Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-09


regard to the cause of Gov. Reeder's removal,
and also with reference to the motives of the
Executive, commences by alleging that the
president, after consultation with the Secre-
tary of the Interior and the Superintendent
If Indian Affairs, determined NOT to give it
1.-THE Indian land contract-Ed. iStarl his APP
proval,-a decision of which Gov. Reeder is
appraised in letter from the Secretary of the
Interior, dated the 18th of July"
And in another part of the same article, the
Times says explicitly that Governor Reeder
| awas removed flee days before the date of the
letter announcing the Presidents adverse de-
, cision - and, consequently, that the removal
was not delayed "to await the result of the
! examination into the changes upon which it
v rs to res"
Bv' reference to the Washington Union Of
tbe 18th Instant, it will be seen that the letter
of the act.;ug Secretary of State, apprising
Gov. Reeder On his removal, is dated July %,
1855. Now, if Gov. r. was apprised of the
Presidents adverse decision on the contract,
on the. 18th of July, as the Times states, and
the acting Secretary of States letter, then it
Is clear that Gov R. could not have been re-
moved fire days before the letter of the Secre-
tary of the Interior announcing the Presidents
adverse decision
The truth is, however, that the letter Of the
Secretary of the Interior to Gov. Reeder, in
forming him of the Presidents disapproval of
the contracts, and transmitting the whole cor
respondence, is dated August 2, 1855; but the
date Of the letter Of the Secretary Of the In
terror, upon the back of which the President
endorsed approval of the contracts refused"
is July 26, 1855; and this endorsement, sign
cd franklin Pierce, as aciU be seen By refer
ence to tile Union Of the 9Th instant, as also
dated Jmiy 26, 1S55-two days before the let
ter of the acting Secretary of State. So, it l.,
was not delayed - to await the result of the
examination into the charges upon which he
was removed -
Cancelling Postal stamps.--It is the duty
Of every Postmaster to be careful to cancel the
stamps of prepayment on every letter de-
posted in his Office for transmission by mail,
either by drawing ink marks across its face,
or blurring it with the impression of stamp
made for the purpose. This is absolutely ne
cessary, to prevent attempts to pass the stamps
which have once been used, a second time in
the mail, and in that way to defraud the De-
partment There is standing order Of the
Department that all stamps of prepayment of
postage shall be thus cancelled in the post
Office where the letters bearing them may be
first deposited. Yet nothing is more common
than to neglect this plain duty, which, in turn,
gives rise to efforts to defraud the Department
out of the value Of the stamps, which not un-
frequently are successful, We apprehend. 1t
is equally the duty Of postmasters to can:el in
the same manner the stamps of prepayment
on the envelopes which are furnished by the
department. These stamped envelopes are
designed principally for the use of those who
transmit letters by private expresses, in which
case letters sent in them may be legally so
transmitted. Stamps cut from such envelopes
when misdirected by the sender, or under any
other circumstance whatever, cannot be Ie-
gaLy used; that is, placing them on other
letters or envelopes is not the prepayment #
postage required by the law. When such en-
.elopes are sent by private expresses-that is,
outside of the mails, or othecwise-they are
rarely or never cancelled, and ic the use of the
stamps cut from such envelopes were regarded
rs prepayment Of postage, there would be no
security that they had not been used pre-.
viously as above explained, for which use of
them the Law exacts legal postage in making
it illegal for express men, &C., to carry letters,
except in such envelopes, which are obtaina-
bic only from pos:masters,
a
Governor Reeder.-As many of the north
ern papers are teeming with a story in their
Washington correspondence, alleging that the
President offered to Governor Recder, as in
ducements for that gentleman to resign, first,
the mission to China, and then that to the
court Of st. James, soon to be made vacant by
the resignation Of Mr.. Buchanan, We have to
say that We are satisfied that the story in each
and every one Of its particulars and yaria- |
tons is false-false from beginning to end |
No such offer or offers were made to him, the |
public may rely on it. The story is merely !
made up by some enemy of the President, who |
lacks tr"th on which to hang a fair plea of |
wrong doing or his ithe Presidents s. part, as
the basis of invidious comments on his admin !
ministratiOn.
When, as alleged, Governor Reeder was Of |
fcred the Chinese mission, that was not va
can't nor had Mr.. McLane made up his mind |
to resign.
The Hon. John 7. Mason.-We understand |
that letters received in this city from this gem
tleman by the last European mail which have
reached here, demonstrate rapid improve
mcnt in his health, in all respects. That he is
now able to write as well as he ever did, his |