Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-02-18
MONDAY EVENING. FEB. IS, 1901.
THEANNuAL postoffios appropriation


hill has been run up to about one hun
dred and ten million dollars, or up
wards. There is q small appropriation
IN il which amounts to about one hun
dred and ninety thousand dollars to
proyide for special mail facilities on the
rou,e from New'York to New Orleans.
The route passes by Washington, Alex
andris, Lyuchburg, Danville, Atlanta
and Mobile, to New Orleans. 1t Ia dis
tinc.Iy provided that the money is only
to be expended in case the Postmaster
General finds it to be necessary for the
public service, that is, necessary to &C.
cure regular and more expeditions mail
service. The result OF this appropria-
tion Ia 10 secure two fact mail trains.
when there used to be only one to New
Orleans, and a very considerable In
crease of expedition 10 mail service oil
along the line. The time OF the train
il regulated by the Postofice Depart
ment. The trains connecting with this
mail route ell over the South make
such arrangements as generally promote
a more rapid distribution OF the mail
to about six or eight millions OF people
living 10 the Southern States. The
business and commercial bodies OF the
Southern States have taken q deep in
tsrest In the continuation of this little
appropriation. 1t is very small, indeed,
10 comparison with the aggregate OF
the whole bill, or the number OF people
benefited, or the results achieved, and
is in effect only an increased Star route
service.
OF course, there are some districts In
the Southern States that are not spec
Tally benefited By this mail appropria.
tim. Central Virginia is much more
directly benefited by it than the East
ern portion or the Valley. But are we
to be told that a Southern member OF
Congress is at liberty to oppose any
thing and every bill because his own
particular district Is not directly bene-
f.ed?Ought the representative from the
Accomac district or the Valley, for ex-
ample, to oppose an approx Ration In the
river and harbor bill for the benefit OF
the Norfolk hsrbor, or the James river,
or Charleston, or New Orleans, because
the money does not 90 to his own dis.
trictp II this course we're to be pur-
sued the members from the South
would all be embittered against each
other, and all OF them would come to
grief. The case is too plain for argu-
msnt. II Is for the interest OF Alexan'
dria and of the sth Congressional dis
t-ict also that this mail service should
b, expedited. Everything that tends
to develop the commerce end business
of the whole South, it's mail facilities,
and haIbor improvements, is OF interest
to Virginia. 1t is equally the duty OF
Southern members to support all reas-
enable appropriations pending to bene-
fit Alexandria. We have nothing to
gain and everything TO lose by "a differ
ent policy.
This appropriation has been called q
Subsidy" but the members Of the
House, year after year, have, by large
msjorities, and after full debate, voted
it into the postoffice appropriation bill.
They are not frightened by this express
sion. The appropriation IL in no sense
q subsidy. 1t simply pays for the expe-
dltion of the mails and an enlarged and
Increased service important to the peo-
pie of the South. Any man who knows
any thing about this subject knows that
fast trains cost more than slow ones,
and that two fast trains per day are
more expensive than one such train,
and that if you are to have much faster
trains, and better as we'll as enlarged
service, you have to pay for them. The
distinction between such q payment
aud the corrupt subsidy steamship bill,
now pending, is so broad that a blind
man can see it. The business men,
the commercial bodies and boards of
trade of the South are able to see the
difference very plainly. We have
spoken so far of the general duty OF
Southern members to support just APP
propriations benefingl Southern peo-
pie. That is just what the people send
them to Congress to do. They expect
it. They demand it. We have sdvo-
Gated also liberal policy which would
help increased and easy communication
between Alexandria and Washington
city. A new bridge will be a great
thing for this city. Our people will
ell be glad to see 1t. II is almost On
Incredible thing that any Virginia rep
reseptstiye should fail TO lend his aid
to bllls which promote measures so i'm
portsDt to our interests. One would
suppose they would all be foremost in
chair adyooaev