Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1918-10-18
REPUBLICAN HELD UP BY
SLIPPERY jim BLAKE

Friday evening. At six o'clock Sat
urday morning we carried the Peck,
Ahsahka and all down river mail to
the Office and delivered it to a clerk
1t should have been sent out of the
Orofino Office within sixty minutes.
1t should have reached Lenore, Cav
endish, and all points early Satur-
day morning. or during the day.
Spokane Saturday. Early Saturday
we carried the Orofino list to the
post office, together with the Weip-
pc, Fraser. Pierce, Greer, Gilbert.
and other up river points and was
denied the right to mail the papers,
Jim Blake. Nugents post master,
saying
This is holiday and the Office
is not open" He refused to allow
us to deposit the paper in the office
altho he was in the lobby and it
was his duty to accept the mail
Again at about 20 minutes to
three, in the afternoon we carried
the mail to the post Office and, the
window being closed, we tapped on
the door and altho Blake was then
making up the mail, he refused to
open the door or window to permit
the mailing of the paper, a rank
violation of the rules of the service
Does the Spokane Office refuse the
Review mailing privileges on legal
holidays? Never, and papers have a
right to the privileges of the mail
on any day, regardless of what 1t
is. We waited about five minutes
and then called for information as
to when we could mail our paper,
it then being almost time to close
the up-river mail and send it to the
depot. Instead of giving us de-
cent, courteous reply, as it was his
business as post master to do, this
old political crook and CRATER came
bolting out the door into the lobby,
and began
II want you to stop bothering me
when l am making up mail! You
are disturbing me and l want you
to get out of here! You don't pay
your box rent! You have GOD,
package here and haven't taken ii
out! What right have you to ask
ME- to mail the Clearwater Repub-
lican? =
After exploding, while we stood
smiling in amazement at his brazen
display of brass, gall and ignorance
we turned with our mail and car
ried it back to the office, while the
mail was sent out and we were de-
MED the right to the United State!
Mail.
Blake, the Nugent boss, refused
to accept the Republican on Satur
day on the ground that it was ,
holiday. Yet the Orofino Tribune
was offered for mailing after WI
had offered the Republican. and thu
Tribune was mailed out Saturday
and distributed Saturday before tn
evening mail was distributed, civ
ing Tribune readers the paper il
their Orofino mail Saturday evening
When the post Office opened Sat
urday evening after the mail wa
distributed, we again, for the thir
time that day. offered the paper 70
mailing, and was permitted by tn
Nugent boss to deposit our paper 1
Slippery Jim's post office. for no l
S, post Office is operated In the wa
Blake is conducting the Orofino ol
: fice. So we concluded 1t was jim
post office, and not U. S. Office 9
all. And people who approve Of tn
sort of business will go to the pol
November and vote for Nugent :
he can continue to keep an old pt
!: litical crook in the local office.
: We spent Sunday at the rancl
: and left Monday morning for Mo
COW. not returning to orofino. ii
: Wednesday evening at train tim
We were at once informed that ii
Republican. mailed Saturday eyel
ing was yet in the Office, not di
: tributed, and that the outgoir
bundles were being held up by Sci
: ator Nugent's Clearwater coun
boss. We went Immediately to Il
post Office and inquired why the X
publican had not been Distribute
We were then told that under
: new ruling the department Is &C
: lecting postage on papers within
county. and that the papers we
: being held because we lacked II
: tie postage.
!: 1t was Blakes business to noti
!: us that postage was needed; 1t W
: his business to have mailed out I
z papers, and 1t was his business
/: have permitted us to mail the pap
/: Saturday. 1t was none of his bu
p: ness whether we take post Off
8 box or get our mail at the genel
s. delivery window; II Is none of