Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-12
.sUNDAY............MARCH1 10, 1S9
THE MORNING MAILS.

Modern means Of transportation, as n
rule. have brought TO the country people
who reside within few hours ride Of
O considerable city many of the con-
yeniences and comforts Of urban life.
Trains from town reach them soon after
breakfast time, bringing their newspapers,
their letters. the market quotations. and
visitors. BE those visitors friends Of the
family. or travelling statesmen, they may
put I'm" nearly a full day in the neigh
borhood and take a return train in ample
time to be home at night. Thus the
farmer or country merchant is Kept in
sympathetic contact with the city. lie
is well informed about the prices Of coun-
try produce and merchandise generally.
lie extends his acquaintance and enlivens
his life and keeps In touch with all move
ments that can benefit him in his voca-
ton. on the other hand. the city is pro-
fitted by creating and cementing bonds Of
interest and affection.
The newspaper and the drummer arc
tho pioneers Of trade. Wherever they
make friends. that community is pretty
sure TO become customers of their city.
Hence, every city that has '"1ifo" and
''snap" in it is particularly anxious to
have timely outgoing morning trains
trains which will take out their morning
papers and their drummers before the
serious business of the day has begun.
We may search in vain to find a city
that has not prospered with the help Of
such railroad schedules We may search
In vain for one that has not suffered
wherever the schedules have been other
wise
a city whose railroads bring in outside
papers and outside drummers at an early
hour and delay sending out the city's own
eapers and drummers is hobbled in tho
race of competition. Yet such a city
Is Richmond!
The West Point train is the only morn
3ng mail train which leaves here at a
suitable hour, but it can only make a
Few deliveries. There is IA train leaving
bero on the Fredericksburg road at S:ss.
but TO be really serviceable to the Rich
mond morning papers, the publishers
would be compelled. to print a special
early edition for it. and such an edition
would find its competitors in the Wash
ington papers issued an hour latorl In
The mails from Washington is admirably
suited to stimulate newspaper circulation
from that point, while the time of de-
/ parture from Richmond is quite The re-
verse as to circulation from this point.
However. the outgoing Fredericksburg
train is a mere incident OF the situation.
The great source of objection and COM
plant is that the outgoing morning mail
train schedules. viewed as a whole, act
as restraint upon our papers and our
drummers. inasmuch as these trains do
not leave Richmond until the northern
train is in. Such policy is hurtful TO
Richmond. The schedules do not give us
the advantage of our geographical posi-
tion. In the morning when the locomotive
throttles are opened on each mail train.
with the exception stated. the northern
drummer and the northern newspaper
may so out with the Richmond drummer
and the Richmond newspaper
Virginia has been exceedingly generous
with her railroad. corporations. Nowhere
that we know oc are the railroad laws
less burdensome: yet we find the time
tables not fayoring us. but against
us-certainly against Richmond. the
largest tax-paying community In the
State. Ought these things 10 be? Ought
We 10 be the victims OF these late morn
Ing schedules? Ought our trains 20 wait
ct Richmond TIL the northern drummer
and the northern paper can Join lis and
80 with US into our own home territory?
Would any other city have borne with this