Post office, Natchez Feb. 10. 1848Sir,
your most obt ServantWoodson Wren. P. MHon Jacob ThompsonMember of CongressWashington D.C
In legislating on the Post office establishment, as in all legislation vitally changing
long existing and wide spread systems, difficulties can scarcely be avoided.
In reducing the postages in the year 1845, it seems the legislature was so intent
upon the great object of having low postages, for which they had a great struggle, that the effect it would have on the Deputy
Post Masters, was entirely overlooked, by which they have suffered Very much, so that
many of them have neglected their duty by which the P. O. service has suffered greatly.
Previous to the reduction, the income of small offices, and Distributing offices of
the amount of business in this office, paid but a small salary, to the Post Masters,
less than a fair compensation, and since that, it is much less. The consequence was,
that shortly after the reduction law took effect, about 300 resignations were received
at the P. O. Department in a very short time, as well as I can now recollect, it was
in one day. This induced the P. M. General to apply certain funds that were at his
command in the Treasury, to the Post masters, to make their quarterly income equal
to the their income of the corresponding quarters of the previous year. But there was no
provision made to hire clerks for the performance of the increased labour imposed
under the law. By the law of last congress, a pro-
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vision was made, by increasing the rate of certain commissions, which was intended to satisfy the Postmasters for their labor and expenses of hiring clerks; and forbidding
them to receive any other compensation than what would arise out of the commissions
thus allowed. These commissions, even if they had been authorized to be calculated
quarterly, which has always been the mode of calculating the commissions heretofore,
would not have been adequate to the object. Contrary to any mode of calculating them
heretofore, they are directed to be calculated ^on^ yearly amounts.
And as the law now stands it is inconsistent with any Post office system with which
I am acquainted.
The commissions as now authorized, fall very far short of the compensation before
the reduction.
If something is not done to increase their pay, it is very probable that many of the
most experienced and best Post Masters will be compelled to resign and pursue something
that will enable them to support their families. All the Distributing offices that
I am acquainted with, require the whole time of the P. M. and many of them are compelled
to hire one or more assistants. The present income of such offices, is entirely inadequate
to his support. A man sufficiently ^qualified^ in capacity, and good habits, to manage such offices properly, has capacity and powers,
if applied in some other way, to enable him to support himself and a small family.
Then it follows of course that if his services are rendered to the public in performing
the onerous duties of such an office,
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where there is little but troubles and groundless complaints, the public should be
high minded enough, not to take his services for less than their value, but they should
be entitled to a fair support. Magnanimity and justice in this great nation should
insure it. I think that no officer of Govt should be made rich by Office, but it is nothing but just and fair to pay a man an
[evuivolent?] for his services. The same principle that requires Post Masters to labour as they
now do, would require the reduction of all the Salaries of the officers of Govt from the President down, and the reduction of the pay and rations of the army. This
would be consistence. Then our Govt would be administered for about three fifths of the present cost. Could you get the
services performed for this? This office has not supported me. I have managed it nearly
thirteen years, have had only three children to educate, and I have spent but little
money on their education.
In addition to the income of the office, I have necessarily spent in the economical
support of my family, nearly thirteen thousand dollars, which I have received for
house rent and negro hire. If I had not had my own house to live in and my own servants,
& the rents above mentioned, I could not have kept the office one year. I may be asked
why I did not give it up? I should answer that I had hoped it would be better, & as
I was advanced in years, did not wish to be changing from one thing to another; for
it
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is no easy matter, after leaving all other business to take the management of an office,
to resume business that would be profitable. Therefore, as long as the office and
my rents were sufficient to sustain me, I prefered not to change. As the law stands
these sources of support are insufficient, and I fear I shall be compelled to resort
to something else. I think Post Masters whose income amounts to more than $200 being
deprived of the franking privilege, produces a great evil to the public, and a great
inconvenience and loss to the Post Masters. More1 than ¾ of the letters I receive, are from strangers who wish me to make some enquiry
or perform some service for them. I send you a sample marked A. They are supposed
to be letters for forwarding letters or some other official business, and being opened,
I find I am saddled with the postage
If these letters came seldom, I could bear the loss but they are so frequent that
that the amount I lose becomes burthensome. If I were to omit opening them, which I have
right, for fear of having to pay the postage, those ordering letters to be forwarded
would not be attended to, and great inconvenience and loss might follow. There would
therefore, be a propriety and justice in all letters addressed to Post Masters to ^be^ free of postage. I would not ask the privilege of sending letters free, written on
my own business or to my friends, although it would be
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a small matter. Post Masters at Distributing offices can attend to no commercial business,
therefore their correspondence amounts to but little. I feel sure that mine would
not amount to $5 a year. The franking privilege that I do, is not a privilege, but rather a troublesome duty for the benefit of the
Department and others. The privilege in offices, the income of which is less than
$200 a year, is a real privilege indeed, as most of them are shop or tavern keepers, who have more correspondence, and the
hope that the Post Office will cause the gathering of the people to make business.
