The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1867-01-19
THE CRieO MAIL sWINDLE.

r 8 s
The mail service between California and
Idaho, over what's known as the Chico route,
is an abomination and swindIe. 1t is call
ed daily mail-it is really semi occasional
service-sometimes furnishing our people
here with letters and papers not more than
from two to three months old. At the POST
Office we were. told the other day, that let
ter had been received from the Postal Agent
in California, who states that he had investi-
gated the complaints made about the mail ir-
Irregularities over the Chico route, and he was
convinced the trouble was not at that end of
the route, but that it was the Postmasters or
mail-carriers between Boise and Idaho cities
who were at fault. The Postal Agent thus
showed himself to be deceived, or he was en-
deavoring to deceive others. A strict inves.
tigatlon would prove to him that the fault is
entirely at the California end of the line, and
we have strong grounds for the belief that it
rests mainly in the Chico Office. We have
the Chico Postmaster's own word for it that
he has kept mail matter directed to idaho in
his Office for weeks together, upon the absurd
and frivolous pretense that the Idaho Post
masters failed to return to his High Might
ness all the mail bags he had sent to them.
We have reason to know that he has at va
rious times delayed or detained the mail for
Idaho But the statement of the Postal
Agent, substantially given above, is now
proven to be erroneous. During the week
we received from the Post-ofice here mass
of paper mail, all from California, and the
dates of these papers-our regular California
exchanges-ranged from Oct. 18th down to
Nov. 10Th, the latter being the freshest among
this whole batch of stale date papers. The
lot contained a dozen or more copies of the
Marysville Express, half that number of the
Stockton Independent, the San Francisco Ex-
aminer, the Flag, the Monitor, and the Min
ing Press; also copies of the Tehama OBJ
server, the Sonora Democrat, and last and
least, the Chico Courant of Nov. 10th. By
the Owyhee Avalanche of last Saturday, we
learn that similar lot of very stale mail
matter was also received at Silver City few
days before, likewise from Chico. AS Silver
City is sixty miles the other side of Boise
City, the Postal Agent must be satisfied that
in this instance the fault is not between Boise
and Idaho Cities. And as he knows Silver
Tor Ruby City to be the very first Postoffce
from Chico, northerly, be must also be salts.
fed that in the case stated the fault is with
the Chico end OF theline. 1t is not solita-
ry instance we complain of, although this
last matter is of itself sufficient to call for
the forfeiture Of the Chico contract, but we
and all of our people very justly complain of
the provoking and aggravated delays and
losses to which they have been and are SUBJ
jected by this notorious swindle called the
Chico Daily Mail. 1t ought to be abolished
The route itself Is actually impracticable,
and the service over it never has been, nor
can it be regularly or properly performed
We hope Mr.. Holbrook will use bis utmost
endeavors to rid our people of this gross
swindle, and labor to have them supplied
with sure, regular and speedy daily mail
service, such as can be assured throughout
the whole year over the Humboldt and Cisco
stage and railroad route to California. But
have the Chico nuisance and swindle abol-
ished, by all means.