National Republican., 1883-10-30
RefOrmor Smiths Explanation Of the $4,000
Job
An Explanation That Absolutely Fails
TO Explain.
He Falls Back 10 Personal Abuse Of Mr. Hatton-Th
Dictionary Drained Of Epithets
A silly Open Letter to Postmaster General
Gresham.
Panndelphfa press.

ClueS OF tn0 country. Inc morning uoWsphpSIs
could scarcely get out of the city in any direction
before or o'clock. New York had early fast
mail trains which had been arranged and paid for
pss 'Vs were paeed II PhadSpSs @ with its
neotions at o'clock, apd ia ALBANY. 150 miles
away OH the other line, before o'clock. Other
adelphia had no early trains, and the morning
papers could not be placed ip Harrisburg, the cap
itai Of the state and only 100 miles distant before
noon. The letters of the business community sut
fered from the same lack
This was felt to be agreatwrong to Philadelphia
and Pennsylvania, and an earnest effort was made
20 remedy Il. After failing in some other attempts,
the editor Of the Press proceeded to Washington
ana conferred With President arthur ana in,s r3sI
view with the President, Mr.. Smith pointed out
the discrimination against Philadelphia, and
mail facilities for other cities, Philadelphia had
right to ask for corresponding service. President
Of the Slaimi and desired Mr. Smith to % present. @
the application to the postmaster general and ad.
wise him Uhe PresidenD Of the progress of the
himself opened the question:, asked what had
been done toward putting on the early train, and
expressed his wish to do whatever was necessary
TO secure 1t.
AN APPLICATION TO POSTMASTER JAMES.
Meanwhile Mr., Smith made application to Post
master General James and laid tho whole case
before him. Gen. James, who has done SO much
for the country in the development of its postal
service, at once stated that the claim made on be-
half of Philadelphia was right, and promised to
dent and received the Presidents authority to take
such steps as were requisite to supply the needed
facilities. Just at that time several changes were
made. The manufacture of all the postal cards
was transferred about the middle OF October, 1884,
from Holyoke Mass, to Castleon, near Albany,
N. Y. This took the transportation of the cards.
amounting to over 1900 900 day, or several tons,
from the New York and New Haven railway and
added 1t to the New York Central and Hudson
River railway. About the same time arrange
ments were in progress for extra fast mail service
between New York and Chicago, by which mails
that had been leaving New York in the morning
aud placed in Chicago on the evening Of the Sec
ond day were to be run through in q trite over
twenty -four hours and landed in Chicago on the
morning of the second day, thus saving whole
business day for Chicago and gaining day on al
the transcontinental connections west of Chicago.
Similar arrangements were proposed with the
Pennsylvania railway.
THE DEMAND FOR REwEIGHING.
In connection with these changes the New York
Central and Hudson River railway demanded
teweghing of the mails. in order that its compen.
sation might be adjusted upon the increased
weight to be carried. The railway had contract
with the government made Dec. Is, 1877, with the
"The weight of mail matter carried under this
agreement shall be ascertained by weighing TO
be made in the usual manner as soon after Jan. l,
1873, as will show fair average and the rate OF
compensation hereinafter provided shall be paid
from said Jan. ], 1878. Reweighings shall be made
whenever desired by said company, and the com
pensation shall be readjusted thereiron"
:, 1t will be seen that this contract directed that
"reweighlngs shall be made whenever desired by
said company" And right here 1t deserves TO be
noted that this provision efeetually explodes one
their organs have industriousy circulated against
Mr. James: They have repeatedly charged that
he ordered reweighing of the mails on the New
YORK Central railway as matter of favor TO the
Vanderblts. This contract shows that there was
no favor about It,, but that the company
AS a matter of fact 1t called for re.
weighing %eighinE In connection with the changes
SSSys Sons IL ss yn clear that re-
Pennsylvania railway at the same time. 1t was,
therefore, determined to secure the early morning
mail train from Philadelphia to Harrisburg in
connection with this reweghing and Postmaster
General James and Mr.. William B. Thompson,
general superintendenbt 4, Of the railway mail ser
with the Infringement of the Pennsylvauia rail-
way that In consideration Of this reweighing,
mail train should be started from Philadelphia ut
$3.50 a. m. 10 reach Harrisburg Mt 1880 a. In. Other
arrangements for fast mail service were also made
including mail on the New York and Chicago
Limited
Such is the history of the origin of the early
morning train which began running Oct. 81, 1881.