^induces them to keep them.^ If the compensation of Post Masters of small Distributing offices is not increased
they will sooner or later be left, and they will fall into the hands of those who
are not qualified to manage them, and the derangement in the service will be fearful
and disastrous. A great portion of the irregularities at present complained of has
come about in consequence of the reduction of postages, by which the Post Masters
are not sufficiently paid for their services to make it their interest to be retained
in office. They become careless and inattentive, forget they have taken an oath,
and never look at the law or a Post office regulation, but persue such course as may
be most convenient to themselves, and very often send mail matter the wrong way, from
utter carelessness. I have been at small Post Offices, and seen the mail opened by
small ignorant boys not sworn, the P. M being out hunting, the packages put to be
sent in the wrong direction, and without know-
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ing that I was a Post Master permitted me to handle the mail and put the packets in
the right way. If they are complained of they stoutly say they get but little for
their services, and they would rather be removed than be subject to complaint. So
it will be with the small Distributing Offices, if the incumbents are not better
paid, and the Post Office derangement will be greater than ever has been known. They
will rather lose their Offices than submit to correction. Starve a hireling or servant,
and whipping will not make him perform good service; but pay your officers enough
to make it their interest to be retained in office and they will submit to correction
if necessary. This will give the P. M. General, a power over his deputy that no law
or any thing else will. It is the nature of man to oppose any power that is not sufficient
to control him. In this business, interest alone is the great controlling power, as
physical force cannot be applied nor would not be submitted to. In consequence of
the reduction of postages, I have seen Post Masters receive less compensation than
was sufficient to support them and enable them to procure the services of competent
assistants, and those engaged were so poorly paid, that it was no object with ^them^ to be retained, in consequence of which they neglected their duty, and the service
actually suffered to my knowledge for the want of good clerks. Under these circumstances,
if
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the Post Master complained of them, they would seek for other employment, and ^as^ soon as they could find it, would leave the office; so that the P. M. dare not complain
of their neglect or improper conduct. If they had received adequate compensation,
they would have submitted to be controlled; but the P. M. had not this salutary power
over them, and could ^not^ correct evils of which there ^were^ numerous and loud complaints. I am unable to afford my assistants a fair salary,
and therefore am in continued dread of their leaving me without help, and should have
been left in this condition long since, if it were not that I have a son who will
not leave me if he can avoid it. He has been with me in the office about eight years
and is decidedly the most expert and best assistant I have ever had. He is worth $1200
a year, and I am barely able to give him $600. He has a young and increasing family,
and for the purpose of supporting them, will be compelled to leave me, unless I am
enabled to give him more. When he leaves me on this account, I shall be compelled
to follow. If the parsimony of the Govt is pushed to the utmost limit of human indurance, a change must take place for the
worse and how fearful will be condition of our offices, and how little honesty may
we expect among our officers?
Necessity may product small aberrations from rectitude and they will be repeated and
increased in enormity until honesty takes its everlasting flight. Suppose fifteen
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thousand Post Masters ^partly forced & partly^ decoyed by the Gvt into this condition, and it is possible because they are all corruptible, What would
become of the Post ^office^ establishment?
It is fearful to contemplate. It is in the power of congress to prevent this by doing
justice, in paying a fair compensation for services. If the commissions provided for
by the last law of Congress were calculated quarterly as has uniformly been the custom
heretofore, instead of yearly, and the commissions on Distribution allowed to be calculated
at fifteen per cent, it would probably come near a fair compensation. The mailing
of letters that come from other offices to be distributed and remailed here is almost
as much trouble as the mailing of letters deposited here for that purpose. The only
difference is the Stamping those deposited here. Fifteen per cent, would in fact be
a small compensation for remailing, and I have often wondered that the commissions
for that service was put so low as it is. There would be no danger by this, that the
compensation to Post Masters would be too much, because, by the 41st section of the Post office law of 1825 the Post masters cannot receive more than
$2000 in commissions, which is low enough for a man who
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is well qualified and willing to perform the services of a Distributing Office properly.
