, 1869-10-16
wlLLA wlILl Posr orTIoI.-slnc

/ WAhhA UAhhA EoeI OFflChs-oluCo
the present ineunbent, Mr.. Charles
Moore, has taken charge Of the wallA
wallA Post Once, there has been fire.
quent complaint ofthe manner 10 which
the affairs of the Office have been con-
Quoted. These complaints have come
not only from democrats, but republi.
cans, and their universally is the very
best evidence that there are good
grounds for complaint. We have here
tofOre refused to make public the charges
made against Ma Moore, but we have
even gone further, and in private in
terview we urged him to so conduct the
affairs Of his Office as to prevent any
occasion for complaint. He promised
that we should hear nothing further on
that score, and that for the future ev>
erythins should be satisfactory. But
in that be has failed, and hence we are
compelled to draw the attention of the
Department to bis shortcomings. Many
of the complaints are of lack of eour~
tesy, and want of disposition to ac'
commodate the public, but this could
be endured if. be would faithfully carry
out the postal laws and instructions Of
the Department. That our people are
not hard 10 please is evidenced by the
fact that during the whole period Mr.,
johnson held the Office, we never heard
a single murmur Of complaint. With
the advent of Mr.. Moore all this was
changed, and now not a single week
passes that we do not hear charges re-
flecting upon either the integrity or ca
pacity of the Postmaster. The latest
charges, and the most serious, are his
refusal to pay "money orders" when
presented. His action in that regard is
calculated to bring the "money -order
system into disrepute, and to that extent
is a public evil: To show the desire of
the Post Office Department to popular.
ize the money. order" system, we quote
the following from circular letter of
instructions in the hands of every Post,
master in the United States:
alt is expected of postmasters that
they will use q legitimate influence 10
recommending the money order system,
and, BY courteous attention to the in-
quiries Of applicants, exhibit Its supe>
riority as q safe method of transmitting
small sums ofmoney through the mails"
To show the regard in which the De-
partment holds the failure to pay q
money.order when presented, we copy
the last paragraph of section 80, print.
ed instructions
Should a postmaster who has suf-
ficient funds of the Department, whether
arising from the issue Of money orders
or from postages, in his hands, refuse to
pay orders drawn upon him when duly
presented, such refusal will be deemed
cause 70. his immediate removal"
1t will be seen from the above that
Mr.. Moore in refusing to pay these or
ders, when presented, rendered himself
liable to immediate removal" and we
have no doubt that his removal will
follow as soon as the Department is
made acquainted with tae facts. The
intention of the Department is that these
orders shall never be dishonored, and
as evidence of this fact we again quote
from section 40 of the printed instrucs
tions:
alt is to be expected that occasions
ally at some offices the postmaster will
be called upon to pay money orders to
an amount exceeding that of the money
order funds in his hands, so that his
reserve will be exhausted. In emery such
event be will transfer from the postage
to the money>order account sum of
money equal to the amount of his reserve,
and, if necessary, large enough to enable
him to pay these orders"
1t will be seen from, the above that
the regulations anticipate every possible
emergency, and yet we find that the
Walla Walla Postmaster is in the habit
of dishonoring money ORDERS" and
assigns as a reason tina: the " money
order fund is exhausted" In such an
event it is his duty to transfer funds
from the "general postage account"
and his failure to do so is deemed cause
for his immediate removal" Mr..
Moore is very particular to carry out bis
instructions when they make in his own
favor, and hereafter we suggest that he
be equally particular in carrying out his
instructions when they make in favor Of
the general public.