Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-04-15

SCOOP BorroM. Mot quite so fast, Mr..
Local; you are right generally, but not quite
50 fast.
On Wednesday of last week. paid my
passage at tee Office of the Western Stage
Company, in Des Moines, and was booked
correctly for Grinnell, to leave in the evening,
between eight and nine o'clock. At the ap-
pointed time, and when the stage passed the
hotel was sitting in the hotel Office, talking
with Mr.. Robinson, of Burlington. The
stage went off and left me. discovered it
was getting late, and went to the stage office
to inquire, and behold / was eft I asked
the agent to pay back my money, -four dol
lars,) but he said he would refer it to Mr..
Hooker, the proprietor. In the morning
called and found both the agent and proprl-
etor, but they r:fased..to pay back The money,
and Mr.. Hooker said: "You are foo! Or
else you was drunk was the reason you did
not get in the stage" l reminded him that
he was not carrying the mail according to
contract, and that should try and have bis
mails put through little faster, &C.; that
had been greatly annoyed in trying to CORES
pond with gentlemen in different parts OF the
State on business of importance connected
with the Agricultural College had the week
before been sadly disappointed in an effort to
get the Executive Committee together, but it
was failure in consequence Of the very slow
mails of this Western Stage Company. Old
Hooker told me it was none of my business
how they carried the mails. found after.
wards tbat their time from Des Moines to
Grinnell is fifteen hours for fifty-6ve miles
three and wo-third miles per hour. l have
passed over that road seven times this winter,
and find that when they are but eighteen
hours on the road they are at Grinnel in time
for the cars, but they are very often behind
that extra length of time and mails and pas
sengers are left behind.
Now, Mr.. Editor, have not you, and l, and
all your readers suffered this winter in conse-
quence of this great nuisance-the Great
Western Stage Company? We know that
the mails from California to the States are
carried at about twice the speed of this con-
tract. 1t is most ridiculous nuisance that
our Post Office Department at Washington
does not shorten this time to five miles an
hour instead of the slow pace of . man on
foot But when a great monopoly under.
takes such abuse of public confidence it will
be reformed so sure as this Republic is gov
eminent Of the people, and I charge upon our
National Post Office that they are greatly at
fault if they suppose that the people Of Iowa
are not entitled to more respect than to have
the great main mail route from our capital
to the East dragged through at such snails
pace that man may start on foot and get to
Muscatipe with the same mail that left before
HIM, and twenty-four hours ahead of the
mail that left twelve hours behindl Do we
indeed live 'in the age of progress ?" Think
of it, men of iowa, and acknowledge your
selves beaten by this infamous monopoly
A word to young men who are travelling by
stage IN this Great Western country: Do
not patrcnize them. Learn to walk. 1t is
easier than to be pent up in those crowded
stages, with whisky and tobacco breaths-
with sick women and children-to ride all
night in Presidential atmosphere. felt
much better when walked three and half
miles per hour for ten hours and then rested
over night, and starting fresh in the morning
for twenty mile walk, with a full reliance
that could surely and easily reach the rail-
road in time for the cars. say l felt great
ly better in every way than should to have
rode all night in that abominable nuisance.
Men of industry, practice walking. Men
Of leisure, It is health and Comfort perfect
pleasure trip compared with staging. But
men will say ''time is money" Well, how
much is our health worth, and how much
time will you save by riding all night in that
two ton load? This is the great trouble
they orer load and it is false to charge the
difficulty to bad roads. SurL FosrrB.