New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-22
THE USES or THE POST-OpFICE.

great institution tncfe WIS singular "oi"
sion that its principal use was to serve the
public 1t dcgencrated to this from its orlgI-
nal design of serving the King, the posts
which had been established for the convey
ance of Government letters having come INTO
general use by the public in tho sixteenth
century, and the delusion arose shortly that II
was properly a department of the pubic ser
vice We understand it better now In I'm
cinnati they understand it very much better
Their full appreciation OF the uses OF the
Post flee is disclosed in series OF letters
recently brought TO light by the Wash
ington correspondent Of The Gazette of that
city, in which some of the most able and in
lucntia leading statesmen figure TO great adj
vantage. In Ill these letters-1he Gazette has
printed several columns of them-though the
subject of every one is the Post-Oifice ana the
appointment of Postmaster, there Is no refer
ence To the old and WORKOUT notion that the
use of the POst-Oflice is to serve the public
Every one of the leading statesmen who has
taken a hand in recommending a Postmaster
for Cincinnati has viewed the question in the
larger and clearer light OF our present CIVIL
cation. The Post-Ol1ice in this view Is
place - the Postmaster serves the party and
the public gets its benefits in a somewhat IN
cidental manner from mail carriage. but III
much the largest measure from having the
Administration sustained and its party kept
i'll power.
In this correspondence there figure Mr.. Ben
jamin Eggleston, an ey-member OF Congress
Senator John Sherman Col Robert Harlan,
Special Agent of the Department; the Hon.
ht,.I, Taft nd
various other people more or less leading
in the matter of craftsmanship. ana the
amount of gymnastics displayed by each IN
balancing, pirOuettDg, turning S0mersaults'
performing on the trapeze. and standing on the
head exceeds anything in tho annals of the
circus or hippOdrOme. Mr.. Eggleston opened
the ball with letter to Senator Sherman
recommending a German gentleman named
Wahle for appointment as Postmaster, Col
lcctor of Customs or United States Assist
" ant Treasurer ut Cincinnati" He describes
him as one of our leading German Repub-
LEANS" whose selection would be espe-
"cially gratifying to that part of our people"
All these offices were ut that time in the quiet
pos session of other /" leading persons. Several
months later the Office of Postmaster falling
vacant, Mr. Eggleston recommended another
man for the place Col. Harlan, tho Special
Agent, next appears with a recommcn dation
OF a Mr. Carey, and a charge against the
actual incumbent of the office of keeping
in his employ "A number of Democrats
and Liberal Republicans. Then come various
applications from persons who served IN the
army as priyates. among whom Mr.. Smith
Stimmel is prominent. lie writes a long let
ter to the President in which he expresses
his opinions of all the other candidates with
entire freedom, and concludes that they are
all burden and drag upon the party. Col.
Harlan by this time reappearS as supporter
of Wahle who he says is favored by all the
papers except The Gazette, and he adds III a
suggestive way-his letter being addressed TO
Mr.. Creswell--that Mr.. Smith, the editor Of
that paper, docs not disguise the fact that
she neither likes you nor the President"
Three days later Col. Harlan writes that the
appointment of any German would be I'M
popular and recommends Mr.. Hessler.
Meantime, Mr.. JacOb editor of The Cincin-
matt Courier, writes the President urging Mr..
Wahle's appointment and clnches the argu-
ment by saying that the German citizens,
including the wealtEiest among them, worth
millions of dollars are for him. And this
| in conclusion" Not only this, but Mr.. Wahle's
:" defeat would be fatal to our paper, the only
German Republican paper in the State"
| Then reappears Eggleston with the statement
that if it is "cOnseededn that German
should be Postmaster, Wahle is the man.
But the most statesmanlike letter in the col
lection is the one signed by Messrs. jacob
and Schoenle, editors of The Cincinnati Courier,
| and addressed to Columbus Deano, marked
strictly confidential" The following extract
suggests its import, and indicates its cOmpre-
hensive grasp of the situation:
In one OF your conversations With Mr. jacob you in
timated to him to name other influential German
Republican for the position who would be acceptable
to the different elements Of the Republican party OF this
county aud to the community generally. Mr.. jacob
| thereupon suggested to you the name OF certain
gentleman; but a. the same Is out OF the question
and as to lose this fight would materially affect and
danger the position and the influence OF paper the
only Republican German organ in the State, would
suggest In order TO Xrcate the whole affair out Of the
dilemma INTO which uncomfortable events have placed IT,.
either Capt schoene MI NJ. A. Jacob may be pre-
sented 10 the President suitable and available candi
dates for tho Cincinnati postmsstership. We believe
that against neither OF the objection could would
be raised that brought TO bear against Mr..
wahe. and that the appointment of either of would
be acceptable to the Republican voters and to the
munity generally. and would be tho beat means Of
| harmonizine
W. have given enough Of tue correspond.