The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-28
dates for Postmaster
Touching Letters.

Some curious as well amusing COM
m~unications are occasionally received
by higl: officials in Washington They
generally refer TO appointments TO or to
the management OF small offices, mostly
post offices. The amount of ignorance
end illiteracy that prevails among the
grand army OF public servants would be
a surprise TO people who Imagine that
intelligence IS the first requisite % Of
fetal employment. Since the introduc-
ton OF the civil service test it is neces-
sary that the department clerks should
have at least a fair idea OF photography,
geography, granmer and arithmetic,
but this oes not apply To the fifty odd
thousand postmasters. nor to the thou
sands OF revenue and administrative
officials who are maintained at public
expense.
A notable example of illiteracy in
high places was furnished a few years
ago when General" John Mcdonald,
Of st. Louis, was appointed to the i'm
portant position supervisor of the vast
revenue district composed of the States
of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kan
sas, Colorado and Iowa. AT the time
OF his appointment Mcdonald could
write his name in q rude scarcely leglUle
way, but that was the extent of his
photographic accomplishments. He could
not write at all beyond scrawling his
signature. He could read, however, and
and he artfully concealed from most
people the fact that he could not write.
He had a habit, whenever it became
necessary for him to communicate with
n - " nna -, rttfa ~ .--l-
cuse that his hand was lame, and on
that plea got some one else to write for
him. Beto: the war Mcdonald had
been a runner" on the st. Louis steam
boat wharves and then the keeper of a
livery stable. During the war he was
cashlered for timldity, to use a mild
word, while colonel of the Eighth Mis-
souri, Volunteers. a regiment Of river
Ioughs. Yet such is the influence of
cheek, combined to a certain jaunty and
magnetic air which wal a marked char
acterlstlc of Mcdonald, that he prevailed
on President Grant TO intrust him with
q OF the most responsible offices in
the revenue service. AS might naturally
have been expected from such a man, |
he paid his benefactor by organizing the
gigantic whiskey ring that brought so
much discredit on the administration
and landed him and his co-conspirators |
in the penitentiary.
TAUGHT BY HIS WIFE.
To show how assurance sometimes |
ignorance, this same man hired
a reporter to write a book to which he
attached his W name, and he took the |
trouble to convince every unsophIsti-
Gated person he met that he wrote
every wold of it, After his whiskey-
ring troubles were ended he married the
'Sylph." the who figured so
mysteriously in the history of the ring,
and she has since taught him some of
rudiments of chirography.
The foregoing is rather a painful in
stance of official incompetency and is
certainly an isolated case but the ignor-
anus gets into office much more fire.
4uently than IS supposed. Several years
ago a revenue agent in Texas, evidently
q recent importation from Germany
wrote to the Commissioner of Internal
as follows:
Your Excelency | hat better enc
mees in Navasota and Grimes counties
who | am inform hat inform you that |
, ~ LHIb SlCCo-U utStliltIS WHO
whiskey in Navasota bottoms.
proof social by them hat been for
ward | am told nit the department but
% say the postmaster and coundy
sudSe at Anderson is my and
hall hop the department vii hear nv
,root OF innosed. Hol truble originate
nit control of the colored vote when
he election NIT Governor Davis va.
ook place. | write you in private as
and IN three days will forward nv
tatemen vlch vas proof my innosen
nit the hole case"
HE TAKES HIS PEN IN HAND. {
Shortly before resigning the Post ;
master General Judge Gresham received :
following unique letter fron Ore
on: !,
DIR Sir. take mi pen in hand to
gu, but sposin howver you do not re- |
olect me as l wuz tollibel ole man |
hen you wuz small boy but you rex
.ollec my son David waat you went to
kul1 with you. Poor Davie ha. been {
ed nigh onto Is yrs, yes moren Is v airs {
ONE to think. Wei sir | sot out from =
ndlany 20 yrs ago past went to st 10
do then to Omyha neb and to Larceny
Wy. L. which had all the time good for
une and bad fortune untell | rech this Q
ies 10 yrs mex fall cumin. I
Incl 1t Wuz a wllnus with varmints 40 {
NICK yoou cooden raise sheep or foult. I
sir than is plenty peple here nov C
thar is post office at Hayesville as t
GU vel know. We sir we wants post 0
tfice at Mob Hill which thar is a store s
nd a blacksmith shop and a tavern
lready thar but no post office fur which !
herefor send thar to you a pa tishun !
edded by jeff Rawles and tailed onto q
y limp Terel and comprisin most all
le naburs as you wei know fur to pint A
postmaster which thar you can wei
am called pom fur to act as SIGH Fl
sot fourth in the aforesed partishen y
Ell sir this country is a settlin up mon =
Gus rapid and thar is CRATE nede for .,
he same and if you will pint me / think :.
Will nede $50 by the year as salry and "
to forget fur to sa thar is gratr nede :,
postldge stamps here which pleas is
nd when pintment Gums. Hopin a,
ese few lines will find you wei sir and "
.rror mi son Davie is not aliy fur to Il,
e you an waltln fur an answer which oil
vii AXE digh onto II days count of A
'tuns | hope Republican party will SC
ntlnue Tor to win. l am truly bs
RS very truly --" Is
A POSTMASTEB's REPORT. ir
A private secretary of President Rncb. Ill
"A USED to amuse his friends by read -
: 20 Them a letter that had been re- -
NrnI trD,A, -. III