The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-04-04

ma inventor whose HHiiie ucaus diiS
.rticle died at his home in New York
ast evening, I'd inst. at few minutes
before 8 O'Clock. His name isa house,
hold word throughout the civilized
world and through his perseverance
and industry, and the working of his
active brain, now passed to immortal
ity. the sad news of his demise will
reach. and be received with deep grief,
by tens of millions ofhis fellow men al |
most Mt the same instant. He reached a
ripe old age, having been born at
Charlest0wn, Mass, on April 9th,
1871, making his age within few days
ofSl years. He was the son ofJedidiah
/. Morse, an American clergyman of
great repute and the acknowledged
father of American Geography.
Prof. Morse first conceived the idea
OF Magnetic Telegraph in 1882, while
on voyage ,om Havre to New York.
In 1887 he first exhibited his invention
10 Congress, but only by repeated Of.
forts to that end did he finally obtain
aid from Congress in 1S43, by the ape
preparation Of $50. 600 to enable him to
test the experiment of erecting q telc-
graph between Washington and Balti-
more. 1t was a success, and the begin
ming Of the era OF telegraph commune
cation, the machinery of which now
spans The world like great net work.
We are, and have been long time
in quandary as TO what manner of
thing the Cincinnati Convention is to
be; what it is to be composed Of, and
whether 1t shall be Mass Meeting or
q delegate assemblage. We are glad
to receive some light upon the subject
from so authentic a source as the
Chicago Tribune. 1t says to Demo-
clacy, hands off, we intend to run this
thing in our own way; If yon attempt
TO NEEDLE with it, you will only spoil
| il, for no party can stand the curse Of
even yonr Endorsement to the extent Of
accepting its action. Don't get weak
kneed and give all the friends you
have got a square slap in the face Mr..
Tribune but stand up TO the rack,
fodder or no fodder. But here is what
1t says:
ssThe Democratic party contains O
large number of rash and reckless
meddlers who aspire to be its leaders,
and these persons, having managed to
render the party so odious to the peo-
pie that it can control only one State
| for certain, are now rest1essly seeking
how to kill the Cincinnati Convention.
The call for that Convention is address
sed only to Republicans, who are IN
yited to consider the best means to
promote Republican principles and
elect a Republican President. The
Democratic party has no concern in
that Convention, except as all specta-
tors may be interested in its doings,
~ -
The office-holders have already raised
the cry that the Cincinnati Convention
is a sCopperhead concern" in disguise
and that 1t is the sole issae they wan
in the coming campaign. They would
welcome, as great diversion in their
favor, any act BY the Democratic par.
ty, by its conventions or committees
claiming or endorsing, or ratifying OF
accepting the action of the Cincinnati
Convention.
| The Hon. George w. McCrary, Mem
Der of Congress from the First Distric
of this State, presented u resolution fol
an amendment to the Federal Consti
tuition to provide remedy for tht
evils of the Civil Service. The amend
ment is as follows:
| All civil officers of the United Statel
except Judges of the Supreme and in
ferior courts, the heads of Depart
ments. and those whose duties az,
temporary in their character, shall hold
Office for term of four years, unless
4 longer term shall be fixed by law
Congress may by law provide for thu
election by the people Of postmaster
and other officers whose duties are Il
be performed within the limits OF an,
State or part of State. but the Presi
dent shall have the power Of remova
Of any such officer, whether appointed
or elected for any canse affecting tn
incumbent's character, habits, or othe
qualifications, excepting political o
religious opinions.
| This question is one Of difficult solu
ton, and the only steps that have beef
taken to apply a remedy have beef
taken under the present administra
and upon the Presidents own motion
We agree with Mr.. McCary that TIL
plan now being tested of competitiv,
examination is a failure, and whether
the plan he now proposes will be effec
tive. we have not sufficiently digestei
to form an unqualified opinion Of Il
is certain, however, that in his speech
upon his position. our able Iowa rep
resentative makes some excellen
|points. We append an extract from
his speech:
When the Constitution was adopted
the question how postmasters SHOULD
be chosen was doubtless considered 81
of little consequence. The Office is no
mentioned by name in the Constitution
The trainers Of. that instrument, wis
and far-seeing men as they were, cOult
have had little conception of the won
derful growth Of the postal system o
the United States which seventy-tiv
wears has developed. And the system
is vet in its infancy. In fifty year
, from to-day we shall doubtless hav
one hundred thousand post Offices il
the United States.
At the-time of the adoption of III
Constitution there were only. seventy
five post offices in the Union: Oh tn
second day of the present month Their
. We're thirty-ninc thousand nine hun
dred aud fifty. The increase durin.
the last nine months has been min
hundred offices. The number Of pos
offices was
In 1900 30
) Tn 1905 l,55
In 1910 2,3O
In 1915 3OO
In 1920 4,1O
In 1925 5,67
In 1880 S,45
LIN 1886 lO14
And from 1865 to the present the in
crease has averaged over eight hundre'
per annum.
Why should the forty thousand post
masters which we now have, and tn