Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-01
SATURDAY DECEMBER /, 1S9
Tho Appomattox Outrage.

THE United States Post-Ohice Depart
mont is behaving very badly TOWARDS u'e
,,onle II Appomattox county in the mat
Ter Of the name Of Appomat'oX FoS'-
Office. ,.
These officials have been wrong
throughout this whole proceeding ana we
regret 10 see that they prefer 10 commune
On the wrong. rather than come iof"ai"
and make the proper amend
They declare they cannot change 'he
name Of Surrender back to Appomat'oN
except mon the petition OF the patrons
of that Office. Yet they have long n"'
such n petition In their hands lhuee"'
those patrons never wished the name
CHANGED. and they now demand that II
be restored. but still the department "0
elects or refuses to act.
There IS not man, woman or emu III
the United States who wishes the ha"lo
Of Surrender 10 b. retained; the people
~ Annomattox earnestly beg that sur
renaer he dropped and Appomattox re-
stored. yet the department makes 10
move I'm the matter.
The pcople of this State are justly IN
d,gnant at the refusal OF the department
10 respect their wishes and 1t Is ineNph-
cable 10 us what II is that Influences 'he
department TO pursue the course II mas
taken.
The following extract from letter from
n very distinguished citizen OF Appomat-
fox county sets forth the true state OF
the case:
APPONATTOX COURTHOUSE, VA
November q. 1894
see from Sundays Dispatch that the
post-Once Department at Washington
s,ste that they will not change the name
Of Surrender back 10 Appomattox uh'n
the patrons Of the AppomatioN once az"
It. That has bcen done long ago. pe.I-
ZION. signed by all Of our county ofhciais'
bv the postmasters at botn SurIeHuei
(old Appomattox Courthouse ana Ne
lraska new courthouse, and By about
seventy prominent citizens OF the county
Including many OF the patrons OF oolh
post-oflices. asking that the name Ne
changed back 10 AppomattoA. was loI-
,,.or,ied 70 them some months ago. our
County Judge wrote them privately IN
closing this petition, urging them 70 CIV
the matter an early ana taVoIapIe Gun
SideratiOn. Seeing from Il wi ~
OF the Dispatch that only a SIN Il pe'i-
ZION" had been received at the Post-Otice
Department, the County Judge wrote al
once TO the department. saying that ne
only got some prominent people OF the
county 10 sign. as he did not think they
wanted numbers. hut only the best peo-
Me. but that II was the unanimous WISH
of our county for the change 10 be maue
The Judge also said that II the De
partment wished large numbers OF names
~ tn, petition he would get up such Pc
t,tion. and that he believed every man.
woman and child In AppomattoX county
would gladly sfgn petition II desired.
The department Acknowledged the receipt
Of Judge Christians letters, but took no
further action. The Judge then wrote 10
our representative, Hon. ii. St q. Tucker
urging him to give this matter ms per
sonal attention. But as yet the oppTO-
brious name remains as a disgrace TO our
community. II the Republicans were IN
mower we might not expect anything bet-
Ter. but r. il too humiliating for a pro-
Tossed Democratic administration to treat
US 50.
I simply write the above statement 10
show that il is no neglect of the Appo-
mattox people that the vile name or sur
render Is stll recognized by the Post
Office Department as the name OF the
post-office at old AppomattoX Courthouse'