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.
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