Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-12-01
WANT A NEW POSTMASTER.
PATRONS OF CAMP PAROLE
OFFICE PROTEST.
Have Petitioned The Postal Az.
thorities To Appoint An
other Person.

A case which will soon have to be
decided by the postal authorities al
Washington bids fair to become of a
widespread interest as the famous
Inidanola affair. 1t has TO do with the
efforts of the residents of Camp Pa.
role, two miles from Annapolis. en-.
deavoring TO dispense with the ser.
vices of the negress postmistress al
that point.
A petition has been forwarded tc
Washington requesting that some one
other than the present incumbent be
appointed to the position and that the
change be made as soon as possible.
While the colored residents are divided
as to their allegiance, the whites are
a unit in their intentions to secur G
another postmaster for the place.
In the petition which has been for
warded to Washington, no claim is
made that the woman is unfit for the
place by reason of her color, but that
she is entirely incompetent TO fulfil
the duties of her position. The au-
thorities are urgently requested to
make the change at once. as it Is be-
lieved by the petitioners that they are
daily in great danger of financial loss
by reason of the manner in which the
affairs of the office are transacted.
The trouble has been brewing for
some time, but it was only recently,
after several very glaring cases OF
carelessness were discovered that ac-
tion took the form Of a formal com.
plant to the department. Such has
been the service at the Camp Parole
Office that many of the white residents
make the daily journey to Annapolis
for the sole purpose of securing their
mail They have advised all CORES
pondents to have their mail sent to
this city as the only guarantee of its
reaching the one for whom 1t is in
tended.
1t is claimed that in many cases let
ters have been given to four or five
different persons before they finally
reached the one to whom they were ad-
dressed. In many instances letters
which were known to have been mail
ed have never reached their destina-
tion. One of the instances cited by
those who drew up the petition is
that wherein one resident notified an
other that he had received letter for
him and had taken it back to the post
Office The man called for the return
ed letter, but 1t could not be found
Later it came back to the Office after
having visited nearly every family in
the community excepting the one for
which it was intended.
It is claimed, also, tfat~ there is a
great lack of courteous treatment at
the postoffioe and that no effort is
made to give good service. It is said
that often the postoffice is found lock
cd at the very time when it is most
convenient for patrons to call. No
suggestion has been made as who
the residents would desire to have ap-
pointed as postmaster, but it is thought
that some one could be secured who
would assume the responsibilities of
the position.
The woman about whom so much
discussion has been engendered is
Elizabeth Sellman, who came to Camp
Parole many years ago. 1t is said
that she has acted as postmistress for
nearly % years and that the only rea-
son complaint was not made heretofore
was that it was feared the office would
be abolished if she was forced to re-
sign. Conditions have reached such a
stage, however, that the residents
would be willing to submit to any
sort of change in order to be assured
that their mail would reach them.
A reply from Washington is awaited
with great interest by those who
have taken the initiative in the mat
ter and they will leave no stone un-
turned to gain their point.