Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-12-30
l@'UMBER 80.

'ure. IL could not. Then as 10 a persons be;np
pe,ssffed TO examine and deliver letters-By
whom was this perm o given To whom AZ
what time In one instance or in more than one
Under what circumstance And what evil or
inconvenience followed All these are evidently
material questions to my guilt or innocence and
| ID the importance ofthe charge-how truly ridi.
| cuious, tor example, would it turn out tc, be- if
some clerk who for an instant was obliged to be
absent, should thoughtlessy have asked q friend
| TO deliver the letters for him.
| These three last charges involve question
| upon which the Editor, IN his Introductory re-
marks, chuses, to bestow some attention NY
once 10 called si,ec',re, when all its RESPONSIBLE
MY rests ard all its important functions are d-
| recied and governed by me, because think pro,
per to employ deputies to perform its manual oDc.
rations. Ii this is sinecure there are very few
| oihces not sinecures i'll the United States & the
editor instead of pointing his darts exclusively ut
! me, might have found abundant as we'll rs nobler
game, every where around him.-Is there no
MARSHAL, or Collector, or Clerk, or Trnissoner
o. the. Land-OAce in the United States who per-
forms his chties to the public in the same wav.
al all material to thepubiic ifthey are wei
pertOrmed and II Tor every mallea arce jhe officer
stone is responsible Suppose the governments
we're TO adopt the Editors ideI of sinecures and
refused TO appoint any 10 Office who could
not and did not assist in all us drudgerv Whats
would be The consequence lThev would exclude
the 1reyheaded Patriot, the intirm We, eran--the
man who had IN his countrv's service passed he
better part Of life and lost his limbs or bis health
and coniine their choice to the Young, and ro.
Dust, the inexperienced and the untried.-JTptil
tie Editor can prove that this change IN tbe,r M.
Icy Is desirable, that persons OF the first de.
scrip ION ought not be rewarded with public of
nee, ana That those the latter are exclusively
entitled TO them, he will convince no one that my,
once IS sinecure because am not alwavs or ee-
morally present at the opening or cOsinp. of the
malis.-it should be recOllected that nos all TIN,
most important mails are opened and closed in
the hlsht, and some at a very late hour-d,d tba
government expect when l was appointed to of
hce, that at my time of life could perform this
duty III person ought the public to exbect il ?
assuredly not-All that either can require is.
tha' shau obtain competent assistants and allow
them lar saiary--thst shall superIntend Their
conduct and take care that the UNI ed States re-
ceive no lnlury-that shall redress grievances
VIXEN they come to my knowledge, and that
shaii be responsible for the monies received. and
voured 70 do
The merchants ofNew-H av On, in the year1e0f.
70 tlie number OF eighty, and certified 10 be own.
ers OF more than seyen-eighhs of the Nsv,rlt,on
Vi e,e rort, sent remonstrance to Mfr Jefferson.
on the appointment of Samuel Bishop, Esq. Coll
iec'or OF the Revenue of that Port
In this remonstrance they CHARGED him With
90
OF age" and an alarming loss of eve sight. an
tlist ne Could with difficulty write his mango
at he was MT acquainted with the most sim.
PIE IONS or accountng"--n short, he IS repre-.
scented as a man totally unqualified and unfit for
On tie 18Th July 1901, Mr.. jefferson ors,vo..
sAis re'honstrsnce and states that Mr. I, sbop had
Oee'l' and stu was very estimable man-thar
40 % ms = BENG II years ofage," he SAYS, 4" but
at much more advanced age, our Frank n was
an ornament 20 human nature He NAV not he
ao,e 10 perform in person alt the details of his
once bui 1t he gives us the benefit ofhs under.
standing, his integrity, his watchfllness. and
takes care that all In. details are well performed
ny himself, or his necessary assiStanss, all public
purposes will be answe ed
Here to be sure is difference of opinion be.
tween Mr.. Burke and Mr.. Jefferson-But upon
VIZ "iulority due 10 Their respective opinions,
am perfectly wiling To rest nv cause
lis nth assertion will be dispatched hereafter
!, ana now come the charges of arrangement in
inns oiflce-of consequent accumulation of mails
mere TO The injury of tie people in PETERSBURG
and OF other irregularities affecting the pubic
convenience These are IN fact the only mate.
rlal ones and before examine them, beg leave
to premise. That fthe Editors IN Pee sbure. had
without unnecessary aud (until the evil was bro't
nome by evidence to mel certainly unbecom,nsr
structures, have stated their grievances, should
nave felt no other uneasness on the subj ect than
mat winch would have arisen from my anxiety TO
discover the cause and to redress them-For he
generous, the patriotic and bigh.miuded people
OF that town, have always felt the higsest re-
spect, and nothing would have z. ven me .e-eater
pleasure than TO prove tliat [ was not nsensible
to theirjust complaints, and regarded Their incon
yenience equally with that % the people of Rich
mond, TO whose "good" alone it IS insnuated
am exclusively devo ed
The rest will appear in the next Enquirer, with
the necessary certificates.
WN. FOUSuEE, n. NJ
Richmoad, Decerber 21 1915