The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-07

time, out the upper enQerS were not Iule.
No man ever lived who was more gal
liant fighter when he thought he WAS
right, than w. G.. Woodman. He APP
pealed to the powers that be. He de-
manded that the department at Washing
ton send Il special agent here to locate the
postoffice lawfully. that It's patrons could
find it occasionally, so that men who had
lived here for years would not have to en-
quire every morning as to its ocation.
Again CrowelI came on and fixed lis site
III the store room now occupied by Mr.
sam Winch liz building belonging to
the Woodnian estate, where il remained
for many years during the entire admin
| lstration OF Mr.. Murdoch. for over eleven
! years, during which time he received
| three different commissions. IL Was dur
! ing his administration that tue growth
from the town to the city took place and
/ postal facilities, which had, as matter OF
| facF, been lacking for several years, for
! this was the distributing office for this
! entire southwestern country, were uct at
ali in keeping with our rapid develop
meut. The department at Washington
! in charge OF men who lived in sections OF
the country where it takes hundred
| years TO build Il city, did not comprehend
| the demand for large appropriations and
! for more clerk hire.
| In passing over some of the musty cor
| respondence carried % between the post
masters OF that tine and the chiefs of the
divisions at Washington we are astoniSh-
! ed at the temerity of the language used by
Mr.. Postmaster In making his demands,
| his fight for better postal facilities, which,
! however, eventually resulted in attracting
/ attention and as A continuing result as
sisted very largely ia giving us the mag
nliiclenS court house and post office with
all or the modern equipments OF the pres
| ent. We never used one OF those letters as
| a model. We are not the editor of great
newspaper-for which discordant though
/ Is tune may be at times, chiefs OF dlvi.
sions have a profound respect
Mr.. Murdoch rendered his resignation
| shortly after the event of the Cleveland
administration in the spring of 1885 but
his successor was not appointed until the
26th day of July, 1856, aC which time Mr.
! Frank b. Smith, who had practically
| grown mp in this place and developed from
! the devil iii the printing office to the
| proprietor of the paper. and who has
always been the leader of the Democratic
! hosts in its foriorn fights for free trade
and reform lu this section, was appoint
| ed. Mr.. Smith would not take the office
until it was removed into the large quart
! ers. and did not enter upon his duties
until the 1st of October, 1886 at which
! time the office had been removed into the
| building owned by Garfield Post of the
/ Grand Army of the Republic Mr. Smith
=
preparations, and after rendering his ress-
nation, and expanding nearly fifteen
dollars of his own means finally got the
| appropriation increased to the amount
under which the office is now in operation.
! The difficult task of establishing the free
delivery was accomplished during his ad
! ministratlon, which was considered sue
cessful by all parties.
The present postmaster took charge OF
the office on the first day of August, 1890,
and Oh the 3lst day of August removed
the office into It's present location. His
commission is dated July u, 1899, and
provides that he shall be postmaster until
June %, 1894, providing however, sub
stantialiy that the sound discretion
| lodged in the breast of the honorable post
master general is not called into active
operation and he. for reasons to many TO
definitely describe, is respectfully asked
to resign. 50 he may on any morning
walk into his garden and find a thistle on
his fig tree and if he does he will simply
quit looking for figs on that tree.
To discuss the present success or failure
of the present administration would per-
hapS call forth a toot from the horns of
the fellows who always keep full supply
Of those tin instruments for their own
use, bat object to auy one else playing Oh
them.
That is the work to which / have deyot-
ed my entire time for the past threa years.
has received the commentator of this city
of twenty-five thousand people, and of the
many hundreds of people outside OF our
city who receive their mail at this Office
wculd indeed be gratifying to myself.
That there are those inclined to criti-
else we are not in doubt. The postoffice
department from the private offics of the
postmaster general down through all of
its different departments aud out into
every nook and corner of this great Re-
public is a very human institution, and
liable like all things human to occasion
ally ma Ike Il mistake. Millions of letters
and packages, and thousands OF dollars
reach the dead letter department every
year, and experts assert that over ninety
per cent of this is caused by errors COM
mtted by the senders of this matter
Thousands of letters are every year
dropped into the postoffices of this country
without address or postage. you may dear
patron have an occasional kick coming"
and | will tell you the best thing on earth
to do when you have, go right into the
postoflice and see the postmaster 1t is true
that when you are through you may feel
like going out and buutinG your head
against the walls of the building, as you
find that it was not the fault Of the post
Office at, all, you WILL however feel better
and the pos;oflice employees will also enjoy
yonr improved condition.
While if you have caught the postoffice
on the fly its your time to triumph. To
the thousands of men, women and chill
Gren to whom the pc9toflice Of Wichita is a
place of constant vista piece of the ma
chinery of this government the operation
of which you are more directly interested
in than of any other-the movement of
which may bring you glad or sorrowful
tidings we take this opportunity of thank
ing you, for myself aud clerks, for Your
many expressions of kindness and encour-
aging words and that the letter which is
to come in the ship from oyer the sea,
which will make life pleasant in all its
wears. will be received at this office and
promptly delivered TO You, IS the wish of
the entire force.
The statement following shows the
amount of business done at this Office for
tue year, beginning April l, 1892. and end
ing March 81, 1898, that *, the period for
which we are required by the postal laws
to submit statements 10 the department
OF business done. that it may regulate
salaries for the aext year and as is there
fore the proper postoifice year:
POSTAL BUSINESS,
RECEIPTS.
Sales nj The Stamp window. So 81 ~
Special Request envelopes sold. -. -