The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-12-26
Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.
Tile 1Egis is printed this week one day in
advance of the usual time, in order to avoid
labor upon Christmas day. As it speeds on
its way to its readers, the Christmas bells are
ringing, and thousands of eager children are
fastening from their beds anxious to see
what Santa Claus has placed in their stock
ings. The note of preparation for the Christ
mas feast is also sounding, and soon the
young folks will take noisy possession of
the house. Everybody is happy. The child
rem with their toys and presents and their
parents iii seeing them happy
Amidst all this hustle and exhilaration,
however, a note of sadness is family heard in
the music of the day. While the young see
in this festival only an occasion of mrth and
good cheer, to those who have passed lifes
meridian it is likely to recall tender memories
ofpast Christmas days spent in happy COM
panionship with friends now no more. We
are all inclined to say with sigh that Christ
mas is not what it was when we were
young We are mistaken. Christmas is the
same. We only have changed. The bright
scenes of past Christmas days are alone re-
membered, and have erased from our memory
all that caused us pain and annoyance.
five would keep our memories of Christ
mas green let us enter into the true spirit of
the day. The oppression ofpoverty may be
upon us and we may be debarrcd from giving
to our friends such tokens of love and es-
teen as we should like to bestow. Weshould
bear in mind that it is not the cost of the gift
which gives it value, but the spirit of love
which prompts the giving and which the
gift typiies-that Divine love which gave to
the earth Saviour, whose birthday we now
celebrate.
Let us strive, then, this day, to make others
happy to alleviate sorrow and distress; to
brighten some desolate hearthstone. Guilt
waiting and exercising such a spirit this
Christmas will be as delightful as any which
memory paints, and in the future it will leave
an enduring and blessed fragrance.
To all its readers Tile 1Egis heartily wishes
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
How THE PEOPLE ARE SwINDLED.-The
New York SIN shows how the people are
swindled by the Mail Ring. Star routes are
those on which the mails are carried by stage
coaches, wagons and on horseback The
principal theatre of operations is the Western
territory, but the stealing is carried on all
over the country. The SIN says:
The modus operandi of the Ring is as fol-
lows There is an understanding between
certain combination of contractors and the
corrupt Post Office officials, by which the
number of trips and the schedule time on
certain routes are fixed before proposals are
advertised for. The trips are few in number,
say once, twice or three times a week, and
the schedule time from one to three miles an
hour. Then the Ring contractors either put
forward straw men to bid very low or bid
low themselves. Persons who could and would
perform the service honestly at fair price
are either deferred from bidding because of
the small amount of service advertised for, or
they bid what they know il to be actually
worth. The results, ofcourse, that contracts
are awarded to the Ring bidders
In short time they bring their influence
to bear, often that of members of Congress,
but more frequently petitions are gotten up
along the routes, recommending additional
and expedited service. 1t is discretionary
with the Department to allow additional trips
and to increase the speed-that is, shorten
The schedule time. The Department knows
when it advertises for proposals just what
service is required. 1t has the means of as
pertaining this in the most accurate manner.
The revenue of the routes is known exactly.
The population can be ascertained with APP
proXimate eXactness If the territory is set
Ting up rapidly, that is known. There can
DE no other purpose, therefore, in arranging
the service at fewer trips and slower schedule
Time than the requirements of the people de-
mand-savc one, to favor the Ring contract
ors. If service is honestly arranged to meet
the requirements of the region to be supplied
and afterwards increased, the fraud is two
fold.
In few months after the service is begun,
the mails are expedited" rs it is called, and
for the slight additional service sum many
times as large as should be paid is allowed
In one instance the route from Fort Worth,
Texas, to Yuma Arizona, 1 ,426 miles, was
let at $134,000. The schedule time was 35
miles an hour. The contractors proposed TO
increase the time to AS miles an hour. For this
increase they were allowed in addition to the
contract price $165,000 a year, and the in
crease dated back to the beginning of the
contract. There are numbers of other in
stances of similar character. The appro-
priation for mail routes of this character is
exhausted and the Postoffice Department
coolly asks for 100000 additional with
which TO make new contracts The people
are robbed of at least 50 000,000a year in this
manner