The Oxford intelligencer., 1861-01-16
The Mails.

RECENT advices from Washington indicat 9
that the Administration there begins to re-
gard secession as a fact. The telegraph in-
forms us that the Postmaster General has
addressed circular to the Postmasters of
South Carolina inquiring whether they re-
c0ghizc the authority Of the so4called Govern
ment at Washington, and will continue to
act and account as its officers. If they re-
spond in the negatives, of course, they
will---Mr. Holt announces Lis purpose to stop
all the mails running to, through, or, IN South
Carolina. l'.ef.rs.t,.
The SANG course will probably be adopted
in reference to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
aud such of the other States as shall here
after secede. This will render it necessary
for the several seeding States to make some
provisional arrangement for the transportation
of the mails within their respective limits,
until the new Confedcracy can be organized
aud its Government inauguratcd. Our Con
vcntion, it seems, has already taken action
in the premises. 1t passed resolution, on
the lIth inst, "instructing postmasters,
agents. and other officers, to continue their
duties until otherwise ordered by the Con-
vention." Every contractor, therefore, for
carrying the mails in Mississippi, may safely
go on to discharge the service stipulated for
by his contract with the late Government at
Washington, relying upon the pledge of Mis-
sssippi to compensate him according to the
terms, Of that contract The contractors may
experience some difficulty in obtainingprompt
payment from the State, but, where they
have capital invested in stock which can only
be employed in carrying the mail, they
would probably lose more by an abrupt dis
continuance of the service than by the brief
delay that will occur in the adjustment of
their claims, Our railroads.. however, are all
indebted to the State, which holds large
amounts of their bonds, bearing interest; and
their compensation for carrying the mails
may be easily arranged by CITING them
credit, pro taato, upon the claim Of the State
against them for interest. Provision would
thus be made for the postal supply of all the
counties lying on the line of the railroads; ;
and private citizens, we dare say, would
patriotically come forward, to keep up the
transportation of the cross mails upon the
routes abandoned by contractors. Much of
temporary embarrassment and Inconvenience
will doubtless be experienced BY many in
dividuals in the community, growing out of
the sudden paralysis of the postal system
heretofore existing among us; but, in the
very nature of things, it is unavoidable, and
we must submit to it, comforting ourselves
with the reflection that it cannot be of long
continuance, and that it is part of the price
that must be paid for those inestimable blcs-
sings of civil liberty which we are seeking to
attain through the path of secession. Com
pared with the suferings that we're so un-
complaiuingly endured by our fathers of'76,
in order to achieve their independence, all
that we are likely to suffer in the coming
struggle will be insignificant. If we have
not -degeperated, we shall not be found muir
muring over the merely petty and momentary
annoyances to which we may be subjected in
our great struggle for the right. e-r' --