Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-07-23
The Sitka Nail.


Postal Agent Underwood, and endeavors
to make him wholly responsible for the
recent change made in the Sitka mail SER
vice While Underwood has doubtless
failed in his duty in this, as in many other
instances, still there are others equally to
blame. who should come in for share of
the odium which an indignant people justly
feel towards the perpetrators Of the out.
rage. Under the old system, the Sitka
mail left Port Townsend monthly. To all
those south of that point, no Inconvenience
was experienced by this arrangement, since
mails from all parts Of the country we're
carried to that place. BY the new system
the mail leaves Portland, and the steamer
now carrying it does not stop at single
port in this Territory. The consequence
is, that our business men must either send
their freight or mail matter to Portland, or
else to foreign or disputed soil, and Of the
two the former is preferred. 1t is impos-
sible for any one unac1uainted with the
circumstances, to conceive of the injury
of this new system to our business men.
For the past year the mail has been car.
ried from Port Townsend, and. during that
period an increditable amount of business
was transacted between our merchants and
the people Of Alaska. Business agencies
and connections we're formed at once profit
able to ourselves and advantageous to our
Northern ueighbors. A settled system Of
business had been established, which was
increasing daily, and every preparation
had been made to meet the increasing de-
mand. The change leaves us without
mail, breaks up the business arrangements
of our people, aud swindles the Govern
ment out of thousands of dollars.
The Government pays for carrying the
mails from Portland to this place, and
thence by water to Port Townsend twice
week. Over this route all the Sitka mail
could pass, as heretofore, without an addi.
tional cost Of single cent to the Govern
ment. The contractor could carry the
mails from Port Townsend for thousands
Of dollars less than from Portland. This
sum is lost to the Government and stolen
from the hard earnings of the people.
While it is the duty of the Government
to discharge its Agent and censure him
for thus continuing public swindle, it is
no less an imperative duty Of our people
to censure their Delegate, if upon inquiry
it is found that he has failed in the dis.
charge Of his duties. 1t cannot be main
tanned that it required any great influence
or powerful argument, any eloquence or
"silver-tousued oratory," to prevent this
change, change alike injurious to the
Government and the people. The facts
would have been sufficient; why did not
"our Delegate" present them?
1t cannot be successfully urged that the
Delegate knew nothing about the matter
before he left Washington, without admit
ting that he was negligent or wofully ig-
norant Of the passing events in relation to
our Territory, whose interests he is paid
to represent, since the Departments ad-
vertisements for proposals to carry this
mail were published several weeks before
he left Washington.
Under these circumstances, it is unjust
to censure the Agent of the Government
alone, when so many circumstances point
to "our Delegate" in Congress, unfolding
his conduct to his constituents and pro-
claiming to him Thou art the manv'