Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-07-28
HAS BROKEN FAITH.
Free Rural Delivery Division Refuses to
Establish Corvallis Routes
Nos I and 2.

! Despite the favorable report c
its special agent, c. E. Clement
and it's positive assurance tha
the rural free delivery routes
Nos and ;, running out o
Corvallis, would be established
on August 1st, 1903, the Unitee
States Rural Free Delivery Di-
vision of the ~osta1 department
has been guilty of a breach 6
faith.
Special Agent Clement was il
Corvallis last February, and il
company with Post master John
son, made thorough inspection
of the proposed routes. After
careful examination, he recon
mended that the routes be estab-
lished. The superintendent ot
the Western Division at Sar
Francisco gave his approval, and
finally the department at Wash
ington 81 c'ioned the project as
shown by INC following letter,
dated at Washington, D. c.,
May 7, 1903:
POSTMASTER, Corvallis, Oregon:
Replying to your letter of re-
cent date, requesting to be ad-
vised when rural service. from
Corvallis will be put in opera
tion,. I have to inform you that
this service has been assigned for
establishment on August I, 1903.
& H. CONQUEST CLARK,
Acting General Superintendent.
Blue prints were made by the
department and sent to Postmas-
ter Johnson as All additional as
surance that steps were being
taken to provide the service.
Upon the strength of these ap-
parently since promises. patrons
of the proposed routes began to
prepare themselves to take ad-
vantage of this service when it
should be established. In some
instances boxes were secured and
and put up, and many subscrib-
ed for daily papers, believing
that these would be placed at
their doors by the rural carrier
within few weeks.
As time drew near to the first
Of August, however, and the de-
partment gave no evidence of its
intention to put its promise into
effect, patrons grew anxious and
the postmaster was worried with
inquiries. He relied upon the
word Of his superiors and assured
all who made inquiry that the
service would begin August 1st.
Finally even his confidence was
shaken and he wired the Free
Delivery Division, stating that
he had not received instructions
relative to the Inauguration of
the new routes. A reply was re-
ceived from Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General Bristow, last
Thursday, conveying the scant
intelligence that there was not a
sufficient number of houses along
the routes, and they had there
fore been abandoned.
AS there are more houses now
along the routes than there were
when Special Agent Clement
recommended the service, and the
department under Mr.. Bristow's
gave assurance that it
would be established, the depart
ment's reason seems like a very
f1imsy one. If Mr.. Bristow is
determined that each route must
serve 100 families and not one
family less, why was the seal of
his approval placed on the ser
vice in question? The great gov
ernment of the United States
cannot afford to break faith on
so slight a pretext. Special
Agent Clement went over the
ground personally, and the con-
ditions were such as'to warrant a
favorable report from him. He
saw that the country is being set
tied rapidly, and while at present
there are a few less than 100
families on each of the proposed
routes, in very short time many /
more than the required number
will be served. There is no dis
position en- the part o. any one
to ask the department to be lax
in its administration of the postal
laws, but all concerned are de-
termined that the. governments
agents shall have some regard for
their promises to the people.
Senators Mitchell and Fulton
have been advised of the condi-
tion of affairs. and thew NAV he