Year: 1874

Friday Morning, March...........27, 1874


The Railroad and Our Mails-InfOrma


ton Wanted.


On Monday last change was made il
the. running of the cars, which will result


in serious Inconvenience and annoyance te


the people throughout the county, and es


pecially in this vicinity. The mixed train


as it was called, the one that left Baltimore


in the morning and returned in the even


Ing. has been withdrawn, except as tri


weekly, coming down on Mondays, Wed


nesdays and Fridays, and returning Tues


days, Thursdays and Saturdays. Why this
train should have been taken off at thi.


time, or what influence caused it, we know
not, but VIC do know that the influence was


sinister both to the interests of our people


and to those of the Baltimore and Poto


mac Railroad Company.


So far as our observation has gone, and


it has not been very limited, the travel


over the road has been remarkable. We


have scarcely if ever made a trip when


before our arrival at Bowie, the cars were
not overcrowded and sitting accommoda-
tion hard to obtain. We know also that
the Company has not been able, at times,
with this mixed train. running daily, to
transport promptly the freight offered
And it is notorious that repeatedly store
houses along the line have been crowded
with the produce which was compelled to
await the scanty means of transport. And
yet, in the face of this business-small,
perhaps, compared with the extensive no.
tions of the big men who manage the road,
yet too large for the facilities offered-the
Company has made this daily train tri-
weekly. 1t is plainly telling the people
that the Company does not want their pa
tronage.


$ We should not complain so much of this
mistaken policy, and should quietly 60
back to our old ways, if it were not for
another Inconvenience, and one of much
more serious character. Before the COM
pletion of the Railroad, and for years be-
fore the war, we had been in the habit of
receiving our mail daily by way of the
Acquia Creek boat and stage from Gly-
mont. In good weather this mail arrived
by II A. MIN winter, about midday.
Returning, it left here about 2 P. NJ, thus
afording an opportunity to answer press
ing letters the same day, and arrived in
Baltimore in time for distribution the
same night before the closing of the post
Office. Our town was then as now the dis
tributing Office for nearly the whole county.
But with the advent of the Railroad we
began to progress backwards. The route
by Glymont was abandoned, and the mail
given to the Railroad Company. Then
comms1nadaNRr difficulties. And ever
since it has been evident that the ruling
spirits of that corporation have thought
the people of this county had no rights
which they, at least, were bound to re-
.pect, and if any mail was to be allowed
to US at all, it was only to be delivered
when it suited the pleasure of these gen
tlemen and they were not otherwise more
agreeably entertained. But by dint of
continuous appeals and supplications we
have been able, up to the present time, to
get our mail here by two o'clock in the
day by the mixed train, too late however
to reply by return mail; besides, the re-
turn mail laid over at Bowie, not reaching
Baltimore until the next day. Well, all
this we bore-we will not say patiently
in hopes that things would better them
selves. We were mistaken, sadly mistak
en-. Our mail is now to be brought down
on the train which leaves Baltimore at
4.05 P. M. and will not reach here until
8 P. NJ, leaving again in the morning at
715. Thus, it will take three days for
correspondent in Baltimore to receive
reply to his letter. Nor is this all: 1t will
disarrange the whole mail system of three
counties. Papers and other mail matter
which the people would ordinarily receive
from their neighborhood offices on Satur-
day, under this change, will not now be re-
ceived until the Tuesday following, and
there are many other delays and inconve-
niences, thus caused, which we could men
tion, but deem these sufficient.


Now, what we want to know is, wheth-
er this Company has right to change the
time of the delivery of our mail to suit its
own whims? Or. whether the Postoffice
Department has not some say in the mat
teri If the latter, ought not the convent
ence Of the public to be consulteda If the
Railroad Company has entire control of
the matter, and neither the Postmaster
General nor the people have rights to be
protected, then we take off our hat, and
humbly bowling, thank the great Mr.. Du-
Barry that he has not confined our mail to
q try-weekly-down one week and try to
get up the next. But if the Postoffice
Department has any say in the matter, and
the wishes of the public are to be consult
ed, we sincerely hope the mail will be
changed at once to the old route by ely
mont. Then we will not trouble the Sc
renity of the mighty spirits who condes
cend to manage the Railroad. They evi-
IDENTIFY have no use tor us, now that they
have cajoled Us out of the Internal I'm