Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-13
IN OFFICE HALFA CENTURY.
Some Old Men who Began to Serve I'm
Gle sam so Years Ago and are at Work

To-day.
Washington Cor. 8eso York Sun. 4 prH ?.
Fifty years ago to-day James Lawren-
son, of Maryland, received an appoint
ment to a $500 cleTkship in the Post Office
Department He celebrated the semi
centennial of his service by taking a half
holiday from his desk in the Dead Letter
office, and receiving the congratulations
of his friends. He was clerk in the post
Office at Baltimore for ten years before he
came to Washington, so that he has been
in the employment of the government for
sixty years, and in age as we'll as length
of service is the Oldest of Uncle Sam's
hired men. During nearly a quarter of a
century Mr.. LawrensOn acted in the ca
pacity of correspondent for the Baltimore
SUn, and has the additional honor of be-
ing the Oldest journalist in Washington.
He is still in good health, and able to regu-
Iarly perform the duties of his office, al
though discipline is little relaxed in his
favor.
William T. Barry was Postmaster
General when LaWrensOn came in, and
Andrew jackson was President. Before
Barry's time the Post Office Department
was considered merely bureau, as the
Agricultural Department and Government
Printing Office are now, but jackson in
Ylted him TO a seat in the cabinet, in de-
tiance of precedent, and against the pro-
tests of John Q. Calhoun, who was Secre-
tary of State and great stickler for ETH
quette. The only authority the POstmas-
ter General has for a seat in the Executive
Chamber is a. JacksOn's invitation to
Barry. Seventy clerks did the Post Office
Department business in those days, and
three men were assigned to the mail
morgue. 1t requires over one hundred
now to open, read, return, or destroy the
dead letters that come in at the rate of
two million year.
Uncle Jimmy Mari, the venerable chief
clerk of the First Assistant Postmaster
General, ante-dates LawrensOn's service by
three years, having been appointed to a
clerkship on the Goth Of June, 1881. There
are also several pOstmasters who hold
commissions older than his, although, in
GLIDING his service in the Baltimore post
office, LawrensOn heads the list of Yete-
rams. Lindley Mure, the venerable old
negro who sits at the mahogany door
which leads to the beautiful office of the
Secretary Of the Navy, comes second, with
a service of So years, having been APP
pointed in 1928 by Samuel Southland; and
the third on the list is Hon. William
Hunter, Second Assistant Secretary of
State. A clerkship was given to him by
Martin Van Buren, in 1929, and he has
been promoted from time to time. He
reached his present position under john
sons administration, and Mr.. Mari is the
fourth on the list. There are a number Of
clerks in the departments who have seen
forty, and some have seen iorty-tye years
of service.
The Oldest postmaster is Roswell
Beardsley, Of North Lansing, TOmpkins
county, New York, whose commission
bears the date of June IS, 1923. POstmas-
ter Stabler of Sandy Springs, Nd, was
appointed a few months before Beardsley,
but he died a year ago. John BOwdish Of
Rural Grove, Montgomery county, New
York, was appointed postmaster on Dec.
TO- 1880, and now occupies the same Office
in which he opened his first mail more
than fifty-three years ago. During this
time he has received the princely salary
of 500 a year; and administrations have
come and gone, political parties have
risen and died OF decay, but he has never
failed to draw his quarterly allowance of
1923 3315.
A surprising case is that Of George
Hilton, who was appointed postmaster at
South ParsOnsfield, York county, Maine,
on the 9th Of December, 1880. His sala-
ry was $35 a year during this time, but at
the end Of the fifty-second year Of his SER
vice he resigned the Office with all of its
hOnOrs and emOluments, aud asked as a
special favor that Alpheus 5. Hilton, his
son, a youth Of siXtv-fOur summers, might
be appointed in his stead
Uncle Jimmy Mari is orthodox in his
religious belief, and was once discussing
theology with Col. Ingersoll. The latter
told him he couldn't see how hell could
have any terrOrs for man who had been
in the Post Office Department for fifty.
three years.