, 1881-03-06


New YORK, March 5.-Thomas Lemue1
James is man who has worked his. way up,
By perseverance and steady adlerance to
principle, from the position Of printers APP
prentice to the exalted Office of Postmaster
General. Citizens of New York know Mr..
James only to admire him. He has given to
this city the best postal facilities which it has
ever enjoyed, and merchants and business
men will look upon his withdrawal from the
New York Post O1ice with the regret which
always follows the resignation of thorough
ly efficient officer. What New York will lose,
as 4 city, however, the Nation will gain.
and the system which AIr. James has estab-
lished here will undoubtedly be retained
and possibly improved upon; as the larger
experience which lie will now have will
suggest improvements to him. Like Pres'-
dent Garfield, Col. James is in every sense of
the phrase
A sELF-MADE MAN.
He was born into Utica, March 20, 1881, and
is now i'll his 50th year. He was educated at
the Utica Academy, but at the age Of Is, he
was thought old enough to begin to work for
himself, and was apprenticetl, to learn the
printing business, to Wesley Bailey, the veteran
Abolition editor Of the Liberty Press. Young
James served the full term Of his apprentices
ship, five years, and in tho meantime wrote
several articles Tor the Liberty Press, which
were accepted and printed Working In
such IN Office, and surrounded by the pe4-
| sons who naturally nocked to the office, it
was not surprising that Mr.. James, early in
| life, imbibed those ideas of
THE TRUE NATURE OF LIBERTY
which have characterized his career from
early boyhood. lie became an ar
dent supporter Of the claims OF
the, masses to tho rights which lie
| claimed were inherent in manhood. The
| old Whig party was the only party which
! then represented this sentiment, and he be-
came violent Whig, advocating the princi-
| pies Of the party long before he was old
| enough to vote for them. He believed then,
| when mere boy, that every creed, every
| color, and every nationality should have
| equal rights in this Republic, and he has
never deserted those principles SINCE. In
1851 his apprenticeship to Mr.. Bailey ended,
| and, in partnership with the Hon. Francis 3.
! Fisher, lie purchased the 1fudison County
| Journal, "a 7Vhfg paper published ut Hamilton,
| Anderson County. At this time things were
strongly Democratic, and the Town of Ham.
ilton, under the lead Of Gen. James ": Nye,
| afterwards United States Senator from
| Nevada, was the Democratic stronghold: OF
tue county. Mr.. James, paper did good
| service in
THE FREE-soIL wIIG
cause, but the Democratic tendencies of the
county were too strong to be over
come, by printers ink, and, although the
editorial writings OF Mr.. James were strong
| and vigorous. the county still: remained
Democratic. When the Republican party
was first formed, Mr.. James made
the Madison County journal Repub-
| lican paper, and advocated. the election OF
| Fremont. During the last FIVE years OF his
residence at Hamilton be was made Collector
| OF Canal Tolls, and this office he filled to the
satisfaction Of his fellow citizens, in conjunc-
ton with his editorial duties, until he left
Hamilton to come to this city. This. was in
1861 Alr. james had learned by that time
that it was not profitable to run Republican
journal i'll 4 county which was strongly
Democratic, and, Us his principles we're too
firmly grounded to allow him to change the
tone Of his paper to suit the popular demand,
he decided to sell the journal and come to
this city. He secured an appointment as
INSPECTOR OF CUSTOMS
under Hiram Barney, who was at that time
Collector Of the Port Of New York. In this
position he served until 1854, when he was
made a Weigher: After serving five years in
this capacity he was promoted. In 1869. to the
position Of Deputy Collector of the Third
Division, in which position he had charge Of