I send some statement or calculations of a quarterly account for the last quarter
of this Office showing what would be the net income of this by the different modes of calculation, after paying the incidental expenses of the
Office. I will here observe that I can manage a large P. O. requiring fifteen or twenty
assistants, with ^more^ ease that I can this. In a large office, one assistant can be put to one portion
of the business, and another to another and so on, till the whole is disposed of and
each to be accountable for his particular duty. But in this office every assistant
must learn how to perform every portion of the business which takes him a long time,
and it makes it much more difficult to keep a competent clerks; and they knowing this,
puts me much more under the power of their whims. If an assistant leaves a large office,
his place which is for one portion of the work, is much more easily filled than the
place of one leaving this office. This they all know and act accordingly. I had rather
undertake to manage the P. O. at N. Orleans than at Natchez for the above reasons,
for the same compensation.
Therefore their pay should be nearly equal. The only important difference, is the
fearful monied responsibility when there ^are^ so many clerks so poorly paid. The same responsibility exists here, but in a less
degree.
At least one clerk more is necessary for me under the reduction, than was previously
required, owing to the in-
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increased labour; and instead of a corresponding increase of compensation, it has
been dimished nearly one half. The cheap postage is very desirable, but the proper
management of Post Offices is more so, and can only be insured by a reasonable compensation
to those who manage them. The law against inclosing two or more letters directed to
different individuals, in the same envelop, cannot be enforced. The P. M. has no means of ascertaining whether the letter offered to
be mailed, contains a letter addressed to a person different from the superscription,
nor has the P. M. when it arrives at the place of destination. I have seen paper so
light, that five sheets would not weigh a half an ounce. Four letters might be written,
on four of these and not addressed to any person, but marked 1, 2, 3 & 4 the writer
on the other sheet requesting his friend to whom ^he^ writes on the fifth sheets and incloses them, to deliver No. 1 to A. No. 2 to B.
No 3 to C & No. 4 to D. To prevent this kind of fraud I would suggest the propriety
of repealing this provision and substitute the old principle for paying for double,
triple and quadruple till the weight amounts to a certain point. This, with putting
the weight at ¼ of an ounce for a single letter, would be a salutary measure and
give every necessary facility at a low rate of postage and prevent frauds that may
be perpetuated under the law now in force. Two sheets is enough for any common letter
and these light sheets above described would weigh less than a half an ounce. By putting
the weight of a single letter at ¼ ounce, it would encourage the common use of light
paper & reduce the weight of the mails.
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The privilege of persons to receive letters from Steam boats concerning cargo, free
of postage, opens a door wide to numerous frauds, and many disagreeable altercations
between the people and the P. M. if he wishes to perform his duty faithfully. The
postage is now so low that commerce will not be trammelled by postage being required
on all such letters. Indeed it would ^not^ be felt, and I can see no reason why such an advantage should be allowed to any particular
class.
The profits arising out of a fair commerce well conducted, will always enable those
engaged ^in^ it to pay the present low rate of postage. I have seen many letters brought by steam
boats, marked “B/L” the initials for a bill of lading, and the merchants to whom they
were addressed insisted they should be delivered free of postage in consequence of
that mark; and when they were opened, nothing was found in them concerning cargo
As the law not stands the P. M. has a very delicate duty to perform, and often disagreeable
contentions necessarily grow out of it. Nothing should be left in this way to increase
these difficulties, because every instance of this kind, serves to beget ill feelings
towards the establishment and the United States Govt particularly with ignorant selfish persons, and they constitute the majority. All
causes of irritation between the people and the P. M. should be carefully avoided,
as very few know the law, and for the want of this knowledge, become excited and will
not see or hear the rules th by which the P. M is governed. For this reason the law fix-
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fixing any postage that will end in half cents should be changed. For instance, Pamphlets
are rated at 2½ cents for the first ounce and one cent for every additional ounce,
always leaves a half cent. If the Post Master submits to the loss in one instance,
the people will be prepared to turned it against him constantly, and he would lost more than the amount of his commissions,
and if the people have to lose it, they grumble and curse the whole P. O. establishment,
although their loss would probably not be more than once a week. The P. O. system
should be so managed as to make it popular, and for this purpose, proper laws should
be enacted that will not necessarily bring about contentions. There are some requirements
of Post Masters ^that^ are very troublesome to them, that cannot produce any ^good^ whatever; and as they have more trouble perhaps than any other officer in Govt it would be well to relieve them from such. They are required to make statements
on oath, of the amount of box rent received by them and to make an account of the
amount of postage paid by them on official letters, and swear to it, and also to send
the same official letters to prove that the oath is true, in order to be reimbursed
what they have paid on them. I submit to the loss, being small, rather than to be
at the trouble required. Now Sir, I do not see the necessity, or ever the propriety
of these extra oaths, because the P. M. is under oath
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in the performance of all his official duties, and the multiplication of oaths will
not bind a knave or a liar, and an honest man will feel the effects of one.
