March 21, 1861; The Charleston Mercury
There are few, indeed, who will not bear testimony to the convenience and efficiency of ADAMS’ Express Company as a medium of transportation. Business men would be at a loss without it, and private individuals would be subjected to enormous expense and great trouble should its admirable arrangements be interrupted for even a fortnight. By means of its various ramifications, goods may be safely dispatched to any point on this continent–in fact, we risk nothing in adding, to any known point in the world. Next to building of railroads and the planting of telegraph poles, we believe the establishment of ADAMS’ Express Company has exerted the most beneficial influences upon the growth of trade and commerce. So highly appreciated and liberally patronized has it been, that in every city of any size and importance the finest business houses are appropriated to its use. Its growth, at first slow and sure, of late years has been surprisingly rapid. Its money transactions alone, in the course of a year, amount to fabulous sums. But its business is not solely that of transporting goods and moneys. Many persons, whose loss and inconveniences, in consequence of the faithlessness of postoffice agents and the irregularity of the mails, engendered complete distrust of the Postoffice Department at Washington, long ago adopted it as the canal of their correspondence. So much more satisfactorily was the service performed that the carrying of letters has constantly increased, and since the formation of the Southern Confederacy many persons do not make use of the postoffices at all. In short, if the decayed and decaying government at Washington has carried out its threat of stopping the mails, it would simply have increased the importance and usefulness of this indefatigable and praise deserving company. And while we are alluding to some of its many advantages, we may as well remark that there are none who are more indebted to it, or more sensible of its service, than the editors and proprietors of newspapers. Always attentive and obliging to their patrons, we are sure they are peculiarly so to the press. Not a day but they communicate valuable information, and never do they refuse to deliver a letter. It was by availing ourselves of their attention at Montgomery, that we were enabled promptly to furnish our readers with important and interesting intelligence in relation to the formation of our new, and, as we firmly believe, permanent Government. We hope their future success will be commensurate with their merits.