Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-29

found in the clumsiness of his endeavors to
clear himself All things considered, he
has 40 right to talk of persecution, since he
has harmed himself more than anybody else
has harmed him"
THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE
RAILROADS.
It is evident that the question of railroad
supervision is about to assume an important
place in national and current politics, and
the Grant administration is doing what it
can to create an apparent justification on
the part of the government to assume the
supervision. The United States Senate,
with its large majority acting in concert
with the Executive Department, has given,
in It's committee organization, evidence of
already feeling this rising sentiment.
The change effected in the Committee
on Pacific Railroads, by making it
a standing Committee on Railroads, is a
strong indication of this. Another is the
continuance of the special Committee on
Transportation routes to the Seaboard,
giving it authority to sit and examine dur
ing the recess. That the Administration is
seeking to force an issue with the railroads,
as justification for Congress to invest the
government with supervisory powers over
them, if not absolute control, may be
gathered from the outgivings of the Wash
ington Republican, Grant organ, which
says in its issue of March 26:
Gas the first of April, the time at which
the leading railroads threaten to stop
running the postal cars over their routes,
approaches, the interest in that subject in
creases. Informal allusion to the matter
was made in the Cabinet meeting yesterday,
but. as it is prospective difficulty, nothing
more than mere allusion to it was made;
and, to use the language of high Federal
official, ft is not customary with the Ad-
ministration to borrow trouble, and the
threatened action of the railroad companies
is not anticipated
"The same official expressed the opinion
that ff the companies persist in their de-
mands, il may result In the Government
running postal cars over the routes indie
pendent of the decision of the companies.
Eminent counsel express the opinion that
under the Constitution, the Government
NAV thus dispose of the controversy
"Should the cars be taken off the mails
will have to be carried in bulk, as of old,
until Congress shall reconVene next winter.
The temper of Congress, as indicated in
the debates which arose On this very ques-
ton during the last days of the recent ses-
sion, is undoubtedly favorable to the sdOp-
ton of rather harsh measures toward these
railroads, and to rebuke the so-called 'arro-
gsnce of monopolies.'
1t is undoubtedly the policy of the Ad-
ninistrstion to provoke collision between
the railroads and the Postoffce Depart
ment, which may be made justification
on the part of Congress for "the adoption
. of rather harsh measures towards these
railroads" 1t is possible that the railroads
are exorbitsnt in their demands. The
Washington correspondent of the New
York Tribune furnishes some interesting
facts on this point. He says:
UThe Posioffice Department, in 1867, OBJ.
tanned returns upon a uniform plan, from
ali the railroad routes in the country as the
basis for readiusting their pay according to |
the comparative value and Importance CT |
the mail service they performed. These re- |
turns were analysed in the department with |
great labor and care, and the reports for the |
years succeeding 1867 show net increase |
of the annual pay as follows: Ia 1868 on |
II routes r adjusted, $3.50, 800; in 1869 on /
rs routes, $50, 1858; in 1870 on SO routes,
S213, 68S; in 1871 on SO routes, SOS, AS;
and in 1872 on 103 routes, S354, sos. These /
advances were made under the old law Of |
1916, and were the result of the most careful |
and considerable attention TO the subject |
on the part of the Post Office Department.
Postmaster General Creswell, in his annual
reports. has repeatedly asked authority of |
law to grant a further increase, and Con-
gress responded at its late session by appro-
pristing half q million of dollars for this
express purpose. Nearly the whole of this
increase will inure to the benefit of few
leading companies, and the return proposed
by these very companies for the concession |
made on the part of the government is
threat TO withdraw the railway postal cars
on the LIST of April.
behalf of The railroad companies, in late
number Of the New York Tribune, that in
1868 Postmaster General Randall recon-
meuded to Congress an increase of 100 per
cent. in the rates of railroad pay, is contra
dicted by his report for that year, in which
he reviews, ct considerable length, the draft
Of an act TO change the rates presented by
a railroad committee on mail service, to be |
submitted, if approved by him, to Congress
for its adoption. BE shows that the effect |
of adopting the rates proposed in
said draft would be to in
crease the annual expense for railroad mail
service from s., Sl2, 600, its amount to 1867,
to 81, 7I0,023, an excess OF Sl7,S9T, 423.
he concludes by remarking that the 'de-
partment, forbearing upon such a showing
to take any part in presenting the proposed |
act to the Postvfiice Committee of the /
two Houses of Congress, has proceeded |
with the work Of readjustiDg the rates to |
nav on railroad routes upon q scale within |
line limits of existing laws, and much more |
conuatible with the resources at its COM |
mand.'
.eT,be demand now made in the name of the |
railroad companies is doubtless of a piece with |
that of 1868, which Postmaster General Randall
foTebore TO take any part in presenting to Con-
ross The cost of railroad mail service has since
hen increased to S6,502,77l per annum. pro-
,1oTtionste advance on thus sum would involve an
Pnnoi Expenditure of So OBS 6l7 for the single
fem of railroad mail transportation, an excess
of SEQ SAG over its present cost and S6,l2545O
.. p man fhe whole estimated expenditures OF
the department for the year ending j une 3d. 1874
This is certainly bad showing for the
railroads, and if it fairly represents. their
domands: if they have, formed firing" to
fo-ce The Postofice Department to accept
their terms, and will refuse to carry the
mails in the event he does not, then
the Postmaster General is right in not &C
cedipp to them. But even these demands,
exorbitaut as they are, will be no Justlh-
cation Of The Administration in the meas
ures it evidently intends forcing q partisan
Onnnress To adnrnt toward the railroads.