The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-04-24
OUR MAIL FACILITrEs..WHAT IS
.IFlzRnHzXPu8f 49,

pOr1, 10 mar1On OcHIcES ou0 ~ VIII SO
seen that very near half of the populat-
ed portion of the State lies south OF that
line. With the exception, perhaps, of a
line down the border counties to Fort
Scott, there is not in all this vast region
of country a single mail route that
meets the wants of the public. The
present system of mail routes for South
ern Kansas, with a few unimportant
exceptions, was established ten years
ago, when there were in all these coun-
ties not over ten or fifteen thousand
inhabitants settled along the more
evidently don't seem to take any account
of the rapid growth of this country, and
the consequent increased demand for
more mail routes and better and more
regular service. Uncle Samuel don't
seem to be aware that this remote re-
gion about which we are writing now
has at least seventy five thousand inhab-
itants, and that pOking, weekly horse
back mails are not the thing in a fast
growing and rapidly developing coun-
try. The entire mail system in South
ern Kansas needs overhauling and cut
ting and slashing. There isa six months
job for some lire mail agent who don't
live in Iowa or some far off region, but
| who knows the country, and will spend
his time in going over it to see what is
needed. The horseback mails which
make twenty-five or thirty miles of
travel per day ought to be superseded
by something more modern and faster.
Seventy-five miles a day should be the
average days travel for Kansas mail
contractors. Post masters who can't
read or write ought to be superseded by
those who can. Post offices that have
no local habitatiOn, but are carried
around the neighbOrhoodin somebody's
hat ought to be located, and men put in
charge of them who feel the response
bility of their positions. Mail routes
that were established ten years ago from
some Chem prospective State capital to
| Squire somebody's tavern, which were
in many instances made to secure
ought to be abolished and the money
spent on routes that will benefit the
public. In some instances, where there
is weekly or tri-weekly service the rule
is that it takes letters two or three weeks
| to go thirty or forty miles. There is a
state of carelessness prevailing TO a
large extent among those who handle
our mails, that is criminal. The matter
ought to be looked into diligently. Per-
sons living on the borders hardly dare
to subscribe for. papers because they
never receive them. We frequently re-
I ceiVe our Leavcnworth and other ex-
changes via the Neosho Valley route ten
about carelessness in the handling of
our mails is general, and a feeling of in
security about sending letters prevails
in all the border counties. The mistakes
and the carelessness among post masters
should be traced up, and when found
their names and the character of their
blnnders should be reported to the De-
partment. A little diligent w DIRK would
insure better state of things. We
know that it is the easiest matter in the
world TO find fault with public servants,
and especially those who have tho care
of our mails. 1t is not in that spirit that
we write this, but with a desire to bring
about better state of things with our
mails. u ~ n-
We don't know that we can suggest
anything that will give general satisfac-
ton. We have no desire to thrust our
opinions on any one, nor have we any
taxes to grind" Our only intention is
about better state of things for South
ern Kansas mail matters. We venture
to make few suggestions in regard to
our own routes, and leave others to look
after theirs.
In the first place, daily service ought
to be put on the route running from Wa
mego to Fort Scott. At many of the
Offices along the Neosho Valley, which
is traversed entire by this route, the peo-
pie depend on it entirely. 1t is one of
the most important mail routes in the
State. In addition to daily service, a
thorough investigation should be made
amcng the post masters to find out why
~ 10 tIatt papers hHU ActICIS arc So O1tSH
de1ayed on the road.
There ought to be daily service on the
route from here to Cottonwood Falls.
The mail is now carried twice o week,
and often two sacks have to be taken.
Then there ought to be tri-weekly SER
vice from Cottonwood Falls to Marion
Center, aud tri-weekly service from
Cottonwood Falls to the new town of
Wichita, at the mouth of the Little
Arkansas. There ought to be tri-weekly
service on the route from here to Eure- |
ka, and the route should be extended to |
Wilson county.
The mail facilities in all the new
counties west, southwest, south and
southeast of this are in deplora-
bic condition. The means of commu-
nlcation between the counties is worse
than nothing. We are often as long as
two weeks in getting mail matter to and
from Eureka, distance of fifty miles.
From other points on the Neosho |
there ought to be tri-weekly routes .
leading into the new counties, and than
quick communication by mail establish-
ed between those counties by routes
from east to west.
Those new counties are filling up more
rapidly than any other portion of the
State, with intelligent people. Some of
them are said now to have eight or ten