The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-28
"A SCRAP OF PAPER"

We are reliably informed that the
Post, Office Department has posted
notices at both Winner and White
River post offices asking for bids
for carrying the mail on newly
conceived star route with terminals
at Winner aud White River. Who is
responsible for this new proposal we
are not in position to state positively,
but we believe we could make a pret
ty fair guess, if we had to, and not
miss the mark more than a mile.
Well this naturally brings to the fore
the query what is a government
mail contract?" and the answer, ap
parently, under the present admins
tration, is that it is nothing more nor
less than "a scrap Of paper" to be
torn up and destroyed at the will of
of the epartment.otficials or at the
behest Of some disgruntled communi-
ty or communities, or individual or
set of individuals. We had always
been taught to believe that Govern
| ment contract was more r less sac.
red and binding instrument, a cove
nant to be kept and lived up to. But
under the reign Of this present day
Democratic administration we are
learning many new things, and among
them that go Eernment contract is
not to be regarded near as sacred an
instrument as it might be, but in re-
atty it is nothing but "a scrap of pa
per" which in fact is worth less than
the paper it is written on.
! Clarence DuStrude was given four
year contract to cfrry the mail be-
tween here and Winner, and he as
sumed his duties December lst Since
that lime we have had weather con-
ditions which have made life more or
less of a burden to both man and beast
and roads that were practically i'm
passable at times, and of course we
have had delayed mails, and there
have been some complaints for that
reason, some justified perhaps, in a
way, out some very unreasonable and
unjust as well. The route between
here and Winner was changed July
lst last so as to include O'Kreek in
! Todd county, and while this change
did not add to the mileage materially
over the route formerly used, it does
compel the carrier to travel road
that is used but little by anyone ex-
cept the mail carrier, I'd in bad wea-
ther especially, does it impede the
carrying of the on mails chedule Now
the Department is going to add Is
more miles to the route, and of course
Expects to improve the service. L!
adding to the length Of mail route
has a tendency to improve the mail
service, we would suggest that the
new route be made through from Muir
do to Winner, and with such a sched-
ule we could get through mail from
both Murdo and Winner the
same day. Whereas under the con-
templated schedule, all mail that
came from the Milwaukee for points
east of White River, would have to
lay over at White River until the
next day. Then too, the new route
might just as well be routed via Cody
and give that post office and the peo-
pie who patronize it daily mail ser.
vice, for which they have so fondly
hoped for several years. OF course,
the roads at present, might not be all
that mail carrier could wish for, but
what does that matter2 The carrier
between here and Winner has about
the same proposition tocontend with.
The people who are supplied by this
route knew nothing o. the contem-
plated change, except perhaps a chos-
EN- few, until the notices asking for
bids, were posted at the two terminal
points of the proposed new route.
At the intervening post offices along
the route no notices or other official
information that change was con.
templated were posted or given the
general public, their interest or wei.
fare seems to be matter OF second
airy consideration In matters of thi,