New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-13

last advices. Meantime we are receiving
files of letters from our Western patrons,
grumbliag at the non-receptlon of their pa
pers and growing over the nOn-acknoSi-
edrneut of their remittlnees. And this
sort of music We are doomed TO have dis
coursed in our ears for at least month to
come. even though the cause Of 1t should
have ceased to exist a! the point Of original
detention.
One wrong is apt to lead 70 another.
Last week. our CITY Post-0fIice was CON-
pletely cleaned of bags in whichts send for
ward Newspapers-said bags being Ofcourse
piled up full of newspapers at the West end
of the Erie Railroad or 10 the course Of
tardv transmission on their several errlnds
after long season Of such de.endon-so
that our papers laid over for two days ia the
Post-Offce here. Our Postmaster did MS
best, but could not fnd paper bags at any
price-we boreht all we could find and sent
them off full of papers-and finally, We be-
lieve, he intercepted lot on their way to
the Boston POst.Ofice and tOoI tRe re-
spcnsibility' of stopping them and putting
them to use. SO at last the riclety, tum-
ble-down machinery was got under way
again.
We do not write to complain OF asy
man, nor TO reflect on the head Of the POST
Office Department. We have said repeat
edly and still say, that his qualities are Pc
culiarly adapted to the place he holds. Had
JOHN MCLEAN continued 20 FL that post. We
believe the natural friction and derange-
ment would have been less; but we doubt
whether any Postmaster-General since Nc
Leans time would have done much if any
better than Mr. Hall. The vice is in the
system, not the man. The Government is
irresponsible, and It's agents are not as Wig
liant as they otherwise would be. If any
Express Company, under similar engage
ments to convey our papers promptly to
tuCu cuDSCliDtlSi "tic " lh@hC SiihiAeA
defect, we should have the Sheriff on It's
track but the Government laughs at our
Indignation and makes light of our wrongs.
1t may or may not compel its defaulting con-
tractors to smart for their breach Of engage
ment, but It never thinks Of responding to
the thousands whose property is destroyed
in its hands through It's breach of contract.
So We must grin and bear il as we best
may.
IL anybody high in power or strong IN
popularity had ever seen fit TO preach
crusade against the Post-Ofice Depart
ment as an incurable nuisance, we suspect
he might have been quite as successful as
Gen. Jackson was in his relentless war on
the United States Bank, and with far better
reason. The Post Office IS a monopoly,
which the Bank never was. 10 spite of the
slang with which it was assailed. Any one
who chose might with perfect impunity have
set up rival Bank next door, and adver-
tised to underworld and undersell it In every
thing but let a man advertise that he Is
prepared to carry letters quicker and cheap
er than the Government chooses to do it,
and he would soon find himself in hot wa
ter. There would be great Inconvenience
for time in any attempt to take the Mail
business from the Government and remit it
to private enterprise but We are not sure
that the result might not in the end prove
advantageous. At all events, II Il. convey
ance of letters and journals were cOnfded
10 private enterprise, we are perfectly sure
that no such outrageous violations of faith
and of duty as We are now discussing would
ever provoke exposure and demand repre-
hensisn.