The immense advantage of 1t to the people ut
once became apparent II gave Harrisburg It's
philadelphia morning mail oil 1880 O'clock instead
of llSO O'Clock. 1t gave all the intermediate
places corresponding advantages 1t made con-
nection with the Cumberland Valley railway and
placed the mall as far as Chambersburg by o
The POPULARITY Of this services m proyed So
great that people along the line of other roads de-
manded similar facilities, and in response to pub
lie call the Reading railway put new early
morning train both on the main line and on the
North Penn division, connecting with the whole
Lehigh valley
THE COST OF THE SERVICE.
The most shameful lies have been published
about the cost of this service The cost of the
early mail train to the government is reokoned
that s 1t is just what the weight of mail it carries
comes to-no more and no less 1t Is not known
that the exact cost of particular train distin-
guished from other trains has been determined.
the government weighs all the mail carried on
all traius for period of thirty sixty days. and
that likes the average and the Compensation The
following statement, taken from the books of the
department at Washington, shows the aggregate
amount paid on the mail line of the Pennsylvania
railway for the last four years:
Amount of Compensation received by the Penn
sylvania Railroad company for Mail Service on
Main Line from Phlladelphia to Pittsburg, per
annum, from July /, 1879, to June 30, 1888.
For year ended June 30, 1880. ......... S37356 90
For year ended June 30 1SSl........,... 39S756 As
For year ended June 3O lSSl........... 46,249 So
For year ended June 3O lSS8.......... 43l ,O4l "a
This official exhibit shows that the compensa-
tion increases each succeeding year, aud that in
the year preceding the establishment of the morn
ing mail and newspaper train the increase was
over sol l,OOV Whlle In the year that the train
put on the increase was little over Sl7,OOO The
following letter from the postmaster shows the
lhcreaseu tecelps NJ the Philadelphia postoilice:
PosToFFIcE, PHILA Oct l6, 1883.
Charles Emory smith, Editor "The Press"
Dear Str-As requested by you, give the follow
ing figures for the business Ofthis office:
lss2 $40 00S II
3S9 SIC I6
Increase. se............,,,,,, 1580YI N,
being IL per cent.
lam yours resp'y,
II. $. HUIDEKoPER, Postmaster
This letter shows that the increased recent; at
the Philadelphia postofice alone were Sl53 09l al
during the year in which the morning mail and
newspaper train was put on, or nine times tine
increase In the cost of transportation on the Penn
sylvania railway, OF course, this great increns.
uf receipts was due 10 other sources us we'll ms 10
the business of the train but 1t shows that SO large
an advance of general business demands and ius-
tihes increased postal facilities. The whole sub
jeot of the establishment ofths traln was reviewed
by congress at the session of 1882, and after fu Ii
discussion. the action of the government was an
proved and sustained.
AN OPEN LETTER TO POSTMASTER GENERAL GRESHAM
The Press
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 29.-Dedr Sir a.. The first as.
sistant postmaster general, MIR. Frank HattDn, who
dishonors your department and disgraues the gov
eminent. has made public charges which he aims
at myself Even If his allegations were true in
every particular they would leave me unhArmed
while they would grayely impeaGh the President
of the United States and other high officials But
as matter of fact they false IN spirit, false in
substance, and false In detail In the very nature
OF the case he could not have been ignorant when
he made them that they were without any sem
blanoe Of truth. The conscious and;willful abuse
oi MS position to propagate unfoundad aud ma
lioious accusations proves him unfit for any public
place and unWOILhV aSSOciale with honOra Ia