Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-07-21
And Upon Their Measurements He De-
ciines to Give Us a Mail
Route to the Hills.
Official Correspondence and a Few undeniable
Facts Bearing Upon the Case.
solomon Wenz1aff Makes an Affidavit
Which Spells All the Arguments
Advanced by the POST
master General.
YANKToN, b. T., July 81, 1877,

~
the Black Hills, and that the Black Hills
Deadwood, when in fact only some 1000
f the 1900 or $4,000 people in the Hills :
re residents Of Desdwood, and only three !
+ four thousand of the whole number re- d
ide within the delivery OF the DeaGweod !
ostoffice. The remaining eight, ten or
more thousand residents of the Hills, scat
cred over an area Of co 10 so miles, have to
,e, or should be. accommodated with mail
at other offices.
Postmaster Howard, of Yankton, says
hat on the announcement that mail would
be carried via Yankton and Pierre to the
Hills, to the best OF his knowledge and be-
lief, an average of 500 letters left the Yank-
ton Office each alternate day, for the Hills,
and that this continued until the mail was
ordered to be sent by other routes.
About this time the contractors between
Yankton and Sully failed to perform SER
vice, the mails were temporarily stopped,
and all this is used against us TO make it
appear or route is unimportant. 1t is a
fact well known in the Black Hills, in Sioux
City, and in all southern Dakota, that more
freight and a larger number of passengers
have gone into the Hills his season via
Yankton and Pierre than by all other
routes. and if it is the best route for freight
and travel, and does the largest business II
that way, it ought to be good for mail.
And while we are satisfied the postmaster
general is actuated by the purest motives
and an earnest desire for the best interests
of the service, we maintain that he has
been imposed upon by wanton and mali
cious statements as to the actual demand
for mail service on the Pierre route.
Judge Kidder in writing from Washing
ton 18th, says:
Reports from the Deadwood postofice
show that on an average, five letters a day
(when the mail was running regularity were
only sent that way. Postoflce agents and
route agents and other agents have made
reports in the premises, and all against The
Pierre route in every respect"
And in answer to the persistent demands
Of Judge Kidder for the restoration of mail
between Pierre and the Hills, the postmas,
ter general wrote him the following letter
Posi- OFFICE DE~PARTMEs1,
Washington, ID. G., July II, 1877.
Hon. J. T. kIDDER,
Washington, D. c.
SIR: | law carefully examined your
application for the restoration Of service
upon what is known as the Pierre route, in
Dakota territory.
The ealnestness and determination with
which you have pressed this matter, and the
anxiety felt by your constituents in regard
to it, nave inclined me to comply with the
request, if it could be done under a proper
exercise of a wise discretion.
/ am constrained, however, to deny the
application. The views of the contract
office, predicated upon strong official reports,
are SO much opposed to it, and with such
apparently strong reasons, that it seems to
me that | should justly subject myself to
criticism for a disregard Of official duty were
l to pursue a different course.
am, with great respect,
Your obedient servant,
f ID. M. KEY,
Postmaster General.
Now, as before said, while we are sure thu
postmaster general would not knowingly b,
a party to any wrong on the people of thi
territory, we insist that he has been mislet
by false statements, made by parties VIII
have interests that are antagonistic to tn
interests of the people of Dakota, and a
this action is final until it can be overcom
by an irresistible statement of facts,
respectfully appeal to the people of th'
Black Hills, and of southern Dakota, ant
to the business interests Of Sioux City ant
e other communities in Iowa, whose citizens
are travelling and freighting to and from tn
Black Hills by the Pierre route, to Civ
: prompt expression 10 their convictions a
to the public demand for mail servic
between Fort Pierre and the Black Hill.
i / will gladly receive and forward to tn
postmaster general any respectful paper
and petitions on the subject; and if til
r service is ordered, and the contract given t
d responsible parties who will perform
promptly, / will stake my reputation fc
truth and ~veracity that there will be a larg
mail between Yankton and the Black Hill
e over the Pierre route.
JOHN L. PENNINGTON,
Governor.
POSTMASTER HCwARD's STATEMENT.
(, Yankton, d. t., July 81, 1877.
y Editors Press and Dakotoian In repl
to your inquiry as to the amount of ma
e leaving this office for Deadwood and othe
points in the Black Hills during the tim
I. service was performed on the Pierre rout
I would say that / know the amount of ma
increased very rapidly up to the tim
Hutchins' line between here and Pierl
failed, and that this was only the mail
f this territory and immediate vicinity. I'll
subjo;ned statement gives the facts as b.
lieve; at least it does not exaggerate tn
amount, and can be relied upon as true.
Very respectfully,
A. w. HOWARD,
Pr stmastpr.