The facts were not
disputed. If he was right in this, he supposed the House might assume the
facts to be as they were stated, and thence proceed to draw their own
conclusions.
The gentleman had said that the Postmaster-General had got into a
personal squabble with the railroad company. Of this Mr. Lincoln knew
nothing, nor did he need or desire to know anything, because it had
nothing whatever to do with a just conclusion from the premises. But the
gentleman had gone on to ask whether so great a grievance as the present
detention of the Southern mail ought not to be remedied. Mr. Lincoln
would assure the gentleman that if there was a proper way of doing it, no
man was more anxious than he that it should be done. The report made by
the committee had been intended to yield much for the sake of removing
that grievance. That the grievance was very great there was no dispute in
any quarter. He supposed that the statements made by the gentleman from
Virginia to show this were all entirely correct in point of fact. He did
suppose that the interruptions of regular intercourse, and all the other
inconveniences growing out of it, were all as that gentleman had stated
them to be; and certainly, if redress could be rendered, it was proper it
should be rendered as soon as possible.
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