The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-12-28
ABOUT MAIL

ABOUT NAIL SERVICE.
We have recently heard . great deal that
Is against the mail service Of Montana, espe-
cially in the p.pers-Rapuo'ican papers
There has always been . great deal Of
complaint about mails in Montana, and
there viii continue to be in all likelihood
until stage coaches stop running, and other
crude means Of transportation are done away
with.
If the papers raising this howl would point
to the persons on whose shoulders the blame
rests, they would do . good turn for the ser
vice BY filling the places with men who have
sufficient time At their disposal to give their
Offices the> attention they deserve. 1t may
be said that the appropriations and pay are
not sufficient; but this il not . valid excuse.
Those who took the positions ought to have
known before they entered the office what
compensation they were to get' and II II was
inadequate to them, there is no ioubt but
that others could have been found to take
the places who would have given the offices
their best attention. The sweeping charges
made against the Democratic administration
sound very sweet to Republican ears, but
they are not specific Or tangible.
1t has been the time-honored custom Of
the Republican party to place editors IN the
postofices !; when this is again done in 0
tana, we hope there will be no cause what
ever for complaint, but we arc afraid there
will be.-B0zeman Chronicle.
We are somewhat surprised to see our
friend Yerkes ~ intelligent, fair minded,
honest and liberal in his views-attempt to
condone the mail service of Montana Is it has
been conducted In Montana under this ad-
ministration. It is fair to say he does 1t
under the declaration that the Bozeman
postofEce has been efficiently conducted.
But that is not the point, Bro. Yerkes. Mr..
Carlton, the postmaster 1t Deer Lodge, is as
affable and accommodate iii . postmaster as
ever looked through . postofice window,
and we believe sends out every copy OF this
paper promptly, and as promptly distributes
those that come to us but, with . daily OF
double daily mail to almost every postof6ce
In Western Montana, 1t is generally, almost
universally, the complaint at offices twenty
to one hundred miles distant, except Helena,
Butte and other large towns, that the New
NORTHWEST is not received until two to
four days after it is issued. And yet we can
produce evidence that the NEW NORTH
WEST has been mailed for every Office i'm
mediately succeeding its issue every date In
the past four years. It takes exchanges
from the referred to Offices about the same
time to reach here. Once in = while . paper
will slip through on time, demonstrating
how they should come if the service was
we'll performed. The letter service is about
as bad. The complaints to US are practi-
cally innumerable. For ! time we reported
these failures, and sought by ell possible
means to have them recti6ed. The chief
clerks Of the railway mail service promised
attention ; probably did seek TO rectify the
evil, but it would recur again and again,
aud until We gave up in despair. We pro-
pose to wait until the Harrison administra-
ton comes in and then "kick" if the service
is not improved. These errors must occur
at transfer points, or in the negligence Of
railway clerks to promptly ''work" their
mails to and from the several local mail
routes il Montana. Publishers cannot 60
along with every package Of papers to see
that it reaches its destination. Our friend
intimates these complaints come especially
from Republican newspapers. They are
universal, Mr.. Yerkes. The Republican
press but family voices public sentiment.
The Montana service has been execrable
and bad aud injurious beyond all words.
As to the lack of sufficient clerical forcs in
the large Offices, We are not informed.
So far as relates to 'sstage. coach" service,
We will say that never, under any circum-
stances Of storm and mire and snow drift;
Of mud wagons, Of broncho teams, or s'ffty
degrees below zero" was there any time Of
q weeks duration that the mail service In
Montana was as irregular and unreliable as
has been the rule since we have had railway
service. When the mail was put on q stage
coach, it went to its destination direct. It
might not 60 there to the minute, but it got
there when the coach did. This cannot be
said Of the railway service, which should be
much the better method.
And so far as Republican newspaper edi-
tors are concerned, the traditional rule Of
the Republican party that the recommends
ton Of the Republican newspaper Of . town
should have highest consideration in the
selection of postmaster, is : very good one.
The newspaper Of q town is ordinarily the
most interested Of any one in the prompt
and certain handling Of the mails. The
postmaster's "political influence" extends
generally and only to being a burden to his
party If he is a poor one, and as newspapers
have, with all that may be said Of "spell-
BINDERS" ETC., to bear the brunt of cam
paigns, it is the right Of the editor that be
shall have something to say in the selection.
It may 60 further than this, and as . rule
accord him the postmastership as an &C.
acknowledgement Of aud . compliment for his
services, and be properly defended as q just
policy, and worthy Of imitation by the Dem
ocratic party. We believe in the event it
would be the best method to secure efficient
postm asters. But we do not know that any
Republican editors are aspirants, Brother
Yerkes. If there are any, and they are
appointed, as they should be, we venture to
say they will be good ones.
THAT ROCKY FORK RAILROAD.
S. +. Hauser has the Contract to Complete it.
WASHINGTON, Special telegram, Dec. 20
A dispatch from New York to the Pioneer