The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
THRIFTY S%TAR-ROUTERS.
KENTUCKY MoUNTA INEERs ALMOST
MoNOPOLIZED THE BUSINESS.

MoNoPoIIzED THE BUSINESS.
Thcy Held Rightly -soven Ter Cent. or Ht-some
tricks OF tho Trade "-Mcn or tho secona
Generation who stin Mako Good Incomes.
,From the st. Lorns Giobe. Democrat.
DANvhLE, Ky, July 3.-From 10 to 90 pcr
cent. OF tho star mail route business, which
costs the Government about SC, 900, 900 q ycnr,
Is hold by shrowd contractors who 1.-Two In, or
near the little mountain town of London, the
scat of Laurel county, kentucky. 1t ia like
wise not generally known, perhaps, that The con
tracts for carrying tho United Statos' mali
through the streets OF such cities as brooklyn,
Newark, Now Haven, Atlanta, vicksburg,
Louisville, Detroit, Sacramento. Kansas City,
Jacksonville, Salt Lake, Milwaukee, and SO
on are also held by citizens of this Same little
town OF 1900 inhabitants, which until a few
years ago was nearly 200 miles from n railroad.
The star routes are those over which the
mail Is Transported by stage line, horseback,
afoot, or in private conveyance. At tho close
OF the last fiscal year there were nearly 21,o00
of these star routes in tho United States. The
other contracts referred TO como under the
wagon, or screen, service, where the contractor
transfers the mails from tho Post Offices to the
railway stations.
In addition to tho larger cities already
named. London men hold contracts for the
cities of Lewiston, Springfield, Mass; Bridge.
port, Harrisburg, Dubuque, Norfolk, Mont.
gomory, Knoxville, Mobile, Selma, vicksburg,
Canton, Bloomington, Little Rock, Wichita,
Charleston, and many others scattered through
ont tho entire country. The London star
reuters do n more general business, holding
thousands of contracts In every State In the
Union, from Maine to California, am from
Michigan to Louisiana.
Tho history and operations of the mouA n
combine which shortly after the war actn
held 81 per cent. of tho star route contracta
the country are interesting. Some membd.s
Of the company frequently made moro money.
year in and year out, than the President was
paid, and q number Of them arc numbered
now among the rich men of Kentucky. Leading
pioneers In the industry were ex.Congressman
Frank Finley, now living at ease in a beauti-
full home at Williamsburg, KY; Judge Vincent
Boreing Of London, also extremely wealthy,
and q pr ospcctive candidate to succeed Com
gresham d.. G. Colson; Judge Robert Boyd Of
London, one Of the richest men in Kentucky,
and the Hon. r. D. Hill. one of the formidable
applicants for the position of United States
District Attorney under President Mckinley.
OF these, Judge Boreing is still largely inter
ested in mail routes. In tho younger gener-
ation-worthy chips from the old blocks-are ex-
State Senator Ed Parker, who ran up against
the Platt-Quay combine as n candidate for
Sergcant-at-Arms; w. B. Catching, w, II,
Steele, P. F. stillings, J. C. johnson. II. p.
Brown. j. L. Yaden. J. NJ. Boreing. and E. A.
Chiffon. all of London.
Tho heavy operations of the old timers began
with tho organization Of the Southern Mail
and Transportation Company" made up princi-
pally Of London and Williamsburg men. This
was just at the close OF the war. Prior TO that
time Judge Finley and u few other individuals
had handled small star routes here. and there
with good success, and recognizing the extraor-
binary possibilities OF the business, organized to
carry out a scheme Of huge proportions. Their
intentions were no less than to bid for the en-
tire lot Of contracts, sublet them to second par
ties, let the sub-contractor do the hard, work,
and the members Of the company draw the SUR
United States was divided into four postal dis
tracts for the four districts were made to run for
four years, expiring alternately. so that bids
The Southern Mail and Transportation Com:
pany, having carefully investigated the cost Of
country. went into business with u bold front.
The COMPANY, bid on every star route in a quar-.
made as a co COMPANY p but by a series erhs ORR of frm n1s
Smith d Jones would bid on a lot of routes.
hsaP9gwcTner& r Bsnde enc on a lot, and 50 on, all bids i'd:
reason for this is unique. If the Governments
a ,Su a ct route h,d for . four years for $1,000:
double that sum t to the GoSern . Snta f H%d the h
southern Mai and Transportation Company. as
1t could not probably have made bonds good for
s., 600 600; but 4 Smith q Jones made. a
$4,000 contract, their friends Brown Il Bender
could go on their bonds, and when Brown Il BEN
der made a similar contract, their friends Smith
capital OF 300. 900 could be made as far roaoh-
bered. too, that the contractors ran no risks in
making such bonds, for while the Government
demanded n bond of twice the amount of tho
consideration OF the origina! contract. when the
professional star-router sub-let IL. he exacted
gilt-edgcd bond of four times the amount of his
Did; this bond being made TO the Government
Such were the plans Of the southern Mail and
Transportation COMPANY, and for years i! sailed
crop Of routes througkoint the Country, sub.ies
the contracts through travelling agents, and
then then, s AWAITED iHs r 9no,her ,9 3 dEi 1T The be-, Govern;
three months the United states Treasury sent
the snhcontraetor his share OF he, pay and re-.
These entcrprising men thought no moro Of
gan, New York. and California than they did of
taking n two;milc contract near their own vii
iiaSes, nor did they hesitate about tackIing tho
~tuckians held every contract for carrying tho
mails in cities like New York and Boston. as
they now hold them in Brooklyn. The greatest
profit; however, came from The country business
S"mpc,i!ion at ali. &laii' r.Iies through the
highlands OF the caroliuas, Virginia. and Ken
thousands of dollar. \ f]ayorile method was
TO sublct contracts 10 circuit riding" preachers
Womb carry he mails Tor almost any sum sun they
could got. frequently for less than ~onc.tcnth II of
the amount the star reuters were receiving for
the work.
1t is dinicult to tell just how much money
was made Out of the business, and in n manner
perfectly, legitimate, in its rosy days, but hints
here and there give some idea of the profits.
One route Of t~hirty-siN miles in Michigan,
which had n mail each way every day. wns
awarded to the cot tractors for 5000 n year,
OF, f4i,ooo for the LIE NJ the contract. 1t was
suhlct tn II livcryman NJ just nC.half the sum.
The li~vcryinan killed forty horses. and sank a
lot of cash, besides trying 10 get rich, on, the JOB.
Az old travelling agent now ont Of the bust
ness says he has let many "a contract, al ii profit
of 20 PER cent. to his employers.
William Harding of London Is one OF tho vet
Gran route agents. lie has been In he service
Of the big contractors for thirll years. and il
still in the business, which lc says has now
about zone Tho way ~ many other good things.
Harding has been in every state in the Union
time and again, dealing with sub-coptractors.
AMI has cashcd checks IN every county seat in
the United States wii"rC there Is - national bank.
OF the younger set of professional star reuters
| " IL I'nlHhluu, nf lnnlnn l. nrI.LuLlN lLn lnnat