The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1898-03-24
THE MAIL ROUTE.
The Second Assistant Postmaster
General Badly Misinformed.

shows how lamentably ignorant
easterners are concerning Nor tapa
and it might also show how easy it
is for contractor to s'see' an
"inspector" and get a favorable
report when he has mail carrying
contract on which he is losing
money.
i Washington, March II, 1898.
Slr-Referrlng to letter of Mr.
J. W. Mcknight. of Dupuyer,
Mont, forwarded by you to this
office, together with petition
asking that route No. 63l1S, klpp
to Choteau, Mont. be continued III
operation after the end OF the
contract term, | have the honor to
inform you that the matter has
oeen carefully considered aid the
department can see 10 good reason
for continuing the service, nor car
1t see that such continuance would
i be for the benefit of the mail SER
vice. The route in question has
never given satisfaction anu COM
plants oI irregular service We're
frequent, aud from no place were
there more complaints than from
Dupuyer during the time Mr., Me-
Knight was postmaster at that
point. Recently the department
sent special agent to the locality
with Instructions to inves tigate
and report DIS to the cause of the
poor service, and to recommend
such changes as in his opinion
would improve the same. He
made "a thorough investigation
and folnd that one great cause of
the poor service was the condition
of the road between Dupuyer and
Piegan. The country is mountain
Gus and the road very rough, and
! the principal delays We're on that
portion of the route. He found
that but little mail passed between
the two offices named, aad he
recommended change SO as to
0 make two routes, Que running
n from -Kipp to Piegan and the other
fr IN, Choteau to Dupuyer, thu;
: leaving out the worst portion o
the route.
. BY this change the mails from
o the east aud north will be handled
e quite as expt ditiously during TIN
,e summer as by the route from Kipl
to Choteau, aud during winter will
be very much expedited owing t.
the fact that the roads are ,oassabl
III at all times.
All the postmasters on tn
route and the people generally ar
in favor of the change; IN fact
about the only person who otjecte'
to it was Mr.. j. W. Mcknight, an,
Il his objections were based more OF
or commercial, considerations than o.
8, postal. He is the proprietor of
business establishment, and mos
of his goods are forwarded vi
Kipp. and the running of a coac
l. between Kipp and Dupuyer fur
nishes him with very convenien
way OF transporting most of hi
merchandise
The only mail that will be de
layed by the change is that be
tween Klpp and Choteau, and du,
RS ing the three days from Januar
25 to January 27 only one lette
.. each way passed between Piega
and Dupuyer. While it is cor
ceded hat this was below ,h
le average, it will readily be see
that several times that quantit
would not prove very much of
9 detriment if delayed "a hours
- which it will be by the propose
change. Very respectfully,
w. S. SHALLENBERGER,
Second Assistant Postmastt
General.
d, In as short a space we do nj
rem ember of ever having read ;
many disbursements as there al
C on tained in the above letter, al
the "inspector," in whose repo
the foundation for the above W;
found, is certain y deserving of
= seat along side that champion lia'
:" Ananias, OF Biblical tines
In the first place the road b'
tween Dupuyer aud Plegau is NJ
IN mountainous, and the delays con
, planned of during the past fol
years did not occur on this portiC
d; of the road. On the con ntrary, th
delays have always occurred b.
v tween Kipp and Piegan, and th
rr reasons for the delays are plain
everyone except the "inspector
The fault is not with the road, b,
with the poor starved horses us'
on the line. With good rigs al
~ good grain fed horses there wou
o. ittle OF no reason Why Z
us trips co1ld not be made on schedu
time the year round. In al
event, Whenever it is possible
ell 90 from Kipp 20 Piegan The ia