Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-05-10
A CUT AT OUR LOCAL PACKETS.

printed elsewhere Is correct, the river
mail service between Memphis and
Wittsburg, by way Of the mouth of
st. Francis river, is to be suspended
all to save the paltry sum of $12, 900
to the public treasury; a mere drop in
the bucket, as it were. But tub of
some sort must be thrown to the re-
form whale, though why this end of
The line should be the first to be
hauled in, and the people of the St.
Francis valley partially cut off from
their mail, is not exactly understood,
unless it is thought that the agitation
going on here for some months
past may be to some extent
quieted by this withdrawal.
A few points in connection with this
particular mail line will cast some
light upon its benefit to the public
and otherwise. The steamers plying
from this port to Wittsburg on the St.
Francis, since the river mail contract
was inaugurated, have made regular
trips to and fro. If the mail contract
be taken from them their regular
trips will celse, except during the ac-
tive business season in winter time.
During The spring and summer the
boatswill only move when they can get a
trip large enough to pay expenses. 1t
is understood that this mail pay will
barey cover the fuel bill Of the vessels
that carry them, yet of course this
item is a considerable expense to
steamboats, and the owners thereof
will exert themselves to keep their
boats moving regularly in the
dull as well as in the active
season when this mail pay is the
incentive. 1t helps them all, and
while of no profit in dull times it adds
to the profit in brisk ones. The St.
Francis river valley has but few post
Offices, it is true, as the dispatch says,
but plantations line the river shores,
some in bends and on sloughs or bayous
ten miles from a regular postoffice.
The mail agent travelling on the boat
delivers considerable quantity Of
mail matter at points along the way
to which it may be directed for the
convenience of those isolated places,
upon some of which a hundred or
more people reside. Another point is
the fact that the st. Francis valley
people trade almost wholly with this
market, and it is rapidly settling up
Its population both white and black,
are increasing; its forests are being
cleared into cotton fields, the rich
lands being regarded as among the
best in the world for cotton pro-
duction, and there is no good reason
why these valley residents should not
enjoy mail privileges. 1t may be ar
gued that the steamers will carry the
mails to plantations in stamped envel-
OpeS, as they have been doing in years
gone by, free. Possibly this is so.
Boatmen are proverbially generous,
though not always rich, and they do
thousands Of chores for nothing,
whether they can afford it or not. An
important point to which mails are
carried by the steamers to St. Francis
is Mariana, on the L'Anguille river,
the capital of Lee county, Ark, and
between which heavy traffic prevails
with our merchants. The mail leav-
ing by steamer this evening, for ex-
ample, is delivered to the Mariana
people by breakfast time next morn
ing, and many hours in advance Of any
other way of reaching there. Still
another point ia reference to the item
from Washington announcing the
withdrawal of the st. Francis river
mail route: 1t is mentioned that the
revenue Of the wayside Offices
is insufficient. The fact is that
the newspapers, letters and other
mails are stamped here before start
ing, and the central Office here re-
ceives the money therefor, while a
planter generally receives ten or a
dozen business letters to one written
in return by him. Ia addition, our
city aud other newspapers are sent
along the river in liberal numbers, all
postage paid Of course, and no news
papers being printed along the river
valley no revenue is received there
from at local Offices. Possibly the
people will be satisfied with such
mail facilities, as the railways
can supply with horsemen
to convey the matter from way
statious to interior points, after the
old time style, but our mercantile In
terests will not be likely to receive
much benefit from a shortening of the
boat trips during the dull season
while the boatmen will feel the cur
failing effects of $4,000 mail pay, Z
heavy lop-off for them, though, as be-
fore remarked, only drop among thu
vast sumS expended in ether see
iions. In this connection it MAJ
be well to mention th,
the mail route between Mittsburg ant