I herewith send you a Petition, signed by the Clerks in this Post office, praying Congress to make some change in the Post office Law, regulating the per centage on Letters, so that they may get something like a fair compensation for their services.

The Clerks in this Post Office, receive less pay, in proportion to their labour, than in any other office in the United States.

This being the great point for the West, makes the paper distribution immense. Frequently we have from Forty to Fifty Pages of papers to distribute at night from the Table of this office. The daily mail from the East, arrives here at 8 oclock PM, and leaves for the West, ½ past 10. The Western Mail larrives here from 4, to ½ past 4, AM, and leaves for the East at 7 Am, so, you can see we get but little rest at night. In the Winter season, the failures are frequent both from East and West. We have to remain at the office until ½ past ten at night and be there at 4 in the morning, mail or no mail, and when failures occur, it Keeps us here at work the whole of next day. The cross mails are constantly Coming

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in, and my Clerks constantly employed.

It is the per Centage on letters recd for Delivery, that increases the Compensation of the Clerks, and whilst this is one of the largest distributing offices, taking into consideration the large paper distribution, the delivery is small.

We have to open all the Letter pouches, but one for Columbus, and distribute the packages for the whole west, this in connection with the distribution from this office, Keeps as a busy as we can be until ½ past 10 at night, and it is a rare thing if we get to bed before 11 oclock.

You will find from my account current, furnished the Auditor for last Quarter, that my best Clerks do not receive more than $125 per Quarter. They are good, faithful, and efficient Clerks, but good Clerks, cannot be retained for that price, and if something is not done this office must suffer. It has already cost me considerable out of my own sallary.

I trust that you will give your attention to this matter, and that Congress will do what is right