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Show Yiias Brinars Them to Time. When the Pacific Mail Steamship Company Com-pany and its co-conspirators refused to carry the United States mails at three times the remuneration received by them during the last twelve years, all because Postmaster-General Vilas refused to give them an additional bonus of $400,000,the Republican press of the country raised a great howl over the destructive policy of the Democratic administration. They said that Mr. Vilas wanted to destroy American shipping, and some even intimated that he was working for British Brit-ish interests. But Mr. Vilas wisel." went his way and forwarded thn foreign mails by other routes, making a notable gain in the time of transportation in some.cases. In the meantime he has caused a statement state-ment to be prepared showing the true facts regarding the mail service done for the United States by the Pacific Mail Company. When the question o: a mail subsidy was before the last Congress the Pacific Mail lobbyists and Congressman Dingley, ol Maine, presented the plea that the Government - could well afford a bonus of $400,000, because the mail business busi-ness done by the Pacific Mail- during last year amounted-to $2,100,000 and the net gain to the Government was $75 ),00 l. But recent researches have shown" that the whole business last year only amounted to , $910,000, and the Government's Govern-ment's gain was only $83,000. If the company had accepted the sea and inland rate offered by Postmaster-General Vilas, the Government would lose $58 on this year's business. -Now the Republican press, if honest, would admit that its censure of Mr. Vilas was unjust and uncalled un-called for, and that he was wholly right in his action. But the Republican press will simply drop the subject like a hot potato. The Pacific Mail Company is now belly-crawiing to get the contract it refused a few weeks ago. Denver Neic. : |
