Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-01-04
THE POsT OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

Letter published in the New Yo,k Commercial Adj
verer OF the 22i inst, asserts. 'hat II was sdmi',eds
in the debate the Post office hin, tha, there
deficiency in the revenue OF the ID per men, OF eighty
thousand dollars. Il is 20 he ted that party feeling
lights in tnsrePre'enaian IL IL r. o" that under
the able and popular administration al dat Department.
by Judge Mclean the expenditures were greater than
the current receipts. The deficiency WIS made UP
from the surplus fund OF tie Dena'tue {Sso MIR
NJ cleans report, 1921 What is the now ! Th,
Department, having surplus fund, consisting, in part.
OF old debts in tain OF collection, following the ex"
ample Of Mr.. McLean, has extended he public accom-
moda,ons beyond the and has supplied
the deficiency from the surplus fund L, is for doing
this tina, Mr. Barry censured and upon such data Is
il attempted 10 create belief that the Department.
has been mismanaged !! The surplus fund is as much
part OF the OF the Department its cur
rent receipts and it is much the duty OF the POST
master General to expend il in transporting the mail.
In doing so, he followed the example OF Mr. McLeans
and will receive the appreciation OF Congress and Of the
American people. u" y. Tel.
THE SECRETARY OF wARAND THE CRITICS.
The critics OF the opposition pursue the Secretary Of
War with relentless activity Some lave gone
far as to threaten with the Penentary for the
re ction OF his report. We thank them Ter heir solicit
tude our account and beg to be excused the acceP-
| lance Of their f6vofs!
II is known that the Presidents Message and the ac-
compsnying documents, placed in thehands of the
public printer before they transmitted TO Congress.
Indeed il is known tia II has been IN practice time
immcmorial. 20 place the speech In the hands OF the
OF the city papers at the moment is transmit
It'd The Houses. This year, usua the rough
draft OF tie message and the reports OF the Secretaries
OF The Navy ami War Departments. and Of the
| Post master General given 20 the printer, and
the revised proof submitted 10 the private Secretary of
the Pfe.ienf aud TO the Secretary OF the Navy, TO the
Secretary Of War and to the Postmaster General re-
spectively, for ciiou. Alter the revise had been
examined aud corrected by them, the message and re-
ports put press Some few copies Of the report
Of The Secretary OF War had been stricken off, when on
! Monday morning another revise sent TO the of
fee, w"I several alterations, chiefly verbal, marked
the margin in III hand writing of The Secretary
and part Of adj ioun senebce on a. o.her paper.
The public printer was standing by The foreman Of his
Office when this correction received; and being
asked the press should ba stopped for the purpose, dit
feced The alterations 10 be made and gave particular
Instructions that the report, preparing for the
pal er should be made TO conform with the corrections
OF the Secretary and intended II 10 be undestood thas
the mpre stricken OF should be cancelled and
he much mortified 10 learn, days afterwards,
that u h d not been done In this way, lew copies
OF the port, IL fret put TO press, was delivered.
! The Practice Of ptniog the message aud the accom-"
panyiug doc uments, which part OF he message, be
fore IL delivered far iDtOrN ed, old
az the Government, seE The practice Of altering and
cor Getting the r l. old the press Itself There
H. no competition ch3ste, not TO be capable of inn
prOveme0 ard recoieot 10 have heard il said, Of
The late Mr., Coleman, the chaste and classic Editor
Of the Even ny Post, That Il hts habit to revise,
Dj il@n reyse, aud frequently rsVe again, al oTdis
nary newspaper paragraph We ourselves, inattenivo
az we are la these matters, have frequently made
greater alterations than these critics have discovered iu
the report in question: and venture TO affirm, ihst
zach Of the CITIES in quesisn hove done the same
thing THE corrections and the fspor, in the
band writing of the Secretary; ani the acsiious Editor
OF the Cons" ercial may re-asUme s his self gratula
| lone on account Of ~ improvement.
IN some he rspefs IL ha. be said that there w. fa
thee editions, of i- iepOr, issued This so far it
relates TO the public printer Is not correct. No other
alterations than those Damcd made In the report.
70 the public printer, u source of deep mOrlihs
cation, 10 learn that the Fret impressions had not been
cancelled Hc believed that they had teen cancelled.
ihd liant, that hey bad not some days alter they
| bal been distributed. n vii thus he that the
dame 81 seDeiog hs bret edition, rests with tho