north america-2-第79章

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　less　than　that　of　1860　by　only　one　thirty…sixth。　　I　think；　therefore；　that　we　may　say；　making　all　allowance　that　can　be　fairly　made；　that　the　number　of　letters　circulating　in　the　United　Kingdom　is　more　than　double　that　which　circulates；　or　ever　has　circulated；　in　the　United　States。　That　this　is　so；　I　attribute　not　to　any　difference　in　the　people　of　the　two　countries；　not　to　an　aptitude　for　letter　writing　among　us　which　is　wanting　with　the　Americans；　but　to　the　greater　convenience　and　wider　accommodation　of　our　own　post…office。　　As　I　have　before　stated；　and　will　presently　endeavor　to　show；　this　wider　accommodation　is　not　altogether　the　result　of　better　management　on　our　part。　　Our　circumstances　as　regards　the　post…office　have　had　in　them　less　of　difficulties　than　theirs。　　But　it　has　arisen　in　great　part　from　better　management；　and　in　nothing　is　their　deficiency　so　conspicuous　as　in　the　absence　of　a　free　delivery　for　their　letters。　In　order　that　the　advantages　of　the　post…office　should　reach　all　persons；　the　delivery　of　letters　should　extend　not　only　to　towns；　but　to　the　country　also。　　In　France　all　letters　are　delivered　free。　However　remote　may　be　the　position　of　a　house　or　cottage；　it　is　not　too　remote　for　the　postman。　　With　us　all　letters　are　not　delivered；　but　the　exceptions　refer　to　distant　solitary　houses　and　to　localities　which　are　almost　without　correspondence。　　But　in　the　United　States　there　is　no　free　delivery；　and　there　is　no　delivery　at　all　except　in　the　large　cities。　　In　small　towns；　in　villages；　even　in　the　suburbs　of　the　largest　cities；　no　such　accommodation　is　given。　　Whatever　may　be　the　distance；　people　expecting　letters　must　send　for　them　to　the　post…office；　and　they　who　do　not　expect　them；　leave　their　letters　uncalled　for。　　Brother　Jonathan　goes　out　to　fish　in　these　especial　waters　with　a　very　large　net。　　The　little　fish　which　are　profitable　slip　through；　but　the　big　fish；　which　are　by　no　means　profitable；　are　caughtoften　at　an　expense　greater　than　their　value。　There　are　other　smaller　sins　upon　which　I　could　put　my　fingerand　would　do　so　were　I　writing　an　official　report　upon　the　subject　of　the　American　post…office。　　In　lieu　of　doing　so；　I　will　endeavor　to　explain　how　much　the　States　office　has　done　in　this　matter　of　affording　post…office　accommodation；　and　how　great　have　been　the　difficulties　in　the　way　of　post…office　reformers　in　that　country。　In　the　first　place；　when　we　compare　ourselves　to　them　we　must　remember　that　we　live　in　a　tea…cup；　and　they　in　a　washing…tub。　　As　compared　with　them　we　inhabit　towns　which　are　close　to　each　other。　Our　distances；　as　compared　with　theirs；　are　nothing。　　From　London　to　Liverpool　the　line　of　railway　I　believe　traverses　about　two　hundred　miles；　but　the　mail　train　which　conveys　the　bags　for　Liverpool　carries　the　correspondence　of　probably　four　or　five　millions　of　persons。　　The　mail　train　from　New　York　to　Buffalo　passes　over　about　four　hundred　miles；　and　on　its　route　leaves　not　one　million。　　A　comparison　of　this　kind　might　be　made　with　the　same　effect　between　any　of　our　great　internal　mail　routes　and　any　of　theirs。　Consequently　the　expense　of　conveyance　to　them　is；　per　letter；　very　much　greater　than　with　us；　and　the　American　post…office　is；　as　a　matter　of　necessity；　driven　to　an　economy　in　the　use　of　railways　for　the　post…office　service　which　we　are　not　called　on　to　practice。　From　New　York　to　Chicago　is　nearly　1000　miles。　　From　New　York　to　St。　Louis　is　over　1400。　　From　New　York　to　New　Orleans　is　1600　miles。　　I　need　not　say　that　in　England　we　know　nothing　of　such　distances；　and　that　therefore　our　task　has　been　comparatively　easy。　　Nevertheless　the　States　have　followed　in　our　track；　and　have　taken　advantage　of　Sir　Rowland's　Hill's　wise　audacity　in　the　reduction　of　postage　with　greater　quickness　than　any　other　nation　but　our　own。　　Through　all　the　States　letters　pass　for　three　cents　over　a　distance　less　than　3000　miles。　　For　distances　above　3000　miles　the　rate　is　ten　cents；　or　five　pence。　　This　increased　rate　has　special　reference　to　the　mails　for　California；　which　are　carried　daily　across　the　whole　continent　at　a　cost　to　the　States　government　of　two　hundred　thousand　pounds　a　year。　