Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-07-03

We copied last week brief statement
to The effect that the Postoffice Department
was arranging for the extension of our mail
facilities. We sincerely hope this is true.
If ever there was people needing the pro-
lection of a ''paternal government" the
people of Prince Georges, Charles, Cal
vert and st. Mary's counties need that
protection at this time in the matter of
mail facilities. The importance of this
matter to every interest in these four coun-
ties is so great that we need no excuse for
speaking again of the subject and calling
the attention of the authorities thereto
The people of the entire section named re-
ceive their mail now at much later hour
than they did forty years ago, in the old
days of the stage coach. 1t is simply an
outrage that the interests of so vast an
area of territory and of so many people.
living too within few hours of easy &C
cess to the National Capital, should be
subjected to the within and caprices of a
railroad superintendent, who, knowing
everything which in his own opinion is
worth knowing confessedly knows moth
ing and wants to know as little about our
people as they care to know about men of
his calibre. Certainly there must be pow
er somewhere to prevent the entire bust
ness interests of communities from being
so seriously injured as ours have been in
this matter of the mails. For very many.
many years before the war we received the
Baltimore mail by II o'clock, A. NJ. Now
it arrives at P. NJ. Nor is this all of the
evil. The city mail is closed early in the
morning of the day we receive it, and the
night before for letters, and nothing of
that day, except the morning papers, can
be brought by it either from Baltimore or
Washington. If these mails were kept
open until four o'clock, P. Nj, of the day
on which they arrive here, that would be
something at all events. But no! We
cannot even get letters of that day or the
evening papers, though there is an abund
ant time for both and no earthly reason
why we should not that we know or can
imagine Of Our letters for Baltimore or
Washington must be mailed in the even
ing before eight o'clock and leave next
at $50, and yet do not reach cor
in Baltimore until 3 p. NJ
1t is absurd to say that this is necessary,
or that there is no power in the Federal
Government to protect its citizens from
such outrages on the part of mail carriers
as We have been subjected by the B. & p.
r. R. Co. 1t is a disgrace to the Govern
ment and reproach to the Postotfice De
partment that citizens should have been
compelled to submit to this utter disre
gard of their rights for so long. And we
sincerely hope that this great wrong is a
bout to be remedied. When the B. & p.
R. r. commenced the carrying of the mail
their trains left the cities in the morning,
thereby delivering the mails, though later
than we had been receiving before, yet in
time to be satisfactory. After awhile this
morning train was taken off and the mail
sent as now. The department at Wash
ington was written to on the subject, and
one of the Solons. who gives the country
the benefit of his valuable time, wrote back
that the department had no power ''to reg
ulate the running of the trains" Ofcourse
nobody asked or expected that. But we
did expect, and we do expect, and we have
a right to expect, and we shall continue
to expect, that the department will regu-
late the carriage and delivery of the pub
lie mails SO as to suit the public convent
ence, and not the fancy of railroad officials.
Itseems to us that the department might
at least restore our mails by way of ely
mont and put US back where we were be-
fore. If the railroad company will not
obligate itself to give us morning mail,
the department might send the mail for
this and St. Mary's county by way of ely
mont, thereby enabling our friends of
Leonardtown to receive their mail by four
or FIVE P. M. of same day. At all events
neerely hope that the successor of
well, who distinguished himself
an energetic and progressive dis
Il his duties, will not suffer the
Outrageous condition OF affairs to
inue Please, Mr.. Post Master, give
pur mail If it has to be sent in one
shay. A wheel barrow or a dog
buld deliver it sooner than we not
= the r & p r. r. Do MI Post