If a man will make a false Statement under one oath, he will do the same under fifty.
The requisition is in itself, degrading. If a P. M. is reduced so low in compensation,
that the legislature thinks it necessary to multiply oaths to enforce a correct and
honest statement, it is full proof that the law makes know their pay is incompetent.
But, in addition to the degradation felt by the P. M. he frequently has to run all
about town to find a justice of the peace to administer the oath, and cannot find
him till it is too late for the mail in which he is bound to send his quarterly account.
This is a vexing disappointment. This very requirement invites dishonesty. Place your
Post Masters in a dignified situation, pay them reasonably for their services and
you will have the duties performed very differently from what they have been for one
or two years past. The P. M. Genl is continually complained of, when the fault is not in him, but in the neglect of
his deputies, and they do fail and will continue to fail in their duties unless they
are paid for their services.
You will hear less complaint, if you will pay fairly, you will give activity and vigilence
to all, and give to the P. M. Genl a power over his deputies, and them over their assistants ^which^ will enforce good services. It is useless to
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say, the establishment will not authorise a reasonable compensation. It can do so,
and the people will sanction it. Without it, the business will not be well done.
If the P. O. establishment is worth any thing, it is worth being paid for, and without
it being ^well^ performed it is worse than useless. It will be mischievous. Never treat a man like
a thief, unless you wish to make him such. What high minded honest American would
not feel degraded at such a requisition of double oaths for a mere pittance? Suppose
the Treasury should be called upon for a million of dollars to assist in paying for
honest well performed services, it would be a small matter in comparison to the resulting
good consequences. The object of the people is to have their correspondence, safe,
certain and quick. The cost is no object compared with these.
For instance, when we had Mr. Kendalls express mail, and the postage on a single letter
was 75 cents prepaid, nearly all the interesting and important correspondence was
by express.
As the rivers Ohio and Mississippi constitute the great Western mail route, it is
suggested that a provision be made for the appointment of one or more special agents
of the P. O. Department with liberal salary and privilege of franking all official
communications and receiving all letters free, to attend the river mails and offices,
with full power, under the control of the P. M. Genl to regulate the mail service and ferret out and correct such
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evils as may exist. There are to my own personal knowledge, and by information from
others on whom I can depend, many very great evils and irregularities on this great
western ^river^ route that require the vigilent attention of a faithful agent, experienced in the
details of Post office operations, that will not in any probibility be reached in
any other way. Some of these abuses, I have seen, when formerly employed by the Department
as spl agent, which opened the door to enormous mischiefs. In a trip from Natchez to New
Orleans in performing services for the Department, I discovered, on one of the steamers,
a Packet under contract to transport the Mail between New Orleans and St. Francisville,
that many of the mails had been delivered by the Post Masters, without being contained
in bags of any kind; the packets of letters composing the mails, not even secured
by tieing or sealing or in any way secured, but merely folded in an envelop in a very
careless manner, which left ^them^ at the mercy of every depredator. When the Capt. of the boat show’d me ^these^ packets in this condition and informed me that they were the mails, I doubted it,
and to satisfy myself, opened several of them, and found that they were mails. They were carelessly deposited in a kind of pigeon box, accessible to every
one.
On almost on all steam boats, there are men whose only business is gambling for a
subsistance, who would not hesitate to rifle those packets and take money from them.
The loose letters on steam boats, not mailed, have frequently been thus taken, by
which,
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great losses have been sustained. To prevent this, I recommend that it be made the
duty of the clerks of steam boats, so soon as the boat leaves a port or landing, to
overhaul the letters and put into packets all address that have been received, according to their address and put a memorandum with them
stating where they were received, the number for delivery and the number to be forwarded,
and seal and direct them to their place of destination.
It is also ascertained that many of the mail messengers at the landings appointed
to transport the mails between the Post offices and the Steam boats, and collect letters
from the boats and take to the offices, retain them in their possession until they
can deliver ^them^ to whom they are addressed, thus defrauding the Department. If they were put into
packets as above recommended, this would be prevented. On one of my agency trips,
I found that by misrepresentation to the Dept, a man interested in a wharf boat on
the margin of the river near the mouth of red river, in the woods not near any plantation,
had procured the removal of a Post office from Rouths point, a very important place,
to his wharf boat, and it took me a long correspondence with the Dept. and several
months to get the office re established at Rouths point.
