The daily union., 1846-08-28
posi- OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

The "New York Courier and Enquirer" finds
great fault with the economy of the Postmaster Cen
sral, Mr.. Johnson. Citing several instances where
letters passing in the mails have failed to reach their
destination in due time, and attributing the delays
to the want of sufficient number of clerks in the
distributing Office Of Albany to remail and forward
the letters by the outgoing mails, he charges the
deficiency in the force of the Office, and the conse-
qusnt delays in the mails, upon Mr.. Johnson, as
caused by his desire and efforts TO retrench the ex-
penses Of the department.
1t not our present purpose TO enter upon the de-
fence Of the virtue Of economy against the attempts to
dscry it as contemplate quality in public officer,
charged with the expenditure of the public moneys
nor to show that in Mr. Johnson, it is not Of the
piufu character represented by the Courier and
Enquirer" A saving in the renewal of the mail
contracts of half million Of dollars, effected in a
little over a twelye-month, much better explains
what Mr.. Johnson's aims and achievements are in
that respect than could be done by us in any unne-
csssary defence of him on that score The object
Of this article is to show, that Mr.. Johnson has not
been guilty Of msappying his economy in the man
ner alleged and that he is free from all responsible
ty or fault in respect to the delays complained Of.
That there is deficiency of clerks in the Albany
post office is conceded The same deficiency exists
in many other post Offices. That it has the effect Of
mpairing the efficiency of the public service-of
causing delay in the mails-is undoubtedly true.
But the number Of clerks in the post Offices is not
fixed by the Postmaster General. There as
many clerks IN the Albany post Office as its worthy
postmaster can employ with the inadequate means
appropriated by law for that purpose-just as many
as his postage commissions, which are fixed by act
of Congress, will pay for; and he has no right, nor
has the Postmaster General the power to give him
right, to apply any other fund to that object.
Mr. Johnson has made the most urgent endeavors
to enlarge the commissions of the postmasters, for
the express purpose Of enabling them to employ
more Clerks and perform the public business with
despatch and accuracy. He anxiously sought
throughout the last session to obtain from Congress
the passage OF law for that purpose. At the ses-
sion before the last the rates of postage were re-
duced, reducing of course the aggregate amount Of
postage, and that, too, to great extent. This et.
feet, so far as 1t bore upon the expenses of the
the like, was anticipated by Congress; and an ap-
propriaion was made out Of the treasury to meet
the expected deficiency. Not so in regard to the
post Offices. The reduction Of the amount of the
postmasters' commissions, which constitute the fund
to defay the expenses of his Office, was the neces-
sary consequence of the reduction Of the amount of
postages caused by the owposage rates; and whilst
the deficiency in the net amount going to the Cen
era Post Office was provided for by appropriation
from the treasury, the post offices were left without
any such aid to meet, with diminished fund,
their expenses, much augmented by largely in
creased amount Of business, flung upon them by
the operations of the new law.
Early and late Mr.. Johnson urged upon Congress
the increase of the commissions, to enable postmas-
ters to provide adequate force for their Offices AS
the session approached its close without any action
on the part of Congress- he sent an officer to the
Albany and New York post Offices to obtain facts
and particulars with which to remove the prejudices
entertained by some against the proposition. He
gave frequent personal attention upon Congress up
to the latest moment and effected at last the passage
of the necessary provision through the House, but
it was lost unfortunately, at the last hour of the
session, in the Senate.
Under such a state of facts, how groundess and
preposterous the charges made against the Post