An Outrage on the River: Snohomish Demands Reliable Mail

In view of the manner our mail service has been conducted in the past, we think it would be proper to make one of the conditions precedent to giving Judge Jacobs, or any other aspirant for congressional honors, support in this community, that they personally and publicly pledge themselves to use their utmost exertions to secure mail-weekly steam-mail service between Snohomish and Seattle, and weekly mail service up the Snohomish to Falls City. And further, to see that the contracts be drawn up with responsible parties so that we cannot be treated in the future as in the past. The way our mail service with this place has been conducted is shameful and an outrage, to put it very mildly. We believe the chief fault is in the way the contract has been let. The parties who bring it to the river being generally irresponsible, and having no direct interest in the contract being carried out according to its terms with the original contractors. But being specially employed to carry each mail separately and as it might suit their own convenience. We believe the postal agent has the power to remedy this shameful state of affairs if he will give it his personal attention. It is a great pity that a valley containing nearly one thousand people as enterprising and progressive as this cannot be better treated, so they can tell whether or not they are to have any mail to their community, when nearly a half-dozen steamers call at the river per week.