Mail Carrying Railways Underpaid

In 1912, the railroads that moved America's mail went to war with the Post Office over money. This is their formal brief: a meticulous, pointed argument showing that the government paid railroads less than the actual cost of carrying the mail, leaving 268 companies operating over 214,000 miles of track in financial distress. The committee systematically dismantles the Postmaster-General's claims of overpayment, exposing how recent cuts had pushed railroads into an untenable position. With the impending arrival of Parcels Post threatening to flood the system with even more cargo, the railroads warned of catastrophe without legislative intervention. It's a fascinating artifact of early American infrastructure economics - a snapshot of the tug-of-war between two essential institutions, each accusing the other of fiscal recklessness.