Arizona weekly miner., 1876-08-18
CORRESPONDENCE.
PRESCOTT Posr-OFFIcE, Aug. 16. 1876.

I not little 1n regard to mall matters, ask
 your indulgence to explain. The people oi
 Prescott and Mohave need to know concern | ing them
 During my absence in California last
 Spring, a change was made in the mali ser
 vice, causing some slight irregularities at the
 time. Since then, continual fault has been
 found, not with me only, but with the Post
 master-General, the Hon. H. s. Stevens, the
 c. & A. Stage Company, and the people of
 Prescott If the papers and letters due
 here in the California mails fail to come
 regularly, as they have several times during
 the Summer, it has been seized upon as an
 opportunity to blame me.
 have the kindest intentions towards the
 Mohave people. intend to handle their
 mails as carefully as our own and do 80 han
 de them. now hold letter from the Con-
 tractor, in answer to one from me, consent
 ing to my holding the Mohave mail wagon ! till the California mail should arrive. We
 saw we could better even this, by having
 their mali depart Tuesdays instead of Mon-
 days. This we now do and thus send off
 both the Eastern and Western mail of the
 previous day on Tuesdays. I make it a
 point to clear up aU the mail matter to the
 last moment before the driver leaves.
 Nothing remains over now since the office
 is exclusively under my care.
 I think that during my first quarter,
 while the boxes and shelves were new to me,
 single package of MINERS was returned from Williamson Valley. No packages of MINERS, nor any others, have been missent there since.
 MT. Simmons is not postmaster at Will liamson Valley, as there is no postofice there. Neither nor the Contractor need send or carry any mail there. We do it, however, gladly. This is an example of these accusations. Still another l will mention, which would be unworthy of mo- tice except to show the character of these faultfindings: A person signing himself "J. B. H." I believe, states that letters have been remaining in this office since last winter, and that they have been but recently received. This office is constantly receiving from the townspeople and others here let ters addressed to persons in Prescott. A month or six weeks is the longest time let tcrs are usually held by postmasters before sending to the Dead Letter Office, but here where very many of the people to whom these 'drop letters" are addressed, are not in town, sometimes for weeks, hold them much longer, and if by inquiry can find the persons to whom they were sent, l de- liver them; if not return them to the wri- ter. The case stated by "J. B. H." was one been held over for the ore to whom they were sent, instead of being forwarded to the Dead Letter Office. What was done solely for the accommodation of the people, was seized upon as occasion of complaint against me.
 Since my return have seen the great in- convenience to the Mohave people of hav- ing but one mail a week, and regret much | that it is so. Their service should be | as they need and desire. Tn all | candor let me say, if they wish to accom- plish the reform so much needed, let them go about it in business way, not by scold- ing those who are not responsible for the amount of service. I will assist gladly all | in my power, if, as Postmaster, have any influence. The people of Prescott will help too, although they seem not to think SO. The MINER has been pronounced in their iavor. Their remedy is in Washington, not n Prescott.
 In conclusion let me say, have labored, IS all who know me. will bear witness, to discharge my whole duty faithfully in my ,lace. I have kept the office open one hour 'ach Sunday, which is not required by law.
 have kept the office open evenings after, md mornings before, business hours, and in very possible way have tried, without re- ,ard to the le tier of the law, to accommo- late all. l know that 1 have been equally areful of the interests of those localities rhose mails are distributed at this office, nd l believe no unprejudiced, fair minded nan has or will find fault with the way he mails are conducted by me. Mistakes o occasionally occur, no matter how care ll one may be. find them, constantly, in he mails that come to me from all parts of .rizona and outside of it, but believe they ccur as rarely here as at any office in the ountry where there is as much business as , ere. Ii Respectfully, T. W. OTIs, P. NJ.