Idaho semi-weekly world. (Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho Territory) 1867-1868, 1867-06-01

containing the above card we have made In
quiry of several of our citizens who have re-
Gently crossed the continent, from the East, by
the Overland stage route. Our object was to
carefully ascertain the facts in the case, SO as
to charge no blame where blame was not due,
and to truthfully and impartialy set forth the
real condition of things. That there has been
for months, and is yet, grave Encouragement
and gross irregularities in the Overland mail
service, by which papers and printed matter Of
every description sent, have been seriously re-
tarded or entirely withheld from the parties to
whom they were directed, is too well and sore
fully known among our citizens to require par
ticular statement of that fact in this article.
The evil has existed and does still exist. What
we want, all of us, is to ascertain, just where
the fault lies, and then to take such measures
as shall be best calculated to remedy the evil.
But care ought to be taken to justly affix the
need of censure.
Wells, Fargo & Co. are the contractors for
carrying this Overland mail. They contract
to carry it safely and expeditiOusly, and are
responsible for the faithful fulilment of their
contract If it is not so carried the fault lies
within their own company somewhere. Itmight
be the carelessness of way Agents, or the culp-
able acts of other employees-drivers or 9TH
ers-by which the regular and complete trans
mission of the mails from point to point, is re-
tarded or prevented Or, it might be that the
Agents and employees Of the Company faithfully
perform their respective duties, and that it is
the fault-thrOugh negligence or criminality-
of some of the Postmasters along the route,
that the mails do not come through in time, or,
as has been the case in some instances, do not
come of all.
The testimony of the four persons who pub
lish and sign the above card is clear upon the
point that it is the fault of the carriers and not
of the POstmasters. If the mail bags are care.
lessly lost by one driver, the next along the sta
ton ought to carry them on. Such accidents
may happen, but they cease to be accidents
when they occur too frequently, and become
when no effort is made to correct
or put stop to them.
We are informed by the gentlemen here who
recently made the overland trip in these stages,
that there were seen two or three large piles
of printed mail matter, at certain points along
the route. At the last crossing of the Platte
river there was large pile of mail sacks all
of printed matter, and one of the sacks was
open, the papers in it were at the mercy of all
who passed, and our informant saw among the
lot papers directed to the IDAHO WORLD and
to various persons in this city aud Territory.
That mass of mail matter was upon the bank
of the river, exposed to the elements, and to
the travellers who happened along But, our
informant added, that he was very certain that
pile of stuff had been left there by HOlladay's
drivers, and that the present contractors were
not responsible for its deposit Granting this
to be true, still, it seems to us, it is the duty
of the present contractors to carry on all mail
matter which they find on their route, destined
for points to which they contract to carry the
mails. 1t is manifest, however, that Holladay
the former contractor, is not in any way re-
spOnsible for the delays and irregularities which
have occurred in the transmission of the mail
during the last few months. We hear of many
instances which go to prove that gross careless
ness or something worse is practised along the
route, but the facts which are within our own
knowledge, bymeans of our Eastern exchanges,
are quite sufficient to convince us that it is the
fault OF the present contractors that these de-
lays and Irregularities occur. There comes to
the WORLD exchanges from nearly every State
in the Union, North and South During the
forepart of the last Winter all these came
through, almost invariably, in good time, with
out failure. Of course, during the heavy snow
and high waters and floods of Feb
ruary and March, it was physically impossible
to carry through the mails. and no reasonable
person will blame the contractors for the fail
ures or delays which then occurred. But since
April the route has been open and passable, and
yet mail matter, which left the States east of
the Rocky Mountains from early to middle
April, and which ought to be brought here in
from twenty to twenty-five days at the utmost,
is not yet come. The letter mail is also irreg-
ular and tardy of late, and without any appa-
rent cause for It's being so. There is miscon-
duct or gross carelessness somewhere along
the route, and the matter should be inquired
into and promptly corrected We do not deem
it much loss to have the cumbersome and worth
less "Pub. Docs" mail delayed or put by on
the route, but it is serious evil and great de-
prlvation to our citizeus to have their letters
and papers and magazines withheld. We hope
That the contracting Company will promptly
correct the evil, or that the Postmaster Cen
eral Will see that the contract is faithfully per-
formed