Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-14
couNTnv pworLws RIGHTS.

| This baisny. bfossomy weather induces
| many people to stir out OF town on busi-
| ness or pleasure. Most of them make
their plans to leave by the morning
trains. and what strikes the average
man as odd IL that most OF those trains
leave at late hours. Upon an average.
II may be fairly stated. that the passen-
ger ought TO be sevenfy-five or 100 miles
| from Richmond before the time comes for
| him to leave the depot here The result
OF this IL that much time Is lost. the
loss TO each individual Is considerable.
| but TO the community the aggregate Is
enormous.
Again. thousands of business letters
leave here on those trains. all OF which
reach the persons addressed much later
| than they ought TO. thus delaying ana
obstructing business.
Worse stu, Richmond is deprived OF the
advertisement. which is her due, De-
cause her morning newspapers cannot
reach the country people at seasonaoie
hour. Some localities almost In sight Oh
the Capitol are not reached by the Rich-
mond morning papers until the afternoon!
Very timely and consIderate arrange
ments have been made TO bring the
northern papers to Virginia over the
Southern road and the Atlahtic-|oas'
|. Line and connections, but the Richmonu
papers are held here except as to one
train) til the northern papers overtahe
them.
Richmond. Thus they discriminate
against US. forgetful of how liberal the
Virginia Legislature has been to them'
and how generously our city has always
treated them.
No State has been easier on her rail-
roads than Virginia has. She has ever
iegislated conservatively. over ana over
again movements have been made to
have our Legislature pass stringent rail-
road laws, such as are in operation IN
North Carolina, Georgia, and elsewhere,
but the Legislature has said. mo; but
how has it's amiable disposition been met!
Railroad schedules have been made N
ttsl disregard of the interests or I'M
po-tant Virginia communities. outside
interests seem to be given preference
over ours. The railroad companies should
be appealed to. Wherever wrong and In
Justice is apparent agitate, and agitate
until it is corrected. Begin early and
keep at II,
Not a few Of the worst-treated csmmu-
mites in Virginia are those served by
star-route contractors. In some cases
the mail-carrier leaves the railroad sta
ton for his destination just few
minutes before the Richmond mail ar
riyes. In other instances the Post-Ohice
Department allows the railroad compa-
MES TO miss connections or disregard
their schedules so frequently, the star
route contractors cannot possibly make
their trips with the desired regularity.
Shall this condition OF things continue?
We say nO-nOt with our consent. That
Richmond suffers greater injury than
any other Virginia community we be-
lieve. but we are not the only sufferers
Scores of country communities are in the
same boat with us. The disregard OF the
welfare Of many country communities
shown in the arrangement of mail-sche-
dulles has been astounding.
1t is little to the credit OF our people
that they have not kicked against this
treatment long ago; but what is every
body's business is nobody's business!
But now that the country people begin TO
realize the enormous disadvantages
which some of the existing schedules
place them under, we believe there will
be an irresistible movement for reform.
The evil is Of long standing, and, there
fore. 1t is. not to be expected that 1t can
be removed at one blow. The patrons
OF each post-Ofiice will have to get to-
gether and make known their grievances
to the postmaster and POst-OfIice Depart
ment They ought also to write to their
member Of Congress and to their men,
Der of the Virginia Legislature.
The simple question is: Are the people
of Virginia entitled to as good mail ser
vice as is given the people of most other
States? If we are, let's demand and m
sist upon it that better schedules be
made. If we are not, let's "shut up" and
surrender ourselves to be used as the
railroad companies and Post-Ofiice De-
partment please.