The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-06
CARRIED U. S. MAIL
POSTAL LAW UNKNOW-
INGLY
MATTER BEING INVESTIGATED
Inspector KimbaII Has Reported the
Matter to WashingtOn-NO In
tent at Wrong
Doing.

If Otto Moe had been aware that in con-
nection with a little private enterprise
which ne has had in operation for the
past five years, there was penalty at
tached that would have required the for
tune of a Rothschild to have continued it
III operation, he undoubtedly would have
given 1t up long ago, in fact he would not
nave Ventured into it in the first place
otto Is a modest young man who is
struggling along on a small salary in a
local railroad Office, and conceived a
scheme whereby he could increase his
monthly earnings, and not be compelled to
work very hard to do so. He started in
by carrying railroad mail to and from the
trains for representatives for the various
Eastern line agents who have offices in
the city, and charged them a nominal
figure for his services.
This mail, of course, is all transported
by the different roads without stamps,
and is carried in the baggage cars, the
baggage men acting as postal clerks. At
the end of the run the mail is turned over
TO the baggage agent Of the road and it
is called for by the persons to whom it is
addressed. In this manner the roads save
thousands of dollars annually by not hav-
ing to place stamps on many bulky pack
ages which the government would require
were they transported in the regular way.
In this field of work young Noes
chance for making very much money was
ctrcumscrlbed, as there were but few
agents for whom he could do the work,
so he conceived a bright idea and enlarged
the field of his usefulness. He called on q
number of large business firms to whom
in many cases an hour time IS Of great
Importance, and explained to them that
he would carry their United States mail
to the train each night for a certain sum
per month, and in this way they would
have over an hours more time to get off
their Eastern mail, than if it went
through the regular channel via the post
office route.
This great saving of time appealed to
the business men and they were not only
willing but anxious to have him look after
all of their mail for the East. He ac-
cordingly had private mail boxes installed
In the different Office buildings where he
had clients, and he worked up a very lu-
crative and satisfactory business.
All went well until a few days ago,
when Inspector KimbaL received word
from Washington that the Federal postal
law was being violated in Minneapolis,
and he was asked TO look into the matter
and have the practice stopped. He called
on young Moe, who concealed nothing,
and told him the methods he had been
pursuing, and disclaimed any intention Of
wrongdOing.
1t appears that the federal postal law
is very specific on the point, and says,
THAT no person shall for hire carry mails
where a postal route is already establish
ed by the government, and any violation
of this law Will be punishable by fine
of not less than $3.50 for each offense."
Then the law says what a postal route is,
and defines as route collecting of mail
from any box in a city and carrying it
to the postoffice
1t is not hard to imagine Otto Moe S
surprise when ne found that the govern
ment could subject him to a fine of $50
for nearly every day in the year for five
/ years All that was left for Inspector
Kimball to do was to report the matter to
the proper authorities at Washington, and
with that report win be sent letters from
the various business firms for whom
young Moe carried mail, asking that the
government be lenient with the young
man, as he had no intention of violating
any law, and that he was innocent of any
criminal intent.
The law does not require that business
firms mail all their letters in the post
office; they can send them to a train if
they wish, but it must be done by some
of their Office help, or in other words they
cannot give it to some Individual who
makes that kind of work a business.
Young Moe is somewhat nervous over the
outcome of the result. but his friends all
feel that the government will deal with
him in charitable manner.