With　us　the　chief　mail　trains　are　legally　under　the　management　of　the　Postmaster…General。　　He　fixes　the　hours　at　which　they　shall　start　and　arrive；　being　of　course　bound　by　certain　stipulations　as　to　pace。　　He　can　demand　trains　to　run　over　any　line　at　any　hour；　and　can　in　this　way　secure　the　punctuality　of　mail　transportation。　　Of　course　such　interference　on　the　part　of　a　government　official　in　the　working　of　a　railway　is　attended　with　a　very　heavy　expense　to　the　government。　　Though　the　British　post…office　can　demand　the　use　of　trains　at　any　hour；　and　as　regards　those　trains　can　make　the　dispatch　of　mails　paramount　to　all　other　matters；　the　British　post…　office　cannot　fix　the　price　to　be　paid　for　such　work。　　This　is　generally　done　by　arbitration；　and　of　course　for　such　services　the　payment　is　very　high。　　No　such　practice　prevails　in　the　States。　　The　government　has　no　power　of　using　the　mail　lines　as　they　are　used　by　our　post…office；　nor　could　the　expense　of　such　a　practice　be　borne　or　nearly　borne　by　the　proceeds　of　letters　in　the　States。　Consequently　the　post…office　is　put　on　a　par　with　ordinary　customers；　and　such　trains　are　used　for　mail　matter　as　the　directors　of　each　line　may　see　fit　to　use　for　other　matter。　　Hence　it　occurs　that　no　offense　against　the　post…office　is　committed　when　the　connection　between　different　mail　trains　is　broken。　　The　post…office　takes　the　best　it　can　get；　paying　as　other　customers　pay；　and　grumbling　as　other　customers　grumble　when　the　service　rendered　falls　short　of　that　which　has　been　promised。　It　may；　I　think；　easily　be　seen　that　any　system；　such　as　ours；　carried　across　so　large　a　country；　would　go　on　increasing　in　cost　at　an　enormous　ratio。　　The　greater　is　the　distance；　the　greater　is　the　difficulty　in　securing　the　proper　fitting　of　fast…running　trains。　And　moreover；　it　must　be　remembered　that　the　American　lines　have　been　got　up　on　a　very　different　footing　from　ours；　at　an　expense　per　mile　of　probably　less　than　a　fifth　of　that　laid　out　on　our　railways。　Single　lines　of　rail　are　common；　even　between　great　towns　with　large　traffic。　　At　the　present　moment；　February；　1862；　the　only　railway　running　into　Washington；　that　namely　from　Baltimore；　is　a　single　line　over　the　greater　distance。　　The　whole　thing　is　necessarily　worked　at　a　cheaper　rate　than　with　us；　not　because　the　people　are　poorer；　but　because　the　distances　are　greater。　　As　this　is　the　case　throughout　the　whole　railway　system　of　the　country；　it　cannot　be　expected　that　such　dispatch　and　punctuality　should　be　achieved　in　America　as　are　achieved　here　in　England；　or　in　France。　　As　population　and　wealth　increase　it　will　come。　　In　the　mean　time　that　which　has　been　already　done　over　the　extent　of　the　vast　North　American　continent　is　very　wonderful。　　I　think；　therefore；　that　complaint　should　not　be　made　against　the　Washington　post…office；　either　on　account　of　the　inconvenience　of　the　hours　or　on　the　head　of　occasional　irregularity。　　So　much　has　been　done　in　reducing　the　rate　to　three　cents；　and　in　giving　a　daily　mail　throughout　the　States；　that　the　department　should　be　praised　for　energy；　and　not　blamed　for　apathy。　In　the　year　ended　June　30；　1861；　the　gross　revenue　of　the　post…　office　of　the　States　was；　as　I　have　stated；　1；700；000l。　　In　the　same　year　its　expenditure　was　in　round　figures　2；720；000l。；　consequently　there　was　an　actual　loss；　to　be　made　up　out　of　general　taxation；　amounting　to　1；020；000l。　　In　the　accounts　of　the　American　officers　this　is　lessened　by　140；000l。　　That　sum　having　been　arbitrarily　fixed　by　the　government　as　the　amount　earned　by　the　post…office　in　carrying　free　mail　matter。　　We　have　a　similar　system　in　computing　the　value　of　the　service　rendered　by　our　post…office　to　the　government　in　carrying　government　dispatches；　but　with　us　the　amount　named　as　the　compensation　depends　on　the　actual　weight　carried。　　If　the　matter　so　carried　be　carried　solely　on　the　government　service；　as　is；　I　believe；　the　case　with　us；　any　such　claim　on　behalf　of　the　post…office　is　apparently　unnecessary。　　The　Crown　works　for　the　Crown；　as　th