The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1863-08-22
TRIALS @ r. Il Eg nj. ~


amusing account of his Official experience
during the first few days Of the operation
ofthe new postal law. He seems to have
rather enjoyed the ''scene Of confusion
and creature complaints' which is always
the temporary result of change In pos.
tad matters. however beneficial it may
| ultimately be. We trust that by this
time the irate public of BIT have be
come more reconciled to the new order
Of things: ~. - H. 4 '.<-'..s-2 !
-. B-----r, n. Y, July 4th, 1868.
EDrroK q. 8. MArL: = = -.
DEAR Sra My Complaint Book" is
| ready, and now. like patient discipIe OF
"1zaak," " l am waiting for bites. / could
have had it full already, had I taken down
all the complaints that have been made
here since the New Law" took effect
The Department very wisely limited the
boundaries of complaint to the reports of
letters lost or strayed, otherwise postn1as.
ters and their clerks would have their
time fully occupied with this new feature
of the postal service.
The New Law went into effect, at Gis
Office, very early on the morning of the
lst OF July, very much to the surprise of
many who GUESSED they were good for
five cents p who ALWAYS pay their DOS
tage = who can pay for q dozen post Of
fees, and have money left" who left
their change at home, supposing they
were good for ten cents for day or two =
To all such the New Law was perfect
Of Il
stockade, loopholed for letters instead of
nuskets, | resisted, for one day at least,
the onset of my poorly armed assailants,
with no other weapon than the law
Thou shalt not deliver TO any person a
paper or letter until the quarters postage
IS paid" am proud to report, officially,
that outhanked the enemy completely,
and at night had full possession of the
field, with very trifing loss to editors,
and, trust, none at all to the Depart
ment.
have demonstrated to my entire sat
isfaction that, so far as living zip to the
law in the collection of postage is con-
cerned. good General will make the war
short, quick and decisive" Now write
you in the firm belief that you are the
po>tmaster's friend. want YOU to stand
by me, until / am proved guilty. of the
charges that have been made against me.
4 crazy woman has written the Depart
ment that | have cheated her out of FIVE
cents in making change. An old gentle
man says he will report me because |
failed to put a paper in his box that was
intended for him, though plainly I'D
dressed to somebody else-"I should
have known by the looks Of The sorappsr.
that the paper was his" Another swears
that am "a id small pattern, - because
he is worth $4,000, and [ would not let
! him take his paper, when he promised
t. send down the five cents the very next
| day" Another says he "will never take
another paper or letter from this office,
| but will go home and collect his bills in
advance, and see how they will like
that"
One man swore that he would report
me for collecting postage on daily papers
| published in the county-''he had read
| the law, and knew they were free
Another man says the Government is all
t going to pieces because it don't make
| postmasters do as they agree. He paid
| two shilings for box twenty years ago,
/ with the positive understanding that he
was always to have box, and never pay
any more" Some, who live ten miles
out, are down on me, because l don't
keep the office open all day Sunday, so
they can get their letters if they h4pper,
to come to town to meeting. The above
are only few of the complaints, but
enough perhaps, to give you little idea
of how stand in the estimation Of my
/ prosecuted and involuntary patrons.
i - - l. &,,r ,NI
sequence of them without fair hearing,
therefore I want you to show up to the
Department my defense TO these ''com-
plants" in the HAL, if am obliged to
answer. ]. W. A., P. II.