The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-03-06

we have received from gentleman connected with
the Post Office Department, and well qualified TO testify
on the subject involved, the following communication.
intended TO show that much of the faufnding and
sure thrown upon those engaged that branch Of the
public service is groundless and unjust
Mr. EDrroR | noticed recently a paragraph in the
New York Sun, which was copied into the Washington
Union, with comments in that paper calculated, as many
other similar articles have been, to give the public
wrong impression the safety of mails and the hon
esty and fathfulness of those to whose hands they
particularly intrusted The editors referred to complain
that they have suffered not little by losses OF sums OF
money RENTED TO them through the post Office; and
than intimate, if they do not directly charge. that
their losses have been caused BY the dishonesty OF those
in the service of the Post Office Department ,,st I,
Now certain, think that neither Of those presses
would intentionally do anything throw unjust cepsure
upon the post Offices They, doubtless, have not cram
when loss occurs of letter dspossd sid 10 have
been deposited post Office the fault cannot possiby
be anywhere else but with the postmastere and thslr
horse Of this particular department for al the mishaps
and deinquences al all connected with private cores
pondence through the mails 1t is an error for which
The public have to pay quite dearly, it cannot fail
to offer direct to dishonesty and fraud on
the part OF persons not in the service OF the poscce,
by holding implied promise to transfer at once all
their offences to the shoulders of those having the custc
dy of the mails.
did not. however design at this time to attempt any
sisants, or to show that, body, they claim
higher rank for correctness and honesty than any other
class of respectable citizens but having had some expert
ence in the investigation of and msdemeanors
charged upon the post Offices my object was and 49, sim
ply to show that they not justly chageable with any
thing like the degree OF blame thus reckessy attributed
to them. ..u 49,
Nothing is more common for instance, than cases like
the following every prominent postmaster IN the coun
try Attest merchant deposes valuable letter IN
the post Office the non-recept of which is in due time
made known Inquiries and searches are made tor the
missing letter. but tdngs of it can be obtained Both
the person sending, and the to whom sent spare no
denuncations against those through whose hands 1t
should have passed and there is lack OF private ex.
and Others whose to BRING the post
Office establishment into bad epute to join in the general
cry that the mails unsafe because they 40
not 90 through honest hands. few weeks or months
eapse and the stray letter makes its appearance through
the dead letter Office, from other quarter having
been originally directed TO some other person OF town than
the intended 1t is returned safely to the hands OF
the writer who can hardly believe his eyes when the
proof is before him that his own careessness has caused
all the mischief but he feels under obligations to
couneract the unjust suspicious ne has set aoat or 10
retTact the cursngs Literally bestowed on the depart
ment and its deputies ~
Them again. it often occurs that after weeks spent BY
officers employed in this service in endeavoring TO ferret
out the reported robbery of moneylee where the
letter itself received minus the money, the most con-
elusive proof is finally obtained that the complainant
induced by fraudulent motives omitted to enclose any
funds. Yet the common cursing has been, pronounced
and nobody volunteers to transfer it 70 The right quar-
ter and II goes in to swell the long list Of rascalihcs
transacted within the post Offices . ,r,,.,;,
| could fill a page of your paper with the details OF
cases like the above, which have come under my own
observation within few years past. And there s
scarcely an end to the instances | could cite, Fnd
which could be confirmed by the records Of the Post
Office Department. where losses and robberies OF val
liable letters going to merchants and newspaper pub
fishers have been traced directly to, and proved upon,
messengers and clerks in their own employ. In bos
ton alone losses amounting the aggregate to several
thousand dollars, have been traced to such
few weeks over 81 500, contained in missing letters have
been purloned after the letters and contents had pasted
through the nails by persons sent to the post Office by
firms whom the letters intended A the
losses of this kind sustained by publishers. may say
that where such thes became frequent they have far
discovered, invariably been fixed upon dishonest
person in their employ
In view of such facts these, (and they might be
multiplied, with truth, almost indefinitely must DO ad
mtted that the reputation of the post office establishment
There are no doubt some black sheep large flock,
but they not numerous the means of detecting
them difficult as to render the public mails an unsafe
medium for any purpose for which they were intended