The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-07-31
The western stage Company and the Mails.

The Western stage Company and the Mails.
4 Our up town neighbor has . great pen
chant for hobbies. When he mounts one,
he rides it most numerically. Just at this
time his favorite one is the obstruction OF
mails by the Western Stage Company" He
bestrid this hydra headed mastodon several
weeks since, and, With whip and spur, Mt
tempted to bring it up to s'2, 40" time
From the ground and lofty tumbling display
cd weekly, we should judge he was not very
well satisfied with the success Of his under
taking. Yet he is not Disconnected, but,
like Don Quixotte, with his Rosinante, he
does not acknowledge his steed quite blown,
but expects him to carry him to many new
encounters. Not only that, but he hopes to
encourage him to prove his blood and bot
tom, in manner not yet dreamed Of, and
asks us categorically to show good and
sufficient reasons why he should not. Not
being in any way interested in the successful
termination Of Our neighbours equestrian
exercises, nor any knowledge of the Swan
ton outragcs' said to have been committed
through the carelessness Of the keepers OF
the aforesaid animal, We shall have to de-
cline acceding to his request. That the mails
have arrived here frequently in ''wet and
pulpy state" we are not disposedt to question
we know such to be the case. That this
was owing entirely to the culpaple careless
ness of the drivers, we are not yet prepared
to admit. In fact we are well satisfied that
this is far from being true. That Express
matter has come through safe and dry, while
the mails on the same Stage were brought
in thoroughly saturated, is true, to some
extent. That "Box, weighing four hundred
pounds,o which seems to have settled, like
an incubus upon our neighbor, was brought
in several weeks since when the Company
were running coaches. The contents OF that
sbox" were not dry and uninjured, as our
neighbor would have US believe-they were
wet, and the Company have had to pay
damages therefor. If other Express matter
has arrived here in good order, it is owing
entirely to the personal attention of the
messengers, who have time and again walk
ed from station to station, swimming creeks
and sloughs, carrying their carpets acks with
them. 1t is useless to contend that the dri-
vers could pay the same attention to the
mails. They have other duties to perform.
We have conversed with many persons, who
have lately had the luxury of stage ride
across this State; and we have yet to find a
single individual, SO lost to all sense of
right and justice, as to attach all the blame
to the Western Stage Company, for what
our neighbor is pleased to term the "de-
structon Of the nails" A gentleman, who
arrived here last Tuesday, says he was two
weeks getting from Burlington to this point.
Time and again he had to swim creeks and
sloughs, the Stage the meantime completely
immersed in water. Crossing some sloughs
between here and Wintersett, the stage be-
came fast in the mire, and remained there
"a hours-the rain pouring down in torrents
nearly all the time. Talk about it as you
may, our informant says the mails cannot
be brought here in good order, the way the
roads are and have been during the past
month-that the drivers do all in their pow
er, but it is utterly impossible to bring the
mails through dry, when the passengers and
horses have to swim. We are not disposed,
in the least, to shield the Company from the
consequences of any palpablo dereliction of
duty-we should like to receive our mails
regularly and in good condition, as we'll as
our neighbor-but knowing the state of the
-~-l- --.:~c-I :. e~-.-.o. - I~---
and therefore, so far from believing our
neighbours structures just and well-tmed,
we think them decidedly inopportune and
unjust in an eminent degree. We have no
hopes of bringing our nelghbor to our way
of thinking, and therefore take leave of the
subject once and for all.
Read what the Des Moines Journal says
on this subject:
Stages, Roads. &C.
We note a opposition manifested among
number of our brethren of the press to say
harsh things of and concerning the Western
Stage Company. Complaints are made
about mails, about delays, and in fact about
everything. This is all natural enoush--it
having become a habit to abuse those en-
gagged in the transportation of mails and
passengers. The Western Stage Co. have
b,, c,,N
would be well for all to take into consider
alton the inuumcrable difficulties, trouble
and disadvantage under which the Company
labor. We have had for month after month
what can we'll be called lawful roads,
roads the bottom of which cannot be reach
ed--bridges swept away-sloughs which al
most any one would pronounce impossible
to cross-a scarcity of travel-thc LOSS &C
count running thousands of dollars beyond
the PROFIT accountant all these difficulties
have been met by the Western Stage Co.
during the last six months. The Company
could and would have saved several thou
sand dollars by dropping the mails and
throwing up their contracts months ago.
But they would not dc it. They have labor
ed faithfully through all these difficulties,
and made the strongest efforts to give sat
isfaction to all. For instance, they have
expended out of their own means in impro-
wing the roads, building and repairing
bridges, from here to Council Bluffs over
50, 900 in the last few months. A number
of bridges upon this route have been swept
away as many rs four times during the
season. Yet the Company have persevered.
These acts should be remembered, and
justice should be done them. They deserve
the thanks of every one along their different
routes.
''Et tn Brute"
Republican orators and Republican press