Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1834-05-29


tention Of gentlemen 10 the item have TINS
moment read; there are now in the Post OF
fee DepaFtment, ninety-twO Clerks and A
gents, INCLUDING the Postmaster General
During the time Mr.. Mclean, the immediate
predecessor Of the present Postmaster GeneF-
AZ. was at theshe Of that Department. there
were only thirty eight Clerks IN that Depart
mept, if my Information be correct. such
an increase as to numbers is extraordinary,
and in itself is calculated to awaken our at
tentioo. But when we take into consideration
this additional fact, THAT, independent Of this
army Of clerks being regularly provided for
by the appropriation Till, that the present item
proposes to allow SSl 1874 for extra clerk hire,
what must he our astonishment, nay. indis-
nation, in these days of promised and boast
ed refrenchment, and reform; when we see
the money of the people distributed out, to
he Toasted and rioted ON as part of the
spoits Of victory
| for one cannot vote that sum, or any 9TH
er sum, Cor extra clerk hire. unless can OBJ
tain some further information on the subject.
The extras in the. Post Office Department are
neafhreaking it down, and our Treasury like
10 he Impoverished in the same way.
While lam on this point viii declare, once
for all that believe, whenever the Postmas-
ter General leaves that Department. he will
go a.lt With clean hands, unstained and tneon-
Iaminafed with plumber, however Others may
enrich themselves from !" the spoils'' of that
Department; Individually he wi gain no pro-
fit except the salary allowed by law.
have known that gentieman for thirty
years, occasionally met him at the bar. and
served with him 10 Congress. i have no doubt
at his honesty. He is man Of talents, and
has rich and choice gifts as an orator, hut ne
il a child Al to the wiles Of man aad the tricks
and articles Of the world. He has heen the
dupe of all parties to which he ever belonged,
and the dupe Of every cunning knaye that ne
had any thing to do with, either individually
or officially. To this artless simplicity of his.
to his incapacify to say No to the importuni-
ties and intreaties Of those he has hern con-
nected WITH is to be attributed the present
arrangement of the Department over which
he presi9es.
The operations Of the Post Office Depart
mept are these immediately after General
jackson entered upon bis duties as President,
under the color aud pretence of reform, the
old. exnerieneed, able, aud tried officers OF
that Department were dismissed from their
respective employments, and others, without
experience, and scarcely any other known
qualifications, save their devotion to General
jackson and their fury and intolerant zeal in
his cause, succeeded to their places. Ap ex-
fsaOrdinary Number Of hungry Giiice- hunters
ana exnectat1ts were introdilced into the De-
partnlent, iSy d subdivision or employments,
and putting AZ many clerks in each division
ne possible, evidently 70 distribute as extern
siyely as, practicable I. the spoils Of victory"
which, 10 the languageof some Ofetheir lead
ers, they fought the political battle for. Il
THE number has thus been Increased from
afof,t thirty .eight 10 nineiy.fM0. "a FEle Of
l.l,or has been established without authority
81 law, and arbitrary IN itself. unknown 70 the
practices and usages Of employing clerks, IN
s,ilief branches Of business; that those clerks
shall only .be employed IN the discharge Of
their official duties. nominally six, but 10 real
jty mot more than foir hours day, and what
tliey do out of those hours. they are paid for
rs extra hire. These enormous ana lncfeas-
ine annual demands for extra clerk hire. a.
mounting. III The present bill. as 10 the Post
Office Department, 10 $3l. 1884. and the whole
Of the Departments put together, to $50, 1871
..spoils," were what they fought for. The
more they get, ahe more they want; and,if
Selonaon had lived in these days, he would
have found the craving demand. for an IN
crease Of salary OF extra allowance by the
clerks in the Departments, 40 Unsuitable. and
hard TO satisfy. as the three things he did find.
To illustrate still further the idleness of1the
clerks l., the Post Office Department.. or. If
thew d. their duty. the little business assign
Cd 10 them, / would cali the attention Of the
committee Ia the Blue Book, and there they
will find the third clerk in tho Examiners Of
flee OF the Post Office Department is A. 8.
Merriwether, at n salary Of $500 year. ]
will ask the members OF the committee, do
you know him? Gentlemen, II you do not,
/ will tell you: he has occupied yonder seat
in the stenographers' box, taking down the
debates OF this House for the Globe during
The whole session, until few days ago. about
the time we commenced this bill. Shame
for the Post Office Department.. which fur
nished clerk out Of It for the Globe.
Almost every postmaster has become a pol
itician, and deeply engaged in electoneering;
they have abused their privilege Of Thanking,
by sending, free Of postage. political docu-
ments. letters, ESSAYS, and tFacts, throughout
the country. This practice and abuse les
sened the receipts of the Post Office Depart
aent, and Increased the price OF transporting
the mail.
In great many instances, posth,asters are
allowed To discharge the duties Of their OH.
Ies by deputies, who are paid high prices for
their services by the Government. The Post
masters ia the meantime are receiving high
salaries without doing any thing except 10
play the part of indefatigable partisan polti-
clans.
Ii IL manifest from an inspection Of the
Blue book, that in the large towns and cities,
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