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Beauties Of The Post Office Department: For The Signal Of Li...

Beauties Of The Post Office Department: For The Signal Of Li... image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
January
Year
1843
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Ir' tliere s uny hw of the land wliic'i ught to excite tlie disgust oud indiglation of the labonpg peopl of this conniry, t is that which relates to the Post Office Detartment. If tliere is any aristocratie and un;qual fenturo in our law, (and tliere are very nany,) it may be found in the particular privlcges granted to a few of the dignitaries of he land, while the great mass of the penple mist submit to be crushed and ground down mder the tread of ofïice holders. It is a piopofiiíion that is su.-x-eplihlc of the Jearpi-tdemonstralion, that every man who onlribn'es to the support of this deriartmfint, ays, at least twice as much, as he would be bliged to under proper manngemenl. And it lust be confessed, that the industrv and laor of any and every country, directly or indi3Ctly support it. If the mercliant, lawyer, octor, or minister, carries on an exlensive orrespondence, or receives a great number of ewspapers ond periodicais,'hisciistdmcrs, clints, pntients, or parishioners, raust sooner or iter, directly or indirectly foot the bill. Tlien ; s the labor ing man that pays it. Now, I retend to suy, that, ihere is not a post office i the United States, NOT ONE, for the srrices in which, the post master receives $500 =r annum, uhrrc thfi vvliole biitiiiess caniiot s ï done for one half tíiat süm. We mtiv ' ifely go furlher, and say that it not only can ' S do-e for half that sum but in a majority o ich instances it is done by clerks for one n tlf that is paid by the depnrtment. In many "the post offices, the dispropor;ion bei ween o value of the services actually rendered and n e arr.ount reccivedr is much greater. The t! sproportion generally inercases, as the salaor amount paid to the post nnsler d s. ' I believe in paying the servants of the n ople on the sanie principie that I would puy ery other eervant; i. e., pay for the services cc ndered, anl pay nothing more. In every lH mee where the poát master receives ij-om gr _.L. _ _ _ i lili il rve lo titíeen liundied clüJJars per annum, hiï , sceives from two tu three times more tlian be arns, and from two to three timos more tlian . js necessary to pay lum. Just as competent e, leu can be founrl, men of eqnal integrity, ond fo íen vvho would cheerfully give unquestioimble t} onds, and who wonld do the business for one alf or one third the amount actuallv paid. tr If the question should be asked, whetlier ve I ould be in frnorof putting llie post office up ir t nuction, to be stricken off to the lowest '" dder? We ansvver, the evil can be remedied '! 'ithout a rosort to this practice. The price ) be paid the post niaster, may be pnt down y the department nt what it is reasenably cu tli ; ond then there will be a dozen appliv si ints for each office. „ The evil of which we complain is one of v smal! magnitude. It is one, however, to liicli wc alvvays havesubmitted, and I snpposo o ahvays may submit. There is much talk, bor, toil, and much treasure expended, 10 ing about retrenchment and refarm. But seems to me tliat here is an important (t. r to be attended to. It carnot be contended tiiat the post office partinent reqnires that tho very highest price ould be paid in cach case, os is 60inclimei ntended in relation to the Ipgislative branch our government, for the purpose of „ mdibg tbc best talent. Intenritv, "ood t PI nds, and fair buí-iness habitsare all that are jiiired- all that should be reqnired - and co i retlian are sAmetirncs brought in'.o the v rtment. We pay every government officer iré in proportion to his services than we ;any body ehe; but this evil is most íingly prominent in the post office , nt. We f cel it more, bëcaüfie wo are ,. ,. ha upon directly to pay ïf, and because we are 7y called upon to contribute to the support

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News