Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-05-21
WAR1g1 1TW
The Trials and Tribulations of Country
PostmaSters.


WHAT is EXPECTED OF THEM AND now THEY
ARE rAID FOR 1T.
vi all men who work hard and get nearest
to no pay at all, who get very few corrrs
post masters deserve to be first named. The
fees allowed by law would not pay a woman
Tor her trouble of making up the quarterly
transcripts. They are shamefully small.
The money consideration would never in
ducc any one to take the Office but that any
ahinS which will convert the leisure moments
of the day into thrce-ccat pieces or even con.
per coin, is welcomed bv persons who arc
bound to get something ahca,l---at whatever
honorable cost. ls carries precious little hon
or with it.
Inc TACT OF rendering gratuity to govern
mentor rather of shaving without any con
sideratlon in behalf of the government. and
being willing or unwilling, the tool of a par
ty whom half the ncghborhood believes cor.
rupt and liable to the modification of eject
ment, without shadow of offence, at the will
ot the Postmaster General, docs not confer
great honor upon the incumbent in any mart
of the country with which We arc familiar.
Nor has it privileges worth buying at their
cost The Postmaster is supposed to receive
ana SEND his lcttcrs TREE Bot il is onlv
those on Post Office business that are so trans
mittcd-unlcss, indeed, he puts binders ON
h's conscience, and being his own Judge.
constructs any which concerns his own inter
cSts to be of that nature. This is n curious
pcrvcrslon OF our legislative wisdom Mem
ocrs OF Congress may send home copies of the
census" bushels of bound messages :"
and Patent Office Reports" dirty linen for
Tho laundrcss, and boxes of fresh fruit from
the Southern markets. and no questions ask
cd. But the poor unpaid Postmaster if he
sends his love, which weighs nothing to his
wife Mt the next post office, mus, write on the
envelope "On Post Official Business :" and
makes himself mcancr in his own eyes, or lose
the precious franking privilege.
eut let us see what his labor is, and wi,at
ms pay Suppose him to live in some quiet
farming town, where the quiet would be Sun
uay-hke on all days but for the daily appear:
ahcc OF the railroad cars. lie receives and
sends daily mail each way. 1t is not often
tna' the right man can be found who lives
directly on the line of the railroad and next
10 the depot. But whatever his distance, he
can receive no extra pay for mail carria gc.-
mat would construe him into n mail car
rlcr--a thing which n postmaster is under
strict penalties forbidden to be. However
distant or near he must be on hand Mt the
moment that the cars arrive. The lcathcrn
Dag must not be entrusted for one moment to
an uhSworn ohcer. If tho engine breaks
down he must wait till she is mcnded and the
arrival made. If she runs ahead of time. he
Is not excusablo for his tardincss. tits his
business to take tho mail when it comes
lie must not stop to shoe his horse or buy a
spool OF cotton on his way home.
When the mail arrives in town tho rcoplc
have right to their mail matter. The law
now Is very strict. lie must open the BAG
III private room, with no one ut hand but a
sworn deputy-hc must do it himself-not
ms wife, nor his grown-up daughter Ifany-
hody's weekly is lacking, there is q row.
The subscriber must have seen through the
latticc-work every bundle that was taken
out, and noticed that his was not in the com.
PAny, or our postmaster is suspected. is he
q buSlneSs man, he loves / get the earliest
nSws. and see first of all how wheat and po-
.tntoes sell now. Is the missing paper n lite.
fary one, our Postmastcr's daughter loves to
Esad love-st0ries and it is known that she has
Soad the FIRST part of "The Last Kiss" or.
Tho Miser's Daughter" which was " to be
continued in this nuD,ber. fla letter does
not come, why does sn't it come 2" is the
question which our Postmaster must exnlain.
Alas poor Postmaster on him falls the
blamo of correspondents negligence, of the
laws rates, of blundaring clerks in news
othces, OF everything for which his ingenuity
cannot devise most plausible and excellent
excuse.
But nine ont Of ten of the letters that come
ara not ca!ic;! for. lie il an nccommodntinv
man, and when lie rides out takes along the
package of them. Un!ucky fellow, while lie
IS cut. one calls for his letter, and the post
mistress cannot find it. Now is there row.
and sore aflicton in tho house. The boby
has been to the bo.. and tornit, or the wrong
man has takcn it. The benevolent postman
goes on, however, distributing the treasures.
Fhn Captain is thankful. but has not the
half dino to pay MIN with. lie charges it.
The widow can't mike change-but shc
doesn't want him to change it--and she for
gets it. The Squire's is dunnins lettor,
and after reading it, "refuses to take it,
There is muss that will disturb the har-
money of the families. Miss takes hers with
indignant eyes and rates him on finding that
the soaling-wax is crpshpd--.,his girls have
broken it and pccped into her secrets The
young folks never speak together agnin.-
charges are at mis- own risk, and 1t takes q
day to collect three shillngsi worth of them.
But it is time to make up the mail. lie
has dozen or twonty letters to send three
ofthem to write enclosing to city news.
papers for which he is held responsible to
the subscribers. These three he franks. If
other postmasters arc careless in bandlinc.
carriers in delivering, boys in conveying,