Arizona citizen., 1875-01-23
OVERLAND MAIL SERVICE.
The Reduction of Schedule Time be- tween MesilIa and San DiegO--- flow it was Accomplished.

When touching upon public affairs, The New York Sun is nothing or slanderous When it confines it's base work to inter- ests not directly affecting our Territory, we occupy no space with it. It has recent ly charged that the reduction of the sched- ule time between Mesilla and Son Diego from twelve to eight days, was "jOb' "dOne underhanded by a ring, !" etc, and that tu help it through, President Grant gave it lis Influence. Now to the exact facts, and if they shcw ring" work, then any and all public achievements must be obtained by that character of labor.
 Messrs. Kerens G; Mitchell undoubtedly soon found that they took the contract at figures so low that failure must almost surely ensue or more pay be had. It was perfectly legitimate and legal and even necessary to have the time shorten ed, and of course an increase Of pay fol- lowed under the law. They obtained rec ommendations. for this reduction by peti- tions signed by nearly everybody from San Diego to Mesilla. Gov. Stafford and Gen. Crook recommended it; Senators Sargent a Il d Hagar and Congressman Houghton of California did likewiSe-Sar- gent acting lively in the matter. In obedi- ence to the largely signed petitions of their constituents, Delegates Elkins of w Mexico and Mccormick of Arizona, join ed in representations for the changed ser vice; the Senators from Arkansas urged it; the press all along the route advocated it for months before it was done. With all these varied and somewhat diverse infiu- ences on general subjects, the Postmaster General hesitated to grant it, but after a thorough examination of all the facts, he ordered the change. The whole subject was treated of in the most .n.:J5IIic way for months. No 0nS~seems ever to have thought Cf-"' ring" or" "underhanded !" in- tIences in 1t, until after it was accom- plished. With aiI, it was deeIned best for THE PEOPLE of New Mexico, Arizona and California, that the contractors should not fail, and leave us without through mails for months as in S70. And no fair man will deny but this action of the Post master General was in the decided inter est of the people of at least two Territories and one or two States, as much as in that of the contractors; the contractors could and possibly would have failed on the old pay, and the people generally have been the principal sufferers. The pay now so is low as 10 require inc most economical management to save anything worth men tIOning, and is very much less than here tofore paid for the same service to Bar low, Sanderson & Co.
 The cry of fraud and ring is too often raised when the people at large are bene- fited, and this is an instance. Kerens & MitchelPs Interest is one thing and the peoples another, but when the latter's is dependent upon shat of the former, it be- comes the duty of faithful representatives and department officials to act as in this case; for it must be apparent to every one acquainted with the circumstances that the people generally would have been most severely damaged by failure to have a mail for even one month. With bidders who take contracts below living rates, we have nosympathy, but it must be borne in mind that some of our own citi- zens had bids in for the same service at but few dollars more than KcrcnS & Mitchell, and had any of several of them been successful bidders, the same course as that with k. & M., would have been neces- sary 10 save them from failure. Too low bidding on any public service. is damag- ing 10 the people at large, and yet it is be- ing done all the time.
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 Railway Matters.