The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-07-27
THE QUITE

Editor Butte MINER.

AV VI - 90
Editor Butte MINER.
DEAL SIR Your very unkind and incon-
siderate remarks in this mornings paper con-
corning the management of the Butte post
office seemed to me more like a stab in the
back than anything have experienced before
in Montana. | therefore beg space for brief
reply. The u%nkindncss | allude to consists
in your own attitude of hostility, which APP
pears from the misrepresentation of facts and
the implication OF motives which l nave not
entertained. You state the office hours to1
general delivery to be from S 4. IN. to 6 D. m.
This is clearly misreprese ntation. The pla-
cards. printed in Vi office, announce the
time ! a. N. to u p. M, and We have strictly
opened at a. IN. unless distributing mails.
which has not occurred recently in the morn
lng. Another point is strained to make ap-
pearance Of argument against me in stating
that the task of distributing usually extends
TO o p. m, whereas it necessarily extends to
about Z O'Clock, because at present we get
Terminus, Helena, rhilipsburg and other
mails from 5 to p. NJ. In order to open at
the earliest moment we do not distribute the
mail into the general delivery boxes until
later i'll the evening. In truth, if we should
open the general delivery after the distribu-
ton III the evening, we could not close it,
without doing it in the face of inauirers, be-
fore 8 o'clock.
AS to motives, you, sir, are aware that
explained to you when about to make the
change of hours on the 1st of July, that | did
it that l might conduct the office with less
clerical force-that is, with one man less /;
because | could not afford to do otherwise.
As Tor the workiAgmen, | am a. much their
friend, and one of them, as you, sir, lAsinuate
as you may to the contrary. If there is a
man in town who is working every day, so
poor that he cannot afford to pay 81 in three
months for box rent, l will get up at midnight
and deliver it to him rather than deprive him
of it.
Their are othtj filings which indicate n spirit
OF Hostility that surprises me. For instance g:
Locking the outside door, thus excluding
owners from their high priced (?) mail rsccp-
tacles.' The doors are seldom or never
closed until $3.50, and you know it would not
be safe to leave the Office Unlocked all night !;
besides the fact that we are constantly inter-
rupted tlom other work by those having mail
III ca!l-boXes while the doors arc Omen.
1aken all in all, YOUR criticisms, from my
standpoint, are both unfriendly and unjust,
sine" L teci conscious OF having made extra
enort 10 do my work creditably, and since
dispensing with one clerk have given the
ofilce my strict personal attention, both late
and early, depriving myself entirely of needed
rest and recreation. You have no mention
OF the much needed improvements | have
made i'll the office Of The fact that | have
Twice reduced tho price Of Lox-rcnt, and that
no" rent the best boxes in the territory at
prices The lowest. You say. con SUNDAYS
"heii our postotfice open for an hour,v when
you KNOW 1t OPENS both morning and even
lug Tor the convenience Of box renters.
lhese anu other things convince me that YOU
have written in an unfriend!y spirit.
NOW, sir, as to your threat most offensive Of
all, and am done. You propose to petition
headquarters. You need not 20 so far. nor
wall 50 long. IL there are ten reputable bus
iiress men who wish me to resign, | will do it
promptly. Or will give you a shorter emf
sui. Ii my s~Hreties viii relieve me, | will
resign the o1hce Tomorrow. ! don't wan, IN
Keep 1t l have been waiting and wo, kino f,,
pay That has never come, aud held ON 81 lo,o
o"'S oeca''Se a better day was expected il,
'h' near future IN which l could do more for
'"e puoi'c without doing so much injustice TO
myself. Now, my dear MIR. Editor. and .sxo-
I,"'e Sorehe"''s' TO lake Tie o:iieo and give
the public better service. know the sora
heads you speak of as business men. and go,
'o"n' 'nenh On the fingers OF one hand. They
are they thas persuaded me to hold the ott;c.
n'ore imam a year ago when my own bette,
iuusue,' 'o'a me it Were better to resign
t"e" 'ia' made promises aud broke them