Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-10-29
Sluice Fork Redivivus.
PORr CANINE Oct ~

PORT CAMILLE, Oct. Is, 1870.
Editor Sidndard-Back again. After ram
bling visit OF several months duration in one
of the back pastures Of Her Majesty the Queen
of all the Britishers, am again at the old
stand, quietly reposing in the midst of the pop-
ulation, biped and quadruped, Of this locality,
without regard to race, color, sex, previous
condition Of servitude, latitude, longitude,
solitude, or any other tudc or condition, past
or present. Yes, after few months of wear
and tear in a neighboring monarchical pasture,
l am again in what at least claims to be one
| of better grubbed and cultivated system of
political government
mail line from Victoria, and had, on the whole,
rather an agreeable and pleasant trip. But
| there were, to me at least, some disagreeable
| transactions on board Notwithstanding. nj.
lude to the doings Of the custom house detect
i've, alias carpet-bag rummager and bundle
picker. Now, I am not disposed to complain
because OF the faithful performance of an Off
GERS duty, but an officer should at least know
when his duty is properly done. In the case
in question, my judgment was, that the officer ;
duty was very much transcribed. do not
believe the customs laws require any such
small potato transactions. The idea of the
(professed) just and liberal Government of the
United States, through its petty agents, rum
maging over the contents of an old carpet-hag
in the hands of q miner returning from the de-
privations and hard scenes of an interior pros
pecting tour, simply because he had crossed
the line Of another government, is preposterous
in the extreme. 1t is small business, and our
great and magnanimous Uncle Sam ought to
be ashamed Of himself for sending such petty
piddlers abroad in the land to annoy and per.
pick the people who support him. The less
he four magnanimOus Sam) does of such bust
ness the better it will be for the honor and in
terest Of himself and family. But this is the
great day of little things in our government af.
fairs, and under the rule of the present domi-
nant political party, We can reasonably expect
nothing better. The baggage room of the
steamer presented any thing but order and dc.
cency offer the 1epredations of the bundle. pick
er were over. Not a cents worth of any thing
wal found that the passengers had not right
to carry, and the little-grcat man ought to
have known that without rummaging the bag
gage ell over. fever another Of tho small fly
of the Government attempts to overhaul nv
"traps' in similar manner again, there will
be q contest, tug of war, right on the spot,
between the Government fry and a constitu-
tional subject. So it is written, and so it will
be. Some coat-tails and hair will be scattered
around on tho deck of somebody's steamboat
II such an attempt be made. But truce to
Government picaroOns and politics.
In abiding to matters and things on the
Mail Line, the next in order is n short notice
Of the officers, and especially Of the steward,
clerk, or whatever he may be properly called
In my school-boy days, when had cyphered
as far as Reduction" the arithmetic-maker
informed me that the rule consisted of two
different parts, and designated as I" reduction
ascending" and production descending -
Although the officer referred to regarded as n
very polite and efficient one, and on tho whole
must own that rather liked him, yet could
not help thinking that his bump of self-es-
TEEN had reduced him up just a little bit too high
1t he would get on the descending scale and
lower himself down in his own estimation, saw
degree or so, I'd like him better, and the
travelling public generally inst as WELL Just
ieete bit too smart, that's all. As to the
other officers of the line, can credit them with
being easy-going and agreeable gentlemen
As competition is said to be the life Of business
! can only wish that the line in question may
DO successful. -. ,., .
On my arrival at this place find many
changes much in the line of improvement
Old primitive structures have been put through
the process of demolition, new ones erected,
and general repairing of wharves, roads, ETC.,
has been done, giving the place IN aspect of
tidiness not everywhere seen. And not only
have changes been wrought out among things
inanimate, but also among the animate crca-
ton as well. Yes, Cupid has been here play
ing smash among the hearts Of the unwedded,
and finally captured more than one pair Of
them. am almost sorry for the depredations
Of the matrimonial god, since, in his game of
grab, he has taken away some of my most val
ued associates. But fate has bad its way since