Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-08-16
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1869.
Mr.. Smith" Among the Mail Bags.
PvGET SOuND DISTRICT, !
Port Townsend Aug. 8. lSG2.


Port Townsend Aug. 3, 1862.
SiR.-l am in receipt OF Instructions from the
Treasury Department, copy of which hand you
herewith relating to temporary mail service by
the United States Revenue cutter Shutrick llcarn,
further, that at the time the application was made
ny the head of the 7. o. Department upon the
Treasury Dept for the courtesy referred to, the
mails on Puget Sound were being conveyed in
Hun;ers and other sail vessels, the proprictors of
steamers heretofore plying these waters having
positively refused to carry the mails under any
arrangement with the Post Master ut Olympia,
said proprictors demanding a contract direct from
the i. .. Department.
shall carry out the order of the Department
promptly and chccrfuly trusting and believing
that within the next few weeks the L. q. Depart
mcnt will perfect such arrangements rs will REIN
state the regular passenger and freight steamers
Mail carriers and so relieve the Shubrick.
In order that the Shubrick may be OFF the bounds
of her regular cruising grounds in the Straits of
Fnca, Admiralty Inlet, and Bcllingham passage,
as few hours us possible, the mail from Olympia
will be taken up and left at Stcilacoom.
Respectfully your obi. Scrv't,
VICTOR SMITH, Collector.
SAM WILLIAMS, p, NJ. Olympia, W.T..
The foregoing letter to our postmas.
ter, from Collector Smith, shows that
Olympia is to be deprived of all partic-
ilation in his novel mail arrangement,
by making ~Stei|acoom, twenty-five
miles below, the head of steamboat
navigation. What the citizens of
Olympia have done to merit this treat
ment ut the hands of Mr.. Collector
Victor Smith, we arc at loss to deter
,,iuo L, - lonou,n ann Envornnnnt
officials, and our citizens generally have
not fastened to manifest their approval
of all he has done, and all he may
please to do hereafter in the exercise
Of his most extraordinary powers? Or
is the time of the cutter so very pre-.
cious that four hours cannot be spared,
once week, to place the most import.
ant town OF the Sound, on an equal
footing with other points?
The main argument urged by our
citizens in their petitions to the prcsi-
dent for steam cutter, has been the
protection of our citizens from Indian
depredations; but it seems our Super.
intendent is to have no participation in
the use of the cutter.
Whatever feeling Mr.. Smith may
entertain towards the Government of:
ficcrs located in Olympia, and our citi.
zens generally, he has no good reason
for complaint against US. We have
not only given him a fair hearing
through our columns, but We have fire.
Guently rebuked our contemporaries for
the abuse and vitupcration they have
week after week showered upon him.
We have asked the public to suspend
their judgement upon the charges pre-
ferrcd against him, until they were in.
vcstigated at the Department, or an op.
portunity afforded Mr.. Smith of being
heard in his own defense. We have,
however, exercised the right of dissent.
ing from the course of the Government
in removing the Custom House from
Port Townsend, and Of ohjecting to our
Government cmbarking in town-site
speculations, and requiring our citizens
to pay out Of their individual pockets
for the survey Of tho public domain.
1t is due to Mr.. Smith, however, to
say, that we were mistaken in suppos.
ing that he urged upon Congress the
passage of that provision. We find by
reference to the date of the approval of
the law, that Mr.. Smith was not in
Washington at the time Of its passage,
but on his way there.
We have rcfrained from an expires.
sion of opinion upon the merits Of the