Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-01-31
Bill Nye's Resignation

The following is the only exact copy Of
Bill Nye's official letter in which he resigned
the pos,office a, Laramie City, W. r.:
Posi- ofIIcE Div,>. LARAMIE CIrl " t.
OCT !, l>-sI.
70 the President Of The rnited Stafes:
Sir beg leave at this time to officially
tender my resignation as postmaster al this
place. and IN due form to deliver the grea,
seal and the Key to the front door Of the of.
fee The safe combination is set on the
numbers 49, 66 and 80, though do not re
member at this moment. which comes first
or how many times YOU re,olye the knob. or
which direction YOU should turn Il a, frs,
in order 10 make II operate.
There is some mining stock IN NV private
drawer in the safe which have not vet remoy-
| ed. This stock YOU may have, if YOU deslrr
il, |, is luxury, but YOU NAV have il. I
have decided 10 keep a horse instead Of this
mining stock. The horse NAV not be so
pretty, but II will cost les. to keep him.
You will find the postal cards that have
no, been used under the distributing table,
and the coa down ia the cellar If the
stove draws too hard, close the damper ia
the pipe and shut the general deliver, win
dow.
Locking over IN, stormy and e,tnttuI
administration as postmaster here, | find
abundant cause for thank ,giving. At TIE
time ! entered upon the duties Of ms office
the department Was not yet on a paving ba-
sis. IL vas not even self-sustaining- Since
that time With the active cooperation Of the
chief executive and the heads OF the depart
uien,. ! have been able 10 make our postal
system paving one, and ON top of that
am now able TO reduce the tar on average
sized letters from three cents 10 two.
might add tina, this i, rather too too, but
will not "a, ANYTHING that might seem IN
dignitied in an official resignation which is
10 become 4 matter OF history.
Through all the vcis.i'udes Of tempest
uous term Of Office have safely passed.
am able 10 turn over the Office to-day in a
highly improved condition. and to present a
purified and renovated institution TO ny
suecrs.or.
Acting under the advice Of General Hat
ton i wear ago. removed the feather bed
with which my predecessor, Deacon Hayford,
had bo!siered up his administration by stuff
ing the window, and substituted glass.
Finding nothing in the book Of instructions
to postmasters which made the feather bed
part Of nv official duties, filed il away in
an obscure place and burned IT in tfhgy, also
in the cleaning. This act maddened my
predecessor to such a degree that he then
and there became a candidate for justice Of
the peace on the Democratic ticket. the
Democratic party was able, however, with
what aid it got from the Republicans, to
plough the old man Under 10 a great de-
gree.
IL was not long after had taken my Of
fetal oath before an era OF unex ampled pros
perity opened for the American people.
The price Of beef rose 10 remarkable alti-
tude, and other vegetables commanded a
good figure and ready market. We then
began to make active preparations for the in
PRODUCTION Of the strawberry roam two cent
stamps and tine black -and-tan postal note
One reform vas crowded upon the heels OF
another, until the country is TO-DAY upon the
foam m-crested wave of a permanent prosperi-
ty.
Mr.. President, l cannot close this letter
without thanking yourself and the heads OF
the departments at Washington for YOUR ac-
tive. CHEEKY and prompt cooperation in these
matters. You can do as you see fit, Of course
about Incorporating this idea into your
Thank sgiving proclamation, but rest assured
it would not be ill-timed or inopportune. |,
is not alone q credit to myself 1t reflects
credit upon the administration also.
need no, say that herewith transmit my
resignation with sorrow and genuine regret
We have toiled on together mouth after
month, asking for no reward except the in
nate consciousness of rectitude and the sal.
AIRY a. 6xed by Law. Now we are apt to sep
arate. Here the roads seem to fork, az il
were, and you and and the cabinet mus,
leave each other At this point.
You will find the key under the door mat
and you had better turn out the cat at night
when you close the Office. If she does not
20 readily, you can make it clearer to her
mind by throwing the canceling stamp a,
her.
fDeacon Hsyford does not pay up his box
rent, you might as well put his mail in the
general delivery, and when Bob Head gets
drunk and insists on q letter from every one
Of his wives every day in the week, you can
salute him through the box delivery with an
old Queen Anne tomahawk, which you will
find near the Etruscan water pail. This will
not in any manner surprise either Of these
parties.
Tears are unavsiling. l once more become
a private citizen, clothed only with the righ,
to read such postal cards rs may be addressed
to me personally, and to curse the ineficiency
ofthe Post Office Department. may be ID
error o to the attributes Of an American
J citizen, but believe the ibove to be the most
prominent. l believe the voting class TO he