letters addressed to the Post-mas
ter General hare received but impndsnt and impe,
tine~t replies from Mr.. Dundas, buf remely .to|
the era, and no cou~esion efhte ~,o"g"
We quite agree with the Enquirer in the asscl
ton that "neper did Department cf the Gorern
ment shos itself utterly careless IF the rants
the people, as thai snder The management Of Mr.
Holt" Even anterior to the commencement o
the ill-adviscd, unjust and most odious rorench
ment upon which the Post Master General has en-.
tered, there came up from every quarter, conf
plants of general irregularty in tho transmission
Of the mails, and culpable negligence upon tn
part of those connected with the service 70 thes
just complaints, the Department gave but little
heed, 20 far as our observation aud experience
went bat there was q single redeeming featur
about this general delinquency. and that was ,h
frequency with which the mails were despatched
Alleviating the disappointment Of one day. witt
the assurance that the mail Of the next woul
supply the deficiency. Now. however. the servic
has been 30 diminished, and the trips are so in
frequent that. in many places, one mail failur
will involve q delay Of three days or week
The accumulation Of mail matter Mt any give
point. which 10 only despatched at wide inter
walls, must also. inevitably, tend to create confu
sion and to augment the difficulties in the way
prompt and correct transmission. Nor will thu
people, in this age Of great and stirring events,
when the lightning has been laid under contribu
ton to speed the electric current. freighted with
intelligence, round the world be content to return
to the old and primitive mode Of weekly mail Sc,
vicef 1t 10 true, az the Enquirer afhrms, thu
"Lhe reckless ertraragdnce Of this ADMINISTRATIVE,
has erhaasted the Treasury" but it was n bold
expedient to commence the work of retrenchmen
in that department Of the public service. which
more than all others. every citizen of the
country. We maintain that there was no necess
~ for the shameful abridgement that has been
made in the mail service Of the United States
whilst countless sinecures and treasury leaks ar,
still permitted to exist. If proof had been want
ing before. of the inability of the Democracy to
manage the affairs of the country, this las. act o.
their chosen administration. und the improyideni
waste of public money which has occasioucd it
would sbundantly supply that evidence. The
Post Once reform will sink the Administration
and the party still lower in public estimation, un