Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-09-18
II M1HIItSOtIdn.
Where the Money Goes.
CDCpN1rooD

GREENWOOD, Sept 6, 1858.
Mr.. EDITOR The administration of JAMES
BUCHANAN is costing the country the nice
little sum of $00,O0OO per annum: this is
| fact not to be disputed, and this, too, when
| the United States are at peace with all man.
kind and the rest Of the world; and the
question naturally arises with the political
economist, whence this enormous increase of
public expenditures during the past ten years?
Is it on account of subdung freedom in Kan
sas or Mormonism in Utah, or is the public
| money squandered or distributed to fill the
corpulent purses of partizan demagogues
and political friends ? We are inclined to the
belief that the latter is the real cause of the
enormous expenditures, but in what way is
the next question. 1t is not to be supposed
that we, out here in the woods, should know
but little about the operations at Washing
ton but we take the liberty to call in ques-
ton some of the public acts of the general
government and Of the agents of Minnesota
and the new mail routes deserve small share
of public attentiOn-mail routes established
to everywhere and from everywhere and no.
where: first there is the route from Dayton
on the Mississippi River to ST. Peter on the
Minnesota River, IS miles, let for 81 600 to a
St. Paul Spectator, subcontracted for $1,000
to Norwegian who carries the mail on his
back, or rather the mail bag, for there has
,>Of hanv,
the fist of July, and probably will not be
for years to come. 1t is not of any use to
the public, only waste of money nobody
receives benefit, but the St. Paul speculator
gets $500 per year for nothing There are no
roads on the route, and no communication be-
tween the places, and the carrier travels
across lots through the woods; and the
route was established to crafty personal po
litcal friends and town site, moonshine specu-
lation.
The next the route from Manhattan to
Glencoe, contract $1,000 per year, but Man
haitian cannot be found at present We be-
lieve there is one log shanty on the town
site, but not Inhabited. If there ever was
post office there it has gone up or somewhere
else. and cannot be found, but the mail bags
continue to go, minus the mall and this route
is as useless as the first to the public, only
one man receives a beneft-the contra ator.
The route was probably established to give
Manhattan name, all that the town pos
sesses but it is useless to give the names of
scores of mail routes which are of the same
use to the public, they are scattered through
the length and breadth of Minnesota, and
the West. Now we do not pretend to say
that it is not necessary that there should be
new mail routes established in this new State,
but such mail routes as these, there is not a
pro pect Of their heing of any benefit to the
public only waste of money, and certain
ly not to the credit of our young State with
the Post Office Department. We know very
well that this is but small affair, but the
old adage is true, that " straws show which
way the wind blows" and we only wish to
bring the matter before the public, for there
seems to be something wrong or at least not
altogether right. Yours,
WINosHICK.