The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-19
From the Harrisburg (Pal uaion'
HON. CAVE JOHNSON,


II is said that "a friend once stopped 10 Mr.. Tai
leyrand's private room and found him composediy
sleeping on a sofa at the head Of which was an open
pamphlet that had fallen from his dro~sy hand
Curious 10 know what interesting subject he had
been reading, he picked il up and discovered that II
was violent attack upon this diplomatist
And such we have no doubt is the fate OF many
of the unfounded and bitter aspersioDs which are
sometimes east in the heat OF partisan polltics upon
meritorious and useful officers
The New York Evening Express has INDUCED
In highly incorporate animadyersion upon the
qualifications and official conduct OF the postmaster
general The article carries upon It's face refuta-
ton, sort of staggering audaeous air, which Is at
variance with gentle breeding and not at all charac-
terisle Of the simplicity Of truth. Such articles
rarely find any admirers, and are generally atribu-
ted 10 an undue party zeal. .mIs q
Mr.. Johnson came into Office with reputation
o. business habits and economical despatch, that
Peculiarly ftled him for the arduous and RESPONSE
be position which he holds. The duties Of his
Office are Of a character TO draw him prominently
before the people. All the inevitable delays which
must attend the transmission Of mails were visited
as so many sins upon his head by such persons as
the writer in the Evening Express IL the course
Of the night a snow storm banked up the road and
rendered the passage of the locomotive containing
the mail impossible, il was Mr.. Us fault II stage
coach broke down in going ever deep gully made
by torrent Of rain the day previous, or horse foil
dead lame, the consequent delay was entirely owing
TO Mr.. J's want of foresight. Ii wind and ude con-
spired retard steamboat laborng TO efeeta com
muncation with the southern train, It was Mr. 3
want of the "forittr IN n,Odo' in not taking the
company by the nose and giving II a tweak, and
compelling them TO start an hour sooner.
Such, indeed, are the sum and substance Of the
objections made by the Evening Express. There
ID no allowance made for the embarrassing state OF
affairs under which Mr.. J. commenced his Official
duties. The whole post Office law was revolution
lied, SO as TO render new organization Of the de-
tended with arrangement Of the sub post Offices,
the substitution of cheaper and other modes of con-
yeyanee, and many other novel details, that were
calculated TO obstret the rapid transmission OF the
mails. Besides, a new law always has some defects
in il, which develop themselves in its operation,
and must work evil until revision is effected Mr..
j. in fine had TO contend with all the difficulties at
tending The experiment of the system Of cheap post
age.
Under these circumstances, 1t appears to US that
he has faithfully and efficiently discharged his du-
ties, and facilitated the transmission Of the mail as
FAR as human effort could avail and yet the Evening
Express says that he is "a dead Usigh upon hs de-
pdriulfni." Why he is the very Napoleon Of the
post Office and is considered to be by the clerks
and assistants employed in managing It's affairs.
We only wish that the grumber in the EveEing
Express could have held MIR y situation when the
new law went into operation, and intelligence was
brought from the north and south that contractors
were throwing up their contracts; that Postmasters
in the small towns were resigning by hundreds
that tho railroad companies refused to fulfil the
law and their contracts, and would not permit an
agent upon their lines 10 look after the safety Of the
mail; that the correspondence had Increased three
fold and the number of papers incredibly, and that
the business of the large Offices could not 90 on
without additional clerks, and there was no provi-
sion for such an increase; that many were evadlng
the law through ignorance or design, and, at the
same time, to be bothered with the buzzngs Of the
mosquitoes Of an opposition press, casting mp these
unavoidable annoyances evidences of incapacity
and lnauention.