The Alaska citizen., 1916-01-24
THAT BROOKS MAIL

! ~f!I ID any l''I4i- i''''' '' ''"' N 3lafneIl, lr lag. tendency tc ~haka faith in all pankind Espe ially is this trut ot man who constantly set- himself ID before The peop'e as dealing on the square
 rr aretE.r column of this paper will be found news item ;o th" effect that the contract for the transportation of mail to tho new camp has been let to MT. ]. M. liar ri-. and tha; gentleman not being in th, city he was notified by tele- graph by Postmaster Deal of his good fortune If MT Deal was quot ed correctly in one of the daily pa pers. he is not aware that Mr, liar ri, has any equipment aside from a do- team with which 10 carry out his contract, and does not know what lis intentions arc.
 There is no objection on the part of Tho Citizen to Mr. Harris carry ing this nail but it is the manner in witch the deal was carried through. which has all the earmark, of io5bery
 There never was a call for csti, mates for this particu ar piece of work issued from the local office, and # i~ nqually as certain that the government never called for bids for the carrying of mail to Brooks Gentlemen who have had their ears to the ground listening ~ any rumb.ng which sounded like mail contracts have been in con, stant touch with the local postof flee ever since the request was made for the establishment of a now mail route, and not once dur in4 that time have they received q request to figure on the service. even though they are thoroughly equipped and at least one of them has al the present time in the aeighborhood of $11O0O invest ad in stages and stock and making regular semi-Week'y trips on a regular sched- ule In this instance We have ref erence to tn" Ringseth stage line.
 l. was al rhe solicitation of Mir D.a' thut ;Ie RingSeth stag" has been carrying mail to and from Brooks. free of charge. for the past couple of months for the simple reason that Lc emergency service had been authorized and there were TO funds 10 defray the expense of such selyice but when the service is authorized like bolt from the blue comes the announcement that very personal friend of MT. Deals had secured the plum and the men who had been supplying the people If tn" new camp with their mail on the sratuitous plan did not even have look at their hole card
 Of course MT. Deal was as much surprised as the rest of the people of the camp, for he asserts that he knew nothing of the transaction; that he did not endorse or recom- mend Mr Harris application; that he had nothrg at all to do with T. and does not know the remunera tion for the intended service.
 This explanation may suit the fancy of Mr. Deal and the federal ring but it doesn't go with the pub lie who expected a square deal" and have now discovered there is nothing like it in the cards.
 What is the usual method of
 ranting these emergency services? This question was asked Mir. Deal and he was frank to admit that he lidn't know. If that is the case we will tell him First, the service is petitioned to". and, when granted, the postmaster endorsing the peti. ton will ask ,he department for an emergency mall contract. He is au- thorized by tha department to as -ertain what the expense would be for the service required and after this information has been imparted he is authorized to hire someone If his own choosing to perform the service for the sum named, and the postmaster awards the contract,
 This is the usual method. In the present case the contract may have been awarded by the department, but it is dollars to doughnuts that MT. Deal recommended the successful ap- Dlicant. though he declares he did not.
 The criticism to the little deal IS the fact that it savers very much of jObbery of a petit larceny na- 'ure The men who have been giv ing free mail service for couple If months Were certainly entitled to .l chance to carry the same mail for money.
 If Mir. Deal is small enough to pull eff a personal friend stunt under existing conditions, what would he not do under other conditions where the sum total might aggregate round numbers and the entire people of the interior be greatly loser thereby?
 This little friend" play will be investigated further, even to the records in the poStoffice department, ft h0