Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-07-21
HOME OF STAR ROUTERS.

Inquirer.
HOME OF STAR R0UTERS.
How a Few Men Control the United States
Mail Contracts.
Cincinnati Enquirer.
From 40 to 60 per cent. of the star
mail route business, which costs the
government about $6,000,000 a year,
is held by shrewd contractors who
live in or near the little mountain
town of London, the seat of Laurel
county, Kentucky.
It is likewise not generally known
perhaps that the contracts for carrying
the United States mail through the
streets of such cities as Brooklyn,
Newark, New Haven, Atlanta, Vicks.
burg, Louisville, Detroit, Sacramento,
Kansas City, Jacksonville, Salt Lake,
Milwaukee, and so on, are also held
by citizens of this same little town OF
1 200 inhabitants, which, until a few
years ago, was nearly 200 miles from a
railroad.
The star routes are those over
which the mail is transported by stage
line, horseback, afoot or in private
conveyance. At the close of the last
fiscal year there were
NEARLY TwENTY-oNE THOUSAND
OF these star routes in the United
States. The other contracts referred
to come under the wagon, or screen
service, where the contractors trans
fer the mails from the postoffice to the
railway stations.
In addition to the larger cities al
ready named, London men hold con-
tracts for the cities of Lewiston, Me.
Springfield, Mass. Bridgeport, Conn.
Harrisburg, Penn; Dubuque, Nor
folk, Montgomery, Knoxville, Mobile,
Selma, Vicksburg, Canton, Blooming
ton, Little Rock, Wichita, Charleston,
and many others scattered through
out the entire country. The London
star reuters do a more general busi-
ness, holding thousands of contracts
in every state in the Union, from
Maine to California, and from Michi-
gan to Louisiana.
The history and operations of the
mountain combine, which shortly af-
ter the war actually held 81 per cent.
of the star route contracts Of the
country, are interesting. Some men,
bers of the company frequently made
more money, year in and year out,
than the president was paid, and a
number of them are now numbered
among the rich men of Kentucky.
Leading pioneers in the industry were
ex- Congressman Frank Finley, now
living at ease in a beautiful home at
Williamsburg, KY; Judge Vincent
Boreing, of London, also extremely
wealthy, and a prospective candidate
| to succeed Congressman D. G. Colson /;
Judge Robert Boyd, Of London, one
of the richest men in Kentucky, and
Hon. R. D. Hill, one of the formida-
BILE applicants for the position of United
States district attorney under Presi-
dent Mckinley. Of these Judge Bore
ing is
| STILL LARGELY INTERESTED
In mail routes. In the younger gen.
eration-worthy chips from the old
blocks-are ex-State Senator Ed. Par
ker, who ran up against the Platt-
QUAY combine as candidate for Ser
geant-at-Arms, w. B. Catching, w. H.
Steele, P. F. Stillings, ]. c. Johnson,
H. P. Brown, J. L. Yaden, JIM. Bore
ing and E. A. Chiffon, all of London.
The heavy operations of the old
timers began with the organization of
the "Southern Mail and Transporta-
ton company" made up principally
of London and Williamsburg men.
This was just at the close of the war.
Prior to that time Judge Finley and a
few other individuals had handled
small star routes here and there with
good success and, recognizing the ex-
traordinary possibilities of the busi-
ness, organized to put into effect a
scheme of huge proportions. Their
intentions were no more nor less than
to bid for the entire lot of contracts,
sublet them to second parties, let the
subcontractors do the hard work and
the members of the company draw
the surplus, which has to be in fancy
figures. The United States was divid-
ed into four postal districts, as it is to-
day, and the star route contracts for
the four districts were made to run
four years, expiring alternately, so that
bids for one of the four would be taken
every year.
The Southern Mail and Transporta-
ton company, having carefully inves-
tigated the cost of carrying the routes
in various sections of the country,
went into business with bold front,
and the knowledge that there were
few competitors in the field was, of
course, not used in the interest of the
United States treasury. The company
simply
BID ON EVERY SINGLE STAR ROUTE
In a quarter section of the country.
The bids were not made as company,
but as q series of firms. Smith & Jones
would bid on a lot of routes, Brown &
Bender on lot and Jones & Smith on
others, all bids, however, under one
general management. The reason for
this is unique. If the government
awarded a route for four years for
$4,000 the contractor had to make
bond good for double that sum 70 the
government. Had the Southern Mail
and Transportation company, as an
organization, secured 81 900, 900 worth