, 1855-08-24
Mail Facilities of Washington
Territory.


cilties (if they can be so called, now ex-
isting in our Territory. Communications,
without number, are pouring in upon us from
every town on the Sound, complaining of
the ineficiency of our government in rela-
ton to the transmission Of the mails.
Post routes have been established now
upwards of two years, at various places up
on the Sound. Post Masters have been
appointed, who have taken their oath of
Office, and applied >te, the department for
mail bags and keys, in order that they
might receive mail matter in proper man
ner; but, up to the present time, none have
been forwarded for use to our Territory
The last States mail arrived in Olympia
ten days after the express from the Colum-
bia river, which, considering the route it
came, was doing very well, as upon several
occasions during the last year, we have had
to wait six or seven weeks after the mail
arrived at Astoria, for our usual States
mail The truth is, the day has dawncd
when the "powers that,be' in Washing
ton, must extend to the people of this Ter
ritory the>us mail facilities, which al
ways have been, and are now, extended to
every other portion of her dominions. We
have waited long and patiently for a proper
mail service, to extend through the length
and breadth of the Sound, and also for a
direct mail, by sea, from San Francisco.-
1t is now nearly three years since this Ter
ritory was organized, and the only mail
route we have ever had, is one from Rain
ier to Steilacoom, which is but little better
than none, and totally inadequate to our
wants. We would ask the Post Master
General If the paltry sum of sir thousand
and tsOO hundred dollars, (Which is the ex-
tent the mair service has ever cost in this
Territory, has been so great, that we must
hereafter be deprived Of oil intercourse with
our brothers Of the Atlantic? Are we an
integral portion Of the Union-N part Of
the great confederacy Of States and Terri
tories, which together make our glorious
Union, or are ire not ? That is the ques-
ton. II we have chosen this Territory as
the home Of our adoption, must we be de-
prived Of all communication with our pa
rents and families, and those friends we left
in the homes of our youthH Have we left
our hht7Y9 States in the north and south,
in the east and west, for this far of wilder
ness, to develop the innumerable resources
Of this Territory, and to enrich not only
ourselves, but our common country, with
the idea that our hearts were never more
to be made glad by letters from brothers,
sisters, wives, and friends ? We answer
most emphatically, NO We speak here
for the citizens Of this Territory, as public
journalists. We speak from our own knowl-
edge, and by the request Of thousands who
live on the waters of Puget Sound, at such
places as Seattle, Port Gamble, Port Lud-
low, Port Townsend, New Dunginess, Port
Discovery, Penn's Cove, Bellingham Bay,
and other places, as well as the interior
land routes. A weekly mail is demanded
to meet the wants Of all classes, and to ex-
tend to all these places from Olympia. No
other will answer. The merchant wishes
II in order to purchase from the farmer his
products. The professional classes require
il, in order that patients may be visited, or
clients notified Of engagements The me
chanic needs it, in order to purchase lum-
Der and implements to prosecute his bust
ness. The consignees Of ships, barks, and
other vessels, which are daily taking in car
goes at the various mills in the Sound, de-
sire Il, and It is right and proper that they
should have it. We have known of sever
alinstances, where vessels have arrived in
the Sound to load with lumber and spars
for Hong Kong, Sandwich Islands, Valpa-
raiso, and other places, and the captains
-hsve rowed to Olympia in small boats, say
one hundred miles, to obtain what our gov
ment should send to him, at the town where
he loads his ship. Su;h are facts, and have
been, until recently, of frequent occurrence.
Again we say, let us have mail con-
tract, not only from the States semi-month-
'ly, but let US be supplied with mail in
land, in order that we may have communi-
cations from our citizens, and also, week
ly mail to extend to the towns on the
Sound. We not only have respectfully
asked for this time and again, but Congress
has been mcmorialized on this subject, and
petition after petition has been forwarded
to the department, but all have remained
unheedod Az citizane of tho oon,,o,,-