The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-20
FEED MY LAMBS.
THE RURAL POST OFFICE.
a spriy Of the Royal Family.


John NJ. Wilson, of Coal Valley, is popa.
larly known NJ the "stool pigeon OF the
Court House Ring. He is an innocent look
ing bird, and when the pleasant days Of fall
are come again, ia perched on strip Of
Coal Valley prairie, to decoy more honest
birds into the awaiting trap of the Rock
Island dead.beats. He also acts in the ca
pacity Of q carrer.pigeon for the court
House Ring. when any little delnge prevails
in the county. The Head Centre opens
little trap door al the top OF the Court
House. and lets John fly out to see how the
ground lay" The faithful bird spreads its
snow wings, and after many days returns
with good or bad tidings, as the case may
be. Just now John is kept pretty busy.
or course he looks after his own "fat
tstes,' and it trsnspires that he also finds
time TO look after the future OF his interest.
| ing scion. John NJ. believes in the old
scriptursl injunction Of "feed my lambs"
which feeding he imagines applies to the
furnishing Of public pap. John also be-
ieves in "training up child in the way he
should go, and when he gets old and ugly he
will not depart from it, John has son,
also named John. Tie is a beloved apostle
OF some eighteen summers-a fair.haired
youth who parts his hair in the middle, and
ultimately expects to be County Judge or
President Of the United States. Az sprig
of the royal family, he has a just right TO
an office, whether he is qualified to fill it or
not Accordingly the sFectionate father,
in the fullness Of his gushing heart, has had
this young aud noble aristocrat appointed
post master at Rural. An intelligent and
competent man, who has held the post for
several years to the entire sati sfaction Of his
neghbor5, has been removed to make room
for this sprig Of the royal family.
But this ia merely an extension Of the
operations of the Court House Ring. We
shall expect to see tour sons lording i,
over all the townships in the County before
many months, unless the Court House Ring
is broken up this fall.
Herewith we give some correspondence in
regard to this outrage on the people Of
Rural
kDIToRs ARGUS AS ycu requested d
statement of the faots IN regard to the re-
moyul at the Rural pos. office, | enclose
the following copy Of my letter to the Firs
Assistant Post Master General, requesting
instructions as to my duty in handing over
the property of the Department to my sue
cessOr.
To this request have received no reply,
and therefore leave the responsibility
where it belongs, Of handing over the pro.
perry of the Department 20 person, in my
humble opinion, not qualified to receive it.
| took Judge Wilson's receipt in preference
to that Of his minor son, though he is unau.
thorized to receive the property, but is yet
responsible in law. j. LONG.
Rural, Oct. 10th 1869.
RURAL, H., Oct. 9TH, 1869.
To the First Assistant Post Master General,
Washington, d. {.
DEAR SIR Il do not object to being re
moved as Pos, Master q, Rural, ILL.,, because
am a democrat The enormous salary of
less than twelve cents per day for staying at
home POS days out Of 36j, to attend to pos,
Office duties, is not very tempting pecuu
ary consideration, while the honor of the
position ia still less tempting.
My object in addressing your exceliency
is to get instructions IS to my duty 10 hand
ing over the property Of the Department to
my successor, who is minor of eighteen
winters, or thereabouts, and is incapable o.
, suing or being sued, or of giving or receiv
ing bonds, unless the regulations Of the De
psrtment supercede the state laws of Illinois
The petition for the appointment of Mr.
j. A. Wilson could not have been very ex
tensively circulated, or very numerousy
signed by the people interested in the pos,
Office at Rural, H., for they have sufficient
intelligence to know that a minor is incapa
BILE Of holding office under State authority
Respectfully,
JOHN LoNG,
pnstmastar