The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-07-24
MUST PAY POSTAGE
An Order That Means . Great
Deal to Railroads
RIB. NOT TO BE CARRIED FREE
n Cess One seattle Once 800
Month. which Indicates the Gain
. tho Gcvorn0ea1s

the postmaster xeH&fa3 oz1c5 ~ oe@@Ns 80
Ill lines from carrying mail matter VITA
out paying postage The section OF the
revised statutes of the United states on
which the order is based reads as fellows.
NO stage coach, railway car. steamboat
or other vshicie or vessel which regularly
performs trips at stated periods on any
post route or from any city. town OF
place TO any other city. town or pace pc
tween which the mail In regularly carried.
shall carry, otherwise than in the NAH
any letters or packets. except such as
relate to some part OF the cargo OF suen
steamboat or other vessci. or TO some arti-
Gle carried at the same time ey the same
stage coach. railway car or other vehtcles
except a. provided In section $3.50.
For every such orense the owner OK the
stage coach. railway car. steamboat. or
ether vehicle or vessel shall be liable 10
. penalty OF 500: and the driver. condac-
tor, master or other person having charge
thereof. and not ~ the same time owner
OF the whole or any part thereof, shall
for every such oefenss be liable 20 PEN
atty Of "a"
This law has been on the statute books
for years. but its prohibitions have been
waived by the government. and under that
policy the private carrying OF mail matter
by railroads has grown into an enormous
business. Each large railroad daily sends
out thousands Of letters and circulars re-
laiing to railroad business and addressed
to its own officers and employees or 10
those of other companies. On each o. the
envelopes carrying matter OF this kind
are printed conspicuously the letters "R.
r. b." which ara supposed to signify
railroad business" These magic letters
constitute among railroad men every
where frank as potent as United states
senator's autograph. and letters and pack
ages thus stamped are carried throughout
the United States.
This kind OF business. as long as II was
confined 10 the routine communications
Of a singie road an carried only by the
trains OF that one road. seemed equitable
and unobjectionable. But the ranking
privilege was extended by one road to
the letters and packages Of others, and
under such auspices the business has
grown until Its extent can hardly DO ap-
preciated by one not acquainted with rail-
road matters. Under this policy a road
like the Southern Pacific. for instance.
has been able to send thousands upon
thousands OF letters, circulars and pack
ages from San Francisco. not only TO
every station along its own great system,
but clear through TO the Atlantic coast.
This peculiar trafic has grown TO such
dimensions as to create the necessity for
establishing In Chicago. New York and
other large cities a railroad exchange.
which is practically a postoffice doing
business exempt from the postal laws AMI
fees OF the United States. Many OF the
larger railroads have a somewhat similar
plan for receiving and distributing the
increasingly large amount OF matter go
ing through such a channel. as for in
stance that OF the Baltimore & Ohio at
Camden station.
Consequently. when the postmaster gen
eral last week gave notice that the stat
ute would hereafter be enforced, his Or
der created a genuine breeze. Some Of
the prominent railroad men of the East
at once said that the order was not only
unjust. but impracticable, and could not
be enforced. Receiver John X. cowen OF
the Baltimore & Ohio. when asked what
course his road would take In the matter.
said:
'sT'he order does not 30 into effect vet,
and in the meantime tho railroad COM
panies expect that II will be rescinded.
do not think IL will ever be enforced,
and. as I understand II. the matter Is
merely under discussion. I do not see
how an order can be enforced preventing
a company from carrying It's own mall
This was a week ago. Since that time
the matter has assumed another phase,
and many roads have already begun COM
plying with the order. though under pro-
test Many letters and packages which
through from the East by the cabalistic
Initials, came Into the Seattle railway
Offices YESTERDAY subnissiveiy bearing
government stamps. This was noticeahly
the case with several large patches OF
ciasslhcatloas sent out by the trafdc as
socEations-
Meantime most of the Western roads
have seemed trlfe uncertain as 10 what
course to pursue. and some OF them have
come 70 decision only within the last
day or two The Southern Pacific and the
O. r. & NJ yesterday served notice TO the
officers OF other roads In Seattle that all
letters and packages from other roads
committed 10 their charge must be stamp
ed. The Great Northern Offices had re-
ceived no instructions one way or me
other and were pursuing the even tenor
OF their way.
At the Seattle International ofhces
General Freight aud Passenger Agene +.
A. Allen said:
eve are complying with the order In
fuu. the president having reached de-
cissou 70 thar effect yesterday. Person
ally, think the law as IL now stands
.annot be enforced think IL could hc
enforced with reference 20 one roads DO
ing such carrying for another, but no.
with reference 10 Us own business. In
saving this OF course do not speak as
an Officer of the company. though i feel
sur. that I vofce the general sentiment
now prevalent among railroad men"
General Agent 7. A Nadsau, OF the
Northern Pacific. stated that he had re-
ceived no Instructions from headquarters,
and that until such instructions came he
had Determined 70 follow the order with
reference 10 business with other lines.
hi. not with reference 10 tho Northern
paetfic's own business
Receiver A. f. Bur!eigh. Of the Northern
Pacific sad:
II have already requested the general
manager "a issue such circulars as VIA
insure compliance with ths law. What
ever we may think of the law, II Is the
law and until II ~ decided ros 20 be the
law. shall obey II. There has been
some talk 20 the effect that some OF 'he
large roads would probably make a test
case. sarh as .he smaller and weaker
roads would naturally not care 10 under
take Bat n any such test case Is made
n mast be by some one else than tbs
receivers appointed by the Federal court"
Receiver e J. Smith. Of me Oregon Ina
preversent Company, said:
THE Oregon Improvement Company
viii comply strlctiy with the terms Of the
rev order. ana have already issued cir
culars 20 that effect
There seemed 70 BE- q variety Of cpin-
tans IN the various of,1ces visited by the
reporter yesterday as 20 the ultimate out
come Some thought a compromise wcusd
b srfeetea By which each road would Re
allowed 20 carry matter freely within ifs
cwn bounds Tssss View - taken by the
Railway Age. Others thoaght the rall-
roads woasd unite 20 hgbt fhe las. or that
sore strong rcs1 would prrposesy violate
Tire saw n order 70 bring on q test case.
ore cnssrvant clerk SAID.
.sIf tire worst GENES and ere iaw - rig