Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-09-07
Our Nails.

-
invariably left this place every Monday morn
ing at o'clock. by steamboat. The pune'aal
aaa faithful manner in which the service has been
performed 10y the Inderssn has met with the ap-
proval OF our citizens generally. On the Solni
Last Nonday WAS ;Ae Day on which the ne" SER
vice of Mr. Geo Parkinson was 10 have commenced
and consequently the arrangement under which
the Asdsr.oa hadbeen carrying the msilswas at an
end. Mr.. Parkinson NO; appearing 10 enter upon
service The owners Of the Ander'0s >ignifei their
willingness 10 the Postmaster al this place to
continue carrying the mail as previously, or to
substitute in place thereof semi-w eekiy service
at the earliest possible day. the same 10 be subject
10 the approval of the department at Washington
This fair proposition did not, however. meet the
approval Of the Postmaster, unless he could re-
tain the privilege Of making ANY future arrange
ment for the transportation u the mails which he
should considerto the interest Of our eh-ens along ne
route and the advantage Of the department.
The anderson company declined to accept the ser
vice with such reservation.
The following petition, signed by citizens repre-
senting almost every locality on the Sound,
was presented to the Postmaster, and with what
effect will hereafter be shown:
OLYMPIA, W. T., Sept. I, 1861.
r. WILLARD. Esq, Postmaster, Olympia-S"'
By the 18th section of the Instructions annexed to
the advertisement Of the Postmaster General,
. dated March ~, 1861, for proposals for carrying
the mails on Route No. 1912, in this Territory,
it is provided that the service must be commenced
on the ls+ day Of September, 1861, whether the
contracts be executed or not"
We are informed that Mr.. Geo. Parkinson, to
whom the contract this route has been awarded,
will fail to provide steamboat for the service ut
the date above referred to- and that it is your in
tention to contract with other parties for the
service who are equally unable to provide steam
boat as required by law, and by the instructions OF
the p. o. Department
We arc also informed that the owners Of the
steamer Eliza anderson the only steamboat at this
place, and who have carried the mails Oh the
route in question since N"Ntmler, 1870, to the
satisfaction of the public, have notified you of
their readiness TO continue the service at lower
price than that demanded by the parties to whom
it is your intention to award the same, and that
they will accept whatever amount may be deemed
just and reasonable by the department for the SER
vice.
We most earnestly protest, therefore, against
the mails being delivered to parties whom you
know to be unable to perform the service in the
manner required by law, and ask that the PROPOSE
ton of the owners of the steamer Eliza anderson
be accepted, as the only means, under the clrcum-
stances, of doing justice to the Government, and
securing u safe and prompt conveyance of the
mails.
Of this petition the Postmaster took not the
slightest notice, and on Tuesday evening about
midnight the mail was dispatched from this Post
Office in a ,0agon' We believe that the oath Of
Office administered to Postmastcrs does not require
that official to act as Special Guardian of the
Treasury, nor does it invest him with power TO ca
ter to the "ntercsts of citizens along the route,
but the law certainly requires him to transmit
the mail by steamboats,, when such service is
practicable. We will no so as far as those who
profess to "see through the milestone" but we
do consider the course of the Postmaster remark
able, to say the least Such extraordinary zeal is
seldom displayed in the humble Office Of Post
master.
Let us examine further into the matter. It ap-
pears thata certain individual, named Scranton, is
the person referred to in the above petition. lilo
processes to have steamer engaged to carry the
mails, to arrive in a few weeks. Hence it is to
the "interest of the people along the route, and
the advantage of the department., that the mails
be carried by the said Scranton, if in the mean
time the mails are necessarily transported in wag-
ons This Is the popular impression, which is in
master that he wished Mr.. Scranton and Mr. Flem-
ing would agree, and take the mail at once. In
this contingency, We understand no reservation
was made for "the interests Of the people along
the route and the advantage Of the department"
Our readers may draw their own differences We
give plain statement of what we deem to be facts
The Postmaster cannot ple"d in extenuation that
he adopted this course to reserve the service for
Mr.. Parkinson, IS the Anderson company agreed
to cheerfally withdraw il Mr.. Parkinson should be
enabled within reasonable length Of time to en-
Ter upon . semi-weeky service at $4,000. We
believe II to have been his duty to have dispatched
the mail by the only available steamer, and We
feel that the interests Of the whole Sound have
bees outraged BY his action, and that too while
protesting sxrserdssry interes, in her welfare.
n~rhe Portland Adrsrfisv says il agrees with
- when We say that "a man who unhesitatingly
ehaages his party to obtain Office and enrich him.
sslf, 10 not 70 be trusted Nov We have heard
Nr. Cuny, in his public EFFORTS frantiealy pro-
elsia his devotion to the Stars and Stripes I, is
only his late course that brands Kim rs traitor.
Al occasional remittance from 10 Lane and Fid-
ding whiteakes' did the business.
~ The Adsvtissv says tina, twelve months
Age We eonseseed our career a. '.co-editor Of 9
stasseh Deaocsstic Journal" II 10 false. We
withdrew from the qualifications ofthe ChrSsieie be-
GAUGE its editor, against our protest, and under
The gsiss OF neutrality, persisted in aiding the
then dominant Democratic party.
"SAvs M Saon Nv FaIExDs THE Portland
Ads~sis~ ssdorses Nr. Kendall's appointment. Il
the "sapport' Of that sheet has the same effect