Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1858-12-22
Substance of the Charge Of Judge Biggs.

Substance Of part Of the charge Of JUDGE BrGGs to
tile Grand Jury in tile Circuit Court of the Uni
ted States Norember Term, 1853. - --
Every person employed in the care custody or
conveyance of the mail is required to take oath,
that he will faithfully perform all the duties required
of him and abstain from anything forbidden by the
laws relation to the establishment of the post Of
fees and post roads within the United States. The
law authorizes the Postmaster General to give in
structions to Postmasters relative their duty;
and in pursuance of this authority the Postmaster
General has adopted regulations which have been
sent to every Postmaster in the United States.
The duties of Postmaster must be performed per-
sonally by the Postmaster, or by sworn assistant
or assistants; and no other person is permitted to
assume to perform such duties 1t is forbidden that
any person be employed assistant or clerk in any
post Office, mail carrier who shall be less than
16 years old. A Postmaster is not permitted to
suffer any person whatever, except his duly sworn
assistants and clerks, and letter carriers who have
been also sworn to have to the letters news
papers and packets in his Office to whatever con-
stitutes part of the mail, to the mail locks or
keys And mails should not be opened or made up
within the reach of persons not authorized to handle
them. .s.
1t is notorious that these important and necessary
laws and regulations constantly violated par
ticularly in the country postofices. Many persons
seem to think it useless to enforce with rgor these
salutary regulations at the small postoffices; but
they forget that through these offices pass the most
valuable correspondence and rcmittances and there
as well as any where these gulations should be
strictly observed. BY others II is thought that one
who can read and write what. may be his age
character, properly al. nd a post office or
carry mail And how-often % see the United
States mail in the custody o: charge of boys to
whom would not confide tl:. most trling matter
of business article of the most trivial value
From the slightest Acquaintance with the country
post-ofices, and many of the towns, all know that
in opening and handling the mail unauthorized per-
frequently open and make up the mail and that
Post-masters discharge these important duties in
the presence and within reach andofen with the asss
lance of persons entirely unconnected with the post
office. These things ought not to be. The pub
lie have right to require the utmost security the
laws afford. These very censurable practices ought
to be reformed. call your attention particularly
to the subject and charge YOU that if you have per-
sonal knowledge of any violation of these highly
delinquent Postmasters, that they may be properly
dealt with. Some examples ought to be made to
correct if possible, this growing evil If citizens
assume the responsibility of Offices, and such as
post-of6ces in which the public so vitality
cerned, they must understand that proper and
diligence and conformity to law, expected and
required and that negligence great will be visited
with certain rebuke and punishment II
In this public manner deem it proper to notify
Post-masters and the public generally, of what in
my opinion, is serious evil IN the administration
the Postofce establishment; and thAtin this Court
when proper case presents ITSELF infractiou Of
these regulations for the security of the mail will
be tolerated in the slightest degree, bss viii bs pun
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