Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-05-09
Unusual Excitement.

Il
feverish excitement, on account of having g
its mail facilities entirely withdrawn from
us. On the first of May We were informed
that the Railroad Companies, upon which we
were dependent for nearly every portion of r
our Postal faeilities-north, south, east and Il
west-had determined not to transport the t
Mails over their roads after that day. The t
reason assigned was, that the Postmaster q
General refused to accede to the increased l
pay demanded by the Roads, on account of /:
the largely increased amount of mail matter
sent over their routes, and to points not en-
braced in the contract entered into with the
P. O. Department. And sure enough, we
have hadno mails since, except over the cross
routes by hack, &C., from two or three points
in the interior of the State. And three
fourths of North Carolina, and a good por-
ton of South Carolina, are sharers with us
in the deprivation.
As it has gone out that the refusal of the
P. o. Department to accede to the demand
for increased pay, is owing to an erorbi-
tant price exaeted by our Railroads, it is
perhaps requisite that a statement of the
facts in the case be given: We learn from
reliable authority, that the Wilmington and
Weldon Company receives $500 per mile, for
carrying a semidaily mail over that Road.
The Raleigh & CASTOR, North Carolina, and
Columbia Companies have been receiving
but 800 per mile for transporting a daily
mail over their Roads. They now propose
to carry a semi-daily mail, and ask for it but
$3.50 per mile-only half the sum paid the
Wilmington & Weldon Co.-although the
amount of mail matter transported is very
little less than the quantity carried by the
former Road.
These Roads gave the Department notice
several weeks ago, that unless the increased
pay asked for was given them, they would
discontinue carrying the mails from and after
the first day Of May. That time arrived
they received no notice that their demands
would be acceded to, and they discontinued
carrying the mails after that time. And as
|, the Department has made no arrangements
: for transporting the mails, nearly the entir,
g State, and portions of other States, are Gu
' off from all postal communication with tn
i world. Our mails from the north stop a
. Weldon and those from the South at CO
. lumbia, S. C.;-and the people have n
: means of receiving or sending off a letter, b
It mail, between those two extreme points,
l. Surely, ''our sufferings is intolerable.'
v the P. o. Department will not pay to civ
A. US Railroad mail facilities, they ought to sen
lg it by some means, and not absolutely ste
the letters and papers hundreds Of miles fro
h. their places of destination. An ox-cart ma
ne travelling at the rate of two miles per hou
is better than no mail at all.
y We have gone into these full particular
ut for the purpose of setting our Railroad Coz
er panies properly before the public; and 81
ondly, to fully explain to our subscribel
the reason why they have failed to recei
Mt. the Spirit of the Age, as usual-that
should our mail facilities ever be resumed,
lo that this number of the paper giving the
an PLANTATION, may reach them.
'ur We would not be understood as cast
the blame of this matter on the Administ
IA ton at Washington-nor indeed upon
Postmaster General. He may have g
OF and sufficient reasons for his course. '
H. do not know where the fault lies. But
to do know that we are entitled to mail facilit
ins of some kind, and it is the duty of the P.
Department at Washington to provide til
II for us.
ned We give below the proceedings of a nj
'rd.i ing of the citizens of Raleigh, held on
MS I'd inst, which we hope will have the eff
# 7 of restoring our lost privileges, and relicy
les. US of deprivation which inhicts SO M
irst evils, pecuniarily and socially, upon an u
Tending and large portion of the citizen!
: to the United States. We sincerely hope
lg a mail facilities will be resumed even be
Dot this paper shall go to press.
For the Spirit of the A
At a meeting of the citizens of Rail
and vicinity-in relation to the stopI
Jung of the mails-held at the Court House
IS in Wednesday, May End, on motion of G,
Jack Root, Esq, Mr.. VIM. R. Poole was .callet
steal the chair. The meeting was further or
ntel- lied by the appointment of John &. Will;
? If Secretary.
and The chairman requested John W. Sy
eroes Esq, to explain the object of the meet
shed which he did in a few remarks; setting f
most the very great grievances under which
they as a community and State, are now labor
vigor on account of the stoppage of the mail
won the Raleigh & Castor, n. c., and Char
& Columbia railroads.
c civ On motion of Capt. r. S. Tucker, the C
en- he man appointed the following gentlemen
or of committee to report business for the a,
youn- ofthe meeting: Capt. r. S. Tucker, DIR. {
E. johnson, Jas. Nc Kimmon, John
use of Syme and A. NJ. German, Esq's. Ate
when firing a short time for consultation, the
mond mitteer reported, through their chairman,
ord of R. S. Tucker, the following resolut
good which were unanimously adopted:
I'd the Resotced, 1st. That this meeting depre
their almost total deprivation of the
Of all mail facilities occasioned by the failure {
at Post Office Department to make the nece
id to contracts with the above mentioned railr
gress, for the transportation of the mails.
Thorn End. That this meeting entertains
ed the earnest hope that the difficulty now exi
lo..o. 1o+-oa, A. Dat na3oo nora+oo,+ -