The State guard., 1848-05-23
PosT OFFICE, Wetumpka,
 May IT, l84s.

May l 1, lo47.
 Mr. Hardy.-In the "State Guard'' o the 9th inst, 1 noticed your remarks il reference to the complaints of your sub scribers at Rockford. for not receiving reg ularly their papers, and was convinced, i there were really any just ground of com plaint, that you had located the ihult at the proper point. To wit: at the RockiorC Post Office.
 In the Guard of the l6th an article ap. pears in reply to yours of the 9h, denying the general allegations of the complaint but admitting that the week before the "State Guard" not only for that office, bu for Nixburg, Socopatoy, Brownsville Youngsvillc and PinkneyvilleI were no regularly received and forwarded. In as signing the reason why it was not, the 'Post Master" evidently intends to pro- ducc the conviction on your mind, as well as your subscribers, that thq fault was chargeable to the Post Master at We. tumpka.
 Hear what he says-"Afor distribu. ting the matter for the above offices, anc finding no packages of the "State Guard for either of them, 1 went to the driver and insisted that he should search for an. other sack that might belong to the way mail. He did so, assisted by myself anC another gentleman, but none wes found. :"
 He further says" It seems, however, that they were really abroad somewhere for in due course of mail they were re- turned Che, supposes,) from Blue Pond where they must bavc been sent in a spe. cial bag for that oflice." Now sir, the idea of special bag being put up at this post office for Blue Pond, certainly orig mated with the Rockford P. M.
 The Post Master at Montgomery puts up special mails for the distributing off ces at Huntsville and Tuscumbia, with which the way offices on the route have nothing to do; but all have access to the way mail, and it is not only the priv ilege but the duty of the Post Master a Rockford to examine all the mail matter that passes through my hands on the route. That they should have failed to dc so in one instance only, amounts to noth ing criminal or very remarkable-acci dents will sometimes happen in the bes regulated families. Due diligence ap. pears to have been used on his part with out success, to obtain the way paper sack which left this office on that day, and con- tained the papers he was in search of My object in noticing this matter is not fol the purpose of recrimination, but to se myself right. and if censure is to be deal out, to let it fall where it righ'fully be. longs.
 If my friend above had returned the mail bag in which I have for his especia benefit been putting up the mail matter for his and the other offices mentioned, al complaints would have been avoided. His failing, however, to do so on that occasion necessarily compelled me to put the mai matter for those offices in the general way mail.
 The whole human family seem to bt naturally inclined to complain and censure Cave Johnson, and his boys come in fol their full share. Sometimes gale or the coast, or a steam car running off tho track prevents the due arrival of the mail The merchant, who is anxiously loolin, for the arrival of tho Foreign accounts comes to the office, and not finding his pa pers, at once says the whole d-d con cern ought to be blown up. Sometimes publishers get behind in bringing out thei papers, thereby losing the first mail which prevents their due arriyal-th, same denunciations are dealt out. Sub scribers to the Tarboro North Caroin, Semi i-Monthly Primitive Baptist, the Wis consin six by nine Signal Trumpet, or tn, Louisville Monthly Rough & Ready, hol' us to. the same strict accountability tha those of the State Guard do the P. M. a Rockford, and complain equally as mucl if their papers are not forthcoming whei expected. Some fail to get letters whel expected and throw the blame on the P. 0 Department, while others get them an complain of high postage.
 A long, lean, gaunt looking custome came into my office the other day, wh had frequently called for letters but faile to get them; that day, however, he wa in better luck, for there was one of soli foolscap doubled up perfectly square, GOV cred all over the back with directions tha more rescmbled turkey tracks than legi ble writing, and all the way from the ta and mrpentine region of North Carolina charged with ten cents postage, which h refused to pay. declaring that he neve f paid more than five cents for a letter i his life, and threw down an old chawe up picayune, saying if l would not talk that l might keep the letter. l laid
 back, after letting it lie until he found tn } temptation would not take, he drew fror the bottom of his pocket another 5 cer piece, threw it down, took his letter. an went off actually denouncing your hun ble servant as an extortioner. s, 1 So the P. M. at Rockford will perceiv that l have. sufficient to contend with { home, without setting the editor of tn "State Guard'' and his subscribers , Rockford, Nixburg, Socopatoy, &c., &c on me, by charging me with putting the papers in special bags.
 Yours respectfully, I L. BRYAN, r. M.