The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-16
POSTOFFICE REFORM.

The new Postmaster-General in attempt
ing to introduce much needed reforms in
his department, meets with cordial support
on all sides. No recent order from any de-
partment has been received with such favor
by the people as Governor JEWELS, telling
them that his department will deal directly
with them and not with heavily paid claim
agents at Washington. He thus gives the
go-betwecns the go-by,to the delight of the
whole country.
The prac ice, common among country
postmasters whose salaries depend on the
amount of stamps they sell, of sending off
postage stamps to the large cities, to pur-
chase their small stocks of groceries and
dry goods for their stores, in which they
keep their postoffices, is stopped. The
country store keeper, (which is postmas-
ter, can no longer buy his sugar and mo-
lasses from the city dealer, and remit in
Sans magic letter carrying bits of green
paper, on the sale of which he draws a
commission from Uncle Sam himself,
greater perchanee than the anticipated pro-
fits on the goods Thanks to the :Pcstmas-
ter-General for the stoppage of this leak.
Postmasters, and not altogether of the
sort who keep country stores either, have
been in the habit of certifying straw bids
for contractors who possibly think they
have claim to such favors by virtue of
assistance rendered in procuring the recip-
rocating postmasters their offices. No
more of this "tickle me, Billy" practice
avs Mr. Jewell, and all the people say,
amen.
The expenses of the postoffice depart
ment are in excess of its receipts. There
is yearly deficit of three or four millions.
In the large offices there Is great disparity
in the economy or want of it with which
they are managed, some of them eating up
in expenses nearly seventy per cent of
their receipts, others not taking more than
twenty-five. The Postmaster General, like
a practical business man, has set on foot an
inquiry to ascertain the cause of this dis
travagaDt expenditure of the thriftless Of
fees. The people will support him in these
investigations, no matter how thorough
they may be mace. But more important
than all, they will support him in going
great deal further than he has yet gone, or,
perhaps, has thought of going, These re-
forms merely affect the surface, they do
not 90 to the root of the difficulty, diff
Guilty which affects every department
of the government, and that is the political
dependence of the official. Governor
Jewell announces that he intends to con-
duct his department on 'business princi-
pies" If he does so attempt to conduct it
he has hard battle to fight, as ex-Secre-
tary Cox and cx-Attorney-Gen. Hoar can
undoubtedly tell him. 1t is all very well
and very easy to snub Washington claim
agents, whom everybody likes to hit it is
perfectly safe to tell country postmaster
not to buy calico for his store with postage
stamps cheap popularity can be gained
by sending few posloflice agents to the
large offices to report on their extraya-
gancc. All this is very proper thing to
do, and on strictly Cuisines principles
too. But let the new official whose broom
is sweeping so very clean, just run his
Cuisines principles" down into the
appointments, tine filling of which
the constitution has given to the ex-
ecutive department, but custom to
Congress and he will find the peans to his
praise sadly lulled in many quarters. Let
him, for instance decide, on business prin-
ciples" surely, that every postmaster above
Il certain grade shall confne himself strict
ly to the business of his office and be
engaged in no outside business whatever
on penalty of removal let him recon-
mend in his forthcoming report to that
congress with which he has SO much to do
if he attempts TO carry his " business prin-
cples" to their end of the avenue that
they let postoilice appointments alone and