Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-12-30

directions, and that for the smallest ire
guiarlty or misconduct, they were subject
to my instant removal
Durdng all the perlod that have referred to, il
| mas oeen my constant endeavor To engage the
most competent assistants, and if l have as is al
legged, an any degree failed it certainly has not
been m consequence of nv offering low mud in.
suiticlent wages, or from having received young
men into the Office without strong recommends.
ions from competent judges-A standing sa'ary
the most liberal, fair proportion ofthe gross
prohres has beea at all times proposed to those
who would undertake the business, and as to at
,es'as"ns OF Illness and good conduct they have
| been uniformly require d and rece.ved.-To po
Tor example no further back than to the presen,
ana last assistant, Mr. Ponsonby was a gentle-
man OF great respectsbil.ty, of the most rcsDect
aple connexions, strong y recommended by gen
erai Jones of Petersburg and Mr. Shore the Post
master there Mr.. L,indy, the present occupant
'ecs'seo fos' VIZ Shore, it possible, stronger
evidence an his favor, for he very ointedlv oh
serves, that . this was common recorrmend.ti
on. II the had been deceived IN these gentle
men and they had conducted themselves Inlpro.
perry IN the Office, II ought not IN fairness % ne
sttriouted to meas crme--sincc had sp.,fe,;
neither pans or cost to nave the public wei serv-
ed, unless indeed their misconduct had been a,
posed to inc and l had failed to afford redress =
hus THIS, no one viii pretend on the contrary. i
nave at all tunes invited information and cot,rted
I enquiry. In October 1874, for instance under
sAnung that complaints against the Post-Office
SSiste'l, ISSUED III ndb,il hereto subioined.
wtiicn every candid man wl allow, was strongly
illustrative OF my desire to give perfect satsiac
ZION nor can any one truly declare hat h,s re-
presentatons OF Inconvenience or m scnn;Itc,
nave Deen unattended to- or that shcierin,r nav,
sell oehind the letter of the law have ,v,ncs.d
mat shameful disregard Of public conye, ence'
winch the Pesersburs lutelg encer most falsely.
| AZ weh AS lmsddentiy ascrbes to me-
These explorations open the way To III. cha,
5eS themselves The Editor of the Virginia Ar.
gus or thiscity, after percevng the fatihty of
ms publication OF the 9Th winch Will presen+l,,
be noticed, and after Very formal and unmean.
lnS Preamoie hiied with +" old saws and common
Pace renectlons, comes out OH the 10Th with a
string OF charges winch he places with mitch
! parade before the PJst- Master-e;enrroI III.
| prncipa one iSbottoned upon inc ftcts y,bich
nave just detailed and these facts q rzsan the
manner OF my engaging my sssistants) have been
! as Wen known to tie people OF Richmond. two
years ago, as now Indeed, ! have never DENIED
OF concealed them--Yet the Editor of the Argus
prctends To have made a wonderful discovery
and thinks by partial representation of facts fo
i give COLOUR and consistency to a serious eharre
| lie mas truiy stated tic substance of AIR. Lun-
! dy's Contract VI u me as far is he goes bt he
has forgotten to add those very essential clauses
IN ~, "nicn prove that he and his Assistants a.e
| SUBJECT TO my control and direction-that the
books and papers of the Office are under nv m
spection-~tsEst of all misconduct or negltEence
therein, am the sole Judge; that at aay mo.
hent Mr. L,lndy and his Ass ates are su iect In
| retnoVa. by An exer ION of my willard which
prove IN ine, that have not +" yielded up the
Richmond Post office 10 MIR. Llindy, % and thai.
the Post Master az Richmond has not f:rrmed
out his ofice" Can he be SAID to have ,aeI,iell
up" or " farmsd out' An office, who retains ove-
1t the most absolute cOntrou who directs and
governs the persons employed IN it ; who - reg
ponsible for their acts I; who hears and redress.
Is complaints again,t 1t and who can at any mo-
ment remove the person to whom 1t IS pretended
ne mas " yielded 1t up !" Every unprecedented
man Will answer IN the negative md will proper
ly appreciate MS motives who spaIters win ,,s
III double sense" furnishing lust enough infr
nation 10 condemn, and WITHHOLDING tiat which
would acquit.
The nannsr of my paying Mr.. Lundy Is surely
not SUBJECT IN which the public are at ali con-
,cerned whether he receives a stated salary. or
part ct the gross profits of the office or the
whole OF them, Can be interesting only to myseif:
and can give hm no additional powers which az
IN assistant upon the ordinary terms hs would
not possess
The next charge ofthe Editor of the Argus. if
lt was strictly and literally true, respects mat
Ter into which he has no right to enquire and con-
cernInS the truth or flseT0od ofwh,ch the DubI,c
M
ly question material TO them, is, whether the or
ice IS badly conducted, and VIII neither abuses IN n
exist, from which they re suffe ers Z This f.ctbe.
ing established, 1t may then be proper to examine
INTO their causes and if among them il shall be
found that the occasional or constant absence NJ
the Post-Master when the mails are opened mr.
closed, have produced Inconvenience or evls
than and not TIL then shall think myself bound
to answer specially to Mr. Buril's second charge
lfhIs third and fourth assertions shouiI orSve
to be correct, 1t would rather be an evidence ~
the perseverance with winch he has hunted tes
tInony, than Of any cupable OMISSION IN me
lhe Post-oihce, law certainly directs that a per
son employed in the PostO ice before he enters
upon It's duties, shall be duly sworn, 4 It prohibits
s'iy otnerthan qualified person to EXAMINE or deli
yer letters But the same law contemplating the
Poss'Diity nay the probability that IN the hurry of
business Tins direction might be overlooked |
makes person who has not taken tic su |
tiorised oatls equally responsible with one vito |
iiaS The oath as IN other cases is suo6osed T., |
DC AN additional security to the public but Ger !
taIniY not the only or principal ore. If that oath
mas not been ia every case administered. IL bae
been without my consent and contrary To nv d. |
rectiOns and should it be thought that II uas !
my duty to see every "Depu,y's Deputy" a rie1 I
before a magistrate and duly sworn, a1J that
ven IN matter Of ths nature, l could not trnsi
TO irresponsible assistant, it might vet haonen |
that inadvertently this duty has been omitted !
suppose then the facts to have been that vo,,o,
man didremaln in the Office for some one or two
months, who without the knowledge of the Post.