The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-07-03
srAnTANDrnG c. H., s. C., July /, 1875.

SrARTANDrRG G. H., $. c., July /, 1875.
EDITOR PnGNIx: In your issue Of to-
day, there is an article headed "The
Post Office Department" which is linble
to represent me in an unfavornble light
to Those who are not familiar with the
operations of the Post Office Department.
and expect you TO do me the Justice OF
giving my explanation the same publicity
that you had given the chnrgc.
According to tho published Claws
md Regulations Of the Post Office De-
partment, the key boxes in all post
offices not owned by the Government
are the private property of the postmns-
ter. lie crccts them ut his own expense: =:
has as many or rs few rs lie likes; charges
Whit he plcascs for their use; and re-
moves them entirely from the Office
whenever it suits his convenience to do
so. But 1T Offices of the second and
third Glasses, the postmaster is required
to turn over to the Government every
cent collected ns box rent. He is re-
uulred to give receipt to the bOX-holdcr
tor the amount collected; to enter the
same i'll book, which is Mt all times
held subject to inspection, and at the
emu oi every quarter to send up to the
department sworn statement of the
number OF boxes rented, the amount re-
celved tor each, and the aggregated sum
OF the whole. SO that it must be appn-
rent to every one who will give the sub
Ject u moments attention, that it is inn
possible for II community to be .systc-
lnatlcully ilecccd" i'll the matter of rent
ing post Office key boxes. Every one
who rents IL box does it with his ewes
open; he knows the time for which he is
renting, the amount he is paving, and
takes receipt for the same. ii he
thinks the price too extrnyagnnt, lie is
not obliged to rent. \ very large ma
Jorlty OF persons never have any kew box
at all. ~
When 1 took charge of the Spartan
burg office, l found box rent scyenty-tiye
cents quarter. and supposing that to
be customary, allowed it to remain Mt
that price for over year. But when l
visited the Columbia Office, I found the
boxes renting at two dollars per quarter,
nnd the courteous and efficient assistant.
MIR. Leaphnrt, laughed heartily when /
told him TINT 1 received only seventy
hve cents quarter for mine, and said
ne would not be bothered ut nll with
them 1or that wrote to several other
postmnsters throughout the country,
and could not hear of single Office In
the United States where the rent of kew
boxes was less than one dollar n quarter.
The small Yale boxes, not one-hnlf us
large rs mine, placed in IL window, with
ont any protection from the rain and
snow, Mt County offices, rented for one
dollar per quarter. The Columbia boxes.
lar inferior to mine, rented Mt two dollars
n quarter. I, therefore, felt it nv i'm
pcrative duty to increase my box rent to
one dollar and twenty-five cents n
quarter; and did SO on the first of last
january. l knew that it all went to the
Governmentzthat it did not increase
my salary one cent; but felt bound,
under my official oath, to sustnin the
department by raising the revenue of
my office equal to the custom OF the
country.
Some querulous fellows took offence,
not SO much on account Of the amount
involved, as because they had not been
consulted in the matter, and organized II
strike. BY promising the people that
they would compel reduction, they in
duced several to sign n pledge not to
rent u box unless ut the old rutcs; but the
most decent and respectable citizens
paid the Increased rates without Il lnur-
lnur, and the revenue of the boxes, in
despite of the strike, was greatly in-
creased over any previous quarter
About the Goth of February received
communication from the Hon. j. w.
Marshall, First Assistant Postmaster
General, informing me that the rent of
boxes in my Office was thereby fixed Mt
three dollars yenr, or seventy-tive cents
quarter, to commence on the first lny
of April. 1875.
1t Ind never entered my mind that
my officer Of the department either
claimed or desired the right of fixing
the box rent ut my Office. Hnd thought
SO, or had l supposed TINT any one could
have been induced to exercise that pre-
rogative, would gladly have shifted the
responsibility. JAVAN BRYANT,
Postmaster