The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-07-28
Evil News Rides Fast, While Good News Bats
CANTON, D. T., THURSDAY, JULY %, 1881.
MORE STAR ROUTES,

MORE STAR ROUTES.
Route No. 3S.l3l,
This route is not to be found on the list
of $3 routes which formed the basis OF
the first official onslaught on the star
route thieves, but it is a sufficiently
bad specimen to find a place in that
docume ent. 1t is located in Colorado,
and extended from Cannon City to Del
Norte, with 13 intermediate stations, a
distance of 151 miles according to the
department, and IA miles according to
local postmasters. The original service
was tri-weekly. In the advertisement
for bids it was stated that this service
previous to the middle Of 1878 had cost
$11 300 per annum. A bond Of $4,000
and check of 5000 were required.
There were nine bidders. G. w. Fos-
ter, whose address was "care Bradley,
Barlow, &C.," was the lowest, at 81, 800.
The route was consequently in good
hands. Early in June, 1878, the usual
petitions from citizens, Endorsed by Sen.
Henry M. Teller and Rep. r. NJ.
Patterson, arrived in Washington, and
on the Oath the order went out increas-
ing the service four trips per week from
Canon City to Cleora, IS miles, from
July l, and adding 50, 156.73 to Fosters
pay. Three months later Messrs.
Teller and Patterson returned to the
attack being backed this time by ex-
Gov. John L. Routt in lieu of "citi-
Zens," and presto, four trips weekly
were added to the service from Cleora
to Del Norte, Sc miles, and the entire
schedule was reduced from 43 hours to
80 hours. Mr.. Foster having duly
sworn that the increase" and "expe-
dition" would require 143 per cent.
more men and horses than he had ON
the route, he was accorded $4,179.59
for the one and $1S,S51.44 for the
other. His compensation had thus
risen in three months from $500 to
$31 ,1S4.97. The net revenue from all
the post offices affected by the last in
crease was exactly 81, LAG.
BRADY'S EXTREME HURRY-PRoTEST
AFTER PROTEST UNHERDED.
ROUTE NO. AZ, 149.
This route extends from Roseburg to
Empire City, in Oregon, distance Of
70 miles. There were seven interme-
date stations, and the advertisement
called for service of six trips per
week. The previous cost of running
the 70 ute was $5,9ss. A bond was re-
quired in $4,000 and check for $3.50.
Twelve persons put in bids. G. G.
Huntley's, at 1914, was much the
lowest, and it was accepted July 81,
1873. Soon kilograms began to pour
in from the postmAsters on the route
complaining of deficient service, and
Special Agent G. A. Steel, stationed at
Portland, wrote several communica-
tions on the subject, one ofwhich con-
cludes as follows:
"Whoop la! Things are blue 1t won't do
for any, one in connection with the pcstoaice de-
partment, from postmaster general down to a
fourth-cass postmaster, to run for office for 80
years, unless some contractors are heavily fined
or punished in some way, tout this way par
ticularily.)'
Atlength official notice was sent that
Huntley had abandoned the route. and
that his stock had been seized by the
sheriff, and on Jan. 8, 1879, he was de-
clared failing contractor. The de-
partment went up the list in accord
ance with custom, and as usual the
ring men one after another dropped
out. Unfortunately tor the scheme, a
local man, William CARL, whose bid
was $1,000, was sandwiched in be-
tween, and he had the bad taste to &C.
cept. In this emergency there was
nothing to do but to declare his offer
too high and to make private con.
tract, presumably under private un-
derstanding, which was afterwards full
filled, with ]. H. Warren at $500.
Early in April Sens. Lafayette Grover
and James II. Slater and Congress-
mon John Whitaker, John H. Mitch
ell, and r. Williams were pressed into
service as indorsers ofa proposition to re-
duce the schedule from 80 to "a hours.
Brady did not happen to have his blue
pencil handy at the time. In his haste
he used ink, and the formula, "Do
this, Brady" assumed for once vi let
hue. Warren's pay was increased ST.
975 per annum, to $13,775. Under
date of Roseburg, April 49, Joseph Lane,
evidently an old friend of Postmaster
General Key, wrote that dignitary as
follows:
~ am requested to say to you, rs !
candidly do, that any shortening Of the present
schedule time would be to render the service not
only extravagant but almost impossible. The
route is really over rough and broken country.
Any contraction of time on this route
would prove Of no material benefit, and would BE-
riously embarrass those who are engaged in car
rying the mail"
The Postmaster at Roseburg, under
date OF May 2, wrote the department as
follows: n
:" return the blank without filing in the new
schedule for reasons set forth in the certificate
herewi h. The certificate is not on fle.1 Il would
certainly be impossible to run this route on "a
hours' time any longer than three months, say
Jnlv, August and September, and doubt very
much if it could be run down to "a hours even
then. The Postmaster at Empire City ooncurs In
those views, as you will see."
In addition to this special agent Steel
sent to Gen. Brady long communities
ton, in which he says:
Some time ago made Recommendation that
route No A, ,l49 DO reduced to a ti-weekly. It
is all that is necessary"
No attention was ever paid to any Of
these protests.
The Eau Claire Trouble.
EAU CLAIRE, July 23.-The day has
been one of feverish excitement in this
city. Governor Smith arrived here yes
terdaH and had q chance to see about