Peter Vivian Daniel

“ But if, by any interpretation, the words 'wagon or carriage laden with the property of the United States,' can be made to embrace stages carrying the mail, and employed purposely for that service, they surely cannot, by the most forced construction, be made to embrace stages laden with every thing else, by comparison, except the mail of the United States, and in which the mail was a mere pretext for the transportation of passengers and merchandize, or property of every description and to any amount, free of toll. They must at all events be laden with the mail. ”

“ I believe that the authority vested in Congress by the Constitution to establish post-roads, confers no right to open new roads, but implies nothing beyond a discretion in the government in the regulations it may make for the Post-office Department for the selection amongst various routes, whilst they continue in existence, of those along which it may deem it most judicious to have the mails transported. ”

“ It guaranties to the government the right to avail itself of the facilities offered by those roads for the purposes of transportation, but imparts to it no exclusive rights-it puts the government upon the footing of others who would avail themselves of the same facilities. ”