Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-08-02
THE TRUE 1NwARDNEss OF IT

u
The following clippings, and the opin-
ion oi Postmaster Pearson, OF New York,
on their bearing, are from the New York
SIN:
To The Editor of The Star aud Herald
SIR: The X. NJ. steamer Medway brought
from Jamaica on the eth inst. four bags of
American mails addressed to So. $. Consul
Panama"
The U. S. Consul General of Panama de-
clnes to receive them.
The u. s. Consul in Colon declines to
receive them.
The British Packet Agent and the National
Postoffice have informed me that their in
structions will not permit them to receive
them.
Nedway.
Some of your readers may be interested
in this.
l am sir, your obedient servant,
X. SUaaETT,
General Agent Il. NJ. S. p. Co.
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's Gen.
eral Office, Colon Agency, July 8, 1886.
Postmaster Pearson said he had seen the
clipping, when reporter called his atten-
tion to it yesterday, but he did not under
stand ii.
at is customary" he said, "to send the
mail addressed as stated there, and no one
has ever refused to take it. Such case as
this has never occurred before, 30 far us
know. Of course the Department has been
notified of the hitch, and the matter will be
investigated
He said that the mails to Colon were sent
by the way of Jamaica, at which point they
were transferred from one line of steamers
| to another. Connections might be missed
sometimes, but he thought the mails gener-
| ally got through in from fifteen to twenty
days. The mail was not sent by the Pacific
Mail steamers, simply because the steamers
would not carry it for the compensation Of
fered by the Postmaster-General.
This is one means taken by the Pacific
Mail Company to hamper the mail SER
vice OF the country and force the Postal
Department into acceding to its demands,
which are exorbitant and therefore de-
MED. The Pacific Mail Company is q
creature OF government support, and for
years has fattened upon the exorbitant
rates charged to the government and the
subsidies given it for carrying the U. S.
mails, to such degree that the good or
bad chances for obtaining an additional
subsidy or contract has been known to
largely affect the price OF its stock, and
in short, but for the immense amount Of
money it derived from government aid
it would have gone to the dogs under its
present management and now be in the
hands OF enterprising men who would
soon place it on paying basis. The loss
OF control OF the House and Postal De
partment by the Republicans has caused
Il good sized cyclone among the moss
backed feeders who control the corpora
ton, and now that they cannot obtair
their heavy charges for transportation
OF the mails from Democratic Postmas
ter-General, they try to hamper him il
the performance OF his duty. The com
pany is well aware that there is no steam
communication with that port direct
to compete with them, and that none cal
be placed there, so they issue the ediC
that mail shall not go in their ships, an
they even influence the Consul residen
there, as they do every man upon tn
lsthmus. 1t is but short while sine
Republican journals were lamenting th
loss OF the American carrying trade b
reason OF Withholding exorbitant conces
siOns from the steamers under the flag ply
ing between Australia and Pacific Coas
ports, but when it is remembered that thi
same company monopolizes that trad
it is easy to see the animus OF these plea
for the American marine. The Paciti,
Mail Company, through its directorate
has always been powerful ally OF tn,
Republican party, and how little the
value the welfare OF the Government o
the comfort OF its citizens can be seen il
/, this act which is brought about by RI
: fusing to them ruinous rates for a seryic
which costs them nothing to perform
They must make these trips in order /
keep the company from bankruptcy, AN
. yet refuse 10 carry few sacks OF mail
knowing that opposition cannot surviv,
and thus bleed the Treasury out
money which no business man woult
pay, for similar service. What with tn
, Poor Postal CLERKS on one hand, and III
powerful Pacific Mail Company on tn
other, Mr.. Villas has hard time oil i
but it is fair TO hope that the Unite
States Government will survive tn
trouble and manage to get the mail [
Colon in less than eighteen days, an
have il attended to after it gets there
I