The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-27
MAIL TRANSPORTATION BY OCEAN STEAMERS TO
CALIFORNIA.


MAIL TRANSPORTATION BY OCEAN STEAMERS TO
CALIFORNIA
As this is a subject of universal Importance, and
is before Congress for action at present, publish,
by request, the following abstract of communica-
ton from an official source addressed to the mem
bers of Congress-
This is essentially domestic service for although in
their transit the mails pass through the territory Of
foreign government, the termtn Of the route within
the limits of the United States II links together the
frontiers Of countrywith their national, commercial,
ahd social relations
The practical question seems to be- Will the govern
ment pay fair equivalent for essential and domestic mail
service or cripple enterprise and capital. aud hazard
efficiency, by attempting to cheaper expenditures There
is question TO the necessity OF this mail ransporta
ton.
The service be performed in some way other.
Time will carve the best channel between the oceans
but the transportation the ocean by the best route
should be placed beyond question. In order to do this.
it bccom necessary for government to contract with
the best parties for service after October 1859.
The compensation must be fzed because, while the
government relues reliable guarantees OF pnnctnay
and security the contractors want to know what com
pensaton they rely upon for assuming the risks and
responsibilities of such service and what proportion of
their expenses il can be calculated to meet.
Doubtless persons may be found willing to cheaper the
rate, and offer to contract for nominal sum but what
few thousand dollars III comparison with the ycNa-
ton and loss which would follow few failures? Would
il be prudence good policy for this purpose to exclude
contractors whose experience fidelity, and p,inctual
ity implicit reliance may be placed and substitute
others possessing OF these advantages Would
the loss in the end than contebaancc the gain in
the beginning IT. for instance the fleet of steamers
belonging to company now in the Pacific, de
stroyed or their stability endangered it would be by
withdrawing from il and giving to others the pay for
rendered the government, could you find another
company ready to embark in similar enterprise
with nothing but like fatal termination in prospect
II seems prudent and economical to pay a
fair price to good contractor whom reliance be
placed than to pay low price to poor contractor
One single failure of the mail might be detrimental
TO the public than the amount of whole year coiu
pensaon
10 insure public confidence and meet public wants,
the service must be certain and II the govern
TO depend chance conveyanccs they might
fail altogether at critical moment, too when failure
would be disastrous.
The obligation 10 carry the mails with nering punctu-
atty under all circumstances, and with total disregard
of other interests might at times prove serious burden
to the responsible contractor resulting ia heavy losses
The whole compensation paid by the government any
contractor for carrying the mails must form but small
part of his aggregate income.
II an individual wished 10 contract for transporting
merchandise for long period in advance he would be
Obliged to quantity, in order that the carriers
might know what to provide and what portion
the expenses the freight would meet.
Our government maintains at a heavy cost an army
and navy, but government organization FOL trans
porting the mails. With frontiers thousands of miles
apart and which times he only accessible by sea
the carriage OF mails the between these frontiers
Is secondary to other duty of the government
Tho advantages of such organization would hc secu
Iity and regularity arising from the rnoneyej ability Of
the government the maintenance OF special body OF Of