It is found, that very often the mail is put on
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the slowest boats, both contracted for and Packets, when faster boats leave the same
day the same ports and nearly at the same hour, retarding the arrival of the mail
from six to thirty hours, and on some long trips more. If there is not some favoritism
and connivance in this, it must certainly be for the want to proper attention to the
interests of the people. I have given a few instances, and there are many more that
^might^ be mentioned and others coming to light daily in which a spl agent ^would^ be of service.
The corrections that would be produced by such agencies, would save more than enough
to pay the expenses of agents, who would prevent impositions and depredations, put
the establishment in a safe and more respectable condition, benefit the community
in the safety certainty, and celerity of their correspondence, and save more than
twenty times the amount of the cost of them. The above are the great objects of the
P. O. establishment. If it is worth any thing, it is worth being put into the best
possible condition. All the labor of the P. M. Genl will avail but little, without necessary Deputies and Spl agents who are sufficiently paid to insure good services.
I have performed the duties of this office from principle wishing to assist the head
of the Dept. in bringing the establishment into a respectable condition, and useful
to my fellow citizens. For the truth of this I appeal to Mr Kendall Mr. Wickliffe
and all that have since their time been connected with the Genl Post office.
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At the request of the Department to collect facts and make suggestions for improvements,
I have I have been laborious and careful in this respect, and I am gratified in knowing that my
services in this way have been useful, in many respects. In a suggestion to Mr. Wickliffe,
a saving was made of more than a thousand dollars a year in the alteration of one
short route of less than sixty miles. I have anxiously and conscientiously performed
the duties of this office, taking the law for my guide, nearly thirteen years, and
so long as the income from it, added to the rents I receive for my houses, were sufficient
for my support, I have been willing to continue to keep it, but now the compensation
is so reduced, that I expect to be compelled to leave it, and seek some other employment.
As long as I remain I will do the duties as I have done. My net commissions after
paying incidental expenses is about $142 a quarter the nominal amount of box rent
is from 130 to 140 dollars a quarter, but I do not collect more than about $80, which
added makes $222 per quarter, or $888 a year. Now, I will put it to any gentleman
among you who have lived in the South, to say whether this sum is half enough to support
a small family in Natchez in the coarsest manner and in a mean house. Suppose I had
no servants nor house to live in. House rent would be $400 servants $360. This would
leave $128 a year to purchase food fuel, lights & clothing. The office so completely
employs my whole time
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that I cannot engage in any other business, by which I can increase my income. The
truth is, that our fuel and lights amount to about $200 a year, provisions, not less
than $1000, sundry miscellaneous expenses $300, in the whole $2260 including servant
hire and house rent. Leaving nothing for clothing.
As I have been long in office, and by experience have discovered some things that
^ought to^ be amended, I have thought it my duty to give the foregoing for what it may be worth.
very respectfullyyour most obt ServantWoodson Wren. P. MHon Jacob ThompsonMember of CongressWashington D.C
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[ docketing
]
Woodson Wren
[ docketing
]
Petition of Woodson Wren of Mississippi in relation to Post office rates & Post office
regulations
[ docketing
]
March 4. 1848. Referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.
[ docketing
]
Com. on Post Office & Post Roads
[ docketing
]
Mr Thompson of Missi
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[ enclosure
]
Woodson Wren. P. M.
Dr The Post office Department of the U.S. in account with Woodson Wren Post Master at
Natchez mi.
1847 Dec 20 | Cash | P. Z. C. McGinty draft 5863 dated 24. Nov. 1847 | 70 | 00 |
23 | " | A. Mock draft No 6180 dated 6th Dec. 1847 | 151 | 90 |
24 | " | Nathan Lee draft 6185 dated 6. Dec. " | 132 | 75 |
28 | " | William Cline 5849 dated 24. Nov. " | 53 | 32 |
31 | E. C. Eggleston 5849 dated 24. Nov. " | 161 | 75 | |
" | " | A. H. Hendrick, mail messenger for Dec. | 43 | 33 |
613 | 05 | |||
Balance due Dept 31 Dec. 1847 | 136 | 21 | ||
749 | 26 |
By balance due Dept 30. Nov. 1847 | 571 | 42¼ |
By net revenue of this office for Dec. 1847 | 177 | 83¾ |
749 | 26 | |
By balance due Dept 31. Dec 1847 | 136 | 21 |
Autograph Letter Signed, 21 page(s), RG 233, Entry 367: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to Committees, 1847-1849, NAB,