The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-06-12
Tho Postn,aatsE ana IIss A.s,stunss.

ThO PostnaaatsH and lIEs Ascistents.
MEssRs. EprroRs: It is not without
interest that ! have read your srenaaritl
in relation to the present mana egernent
of the post Office in this city Snd. per-
nit me TO cay. that YOUR sweeping assault
uponr the postmaster and mis- staff, In
your issueof the 9th instant, is unnc-
ceptable, if not quite offensive, to. some
of your fellow-citizens and patrons.
None OF us can deny the right of the
President to nominate, or OF the Senate
to confirm, as postmaster, here or else
where, any one acceptable to him and to
them. Nor can fault be found with him
for selecting citizen of his own party
and politics to I'LL any Office in the gift
of the Government. It was the motto
Of the Democratic party at one time,
and I suppose still is, that '.to the victors
belong the spoils." Now, if such motto,
blazoned in gorgeous colors, on the ban
ner of the Democrats in the pride of
their triumph, was ft and true for them,
it cannot be objected to as unfit and
false when adopted and acted on by the
Republicans. While, however, all this
may be admitted. yet it is urged as an
objectionable insult and injustice to have
q colored man, in the wantonness Of
power, thrust upon us in the capacity of
our postmaster. Hence arises the great
grief Of the PHOENIX and of Messrs. E.
& G. D. Hope, Now, permit me to say,
that / was an earnest secessionist, am
now Democrat, and white man, and
no one is more inpincibIy favorable to
the ascendancy, in all respects, of my
own race, party aside, than am; and,
also, that regard the course, as to ap-
pointments, of the President as utterly
inexcusable and pernicious. The amount
of injury that must inevitably follow
from it, in my opinion, will be absolute
ly fearful. But then we are in the mi
nority and powerless; we can. neither
benefit ourselves or our country by
using harsh epithets, or by resorting to
the language of detraction, as applicable
to the appointees of Republican ad-
ministration. On the contrary, it is our
pointees, and to give all proper encou-
ragement to them, whether Of the one
color or the other, when we know las we
do in the case of the postmaster at Co.
lumbia) that they are respectful, modest
honest and capable. You seem to have
forgotten, too, Messrs. Editors, that you
are driving your shafts Tor, at least, at
tempting to do SOY into the feelings and
sensibilities of one of the postmaster's
employees, who is q gentleman of in.
tegrity, white man, and of capacity
fully equal to the requirements of the
situation he fills, besides having the en-
tire confidence of all classes and colors,
unless the Hopes be exceptions.
AS to the complaints of bad manage
ment in the post Office, made in the par
tisan tone and temper which mark your
editorials on the subject, if they ore
worthy Of confederation at all, they are
SO because they are founded on the fact
of the going out of one set of agents
and the inetallation of new and in O
great degree necessarily an inexperienced
corps-a difficulty ever to be encountered
In like circumstances. So much is due
to the successor of our friend, Mr.. Jan
ney, and all fair minds will yield it to
him. Let us be just, even generous, to
the incumbent and his assistants, and
directly all things will work smoothly.
The time, no doubt, will come when De-
mocracy may again run up triumphant
banner, encircled with the motto, "To
the victors belong the spoils;" time
which you seem, sirs, de Toutly to wish
for. II AIR PLAY.
ToAsTs AT THE BosToN JUBILEE. We