The Republican journal., 1885-05-21
The Proposed Rad on Postmasters.

1t was the Postmaster General who testified,
on assuming the duties of his office, to the abil-
ity, efficiency and integrity Of the employees OF
the Post Office department, and who said that
he should make but few changes, and those
only for cause. He was then, as were the
other members of the Cabinet, an ardent civil
service reformer, or professed to be so, and the
Mugwumps greatly rejoiced, while office-seek.
ing Democrats were exceeding wroth. A few
weeks have changed all that. The Postmaster
General has issued confidential circular to
Democratic Congressman, invoking their aid to
carry out plan by which the fourth class post
masters in New York and elsewhere may be
removed within the next two months and theil
places filled by Democrats. Mr.. Villas thus out
lines his proposed plan:
This is in short, to pick out the most obnoX.
ious and offensive partisans in each county tC
the number of a sixth to quarter of all and
choose frst-clasS men to take their places.
will require no more proof of the partisanshl
in these selections than the affirmation OF
knowledge on the part of a representative OIL
senator that the postmaster has been an active
editor or proprietor OF a Republican newspa.
per, printing offensive articles, easily shown by
slips; or a stump speaker, or member of politi.
organizer of political meetings, or that his office
has been made the headquarters of political
work or that his clerks have been put into the
performance of political duties Possibly other
acts of equal force may be noted in some cases
If the representative does not know the fact il
should be established by some affidavit of some
person whom he can affirm to be of unique s,ion.
ed crediblity, or by some documentary ev.
dence.
The New York Evening Post (mugwump) is
sorely distressed because the circular was head
ed confidential. as this makes it ''look As il
there was something in it which was desirable
to conceal, which Is not true" The Boston
Herald (mugwump) says that "Postmaster
General Villas action in notifying Democratic
members of Congress that they must deter
mine the postmasters of the fourth class for the
several districts is a most unwarrantable one
In Gov. Cleveland's letter to the reform league
he said that appointments for non-politcal Of
fees not within the scope of the civil service
act would be based upon inquiries rs to theil
fitness, directed by those charged with that du
ty.' This assuredly does not mean members OF
Congress. or defeated Democratic candidate.
in Republican districts" And further: Mr.
has t' ItcuS q Hltt Dul III Ill ltSSOH IL
reform from the President" The New Yorl
Sun says: IF it is wrong, as Mr.. Villas assumes
for Republican postmaster to speak on the
stump or belong to political committee, or t
be an officer of a campaign club, it must bt
equally wrong for Democrat, and the post
masters of the country, under a Democratic adj
ministratiOn, seem destined to become IA very
quiet lot of persons politically" But AS the
Bath Times remarks, the rule is not intende,
to work both ways. There is no intimaton il
the circular that if Democrat should chance
TO take active interest in politics he would bt
deemed unworthy of appointment to office
The circular makes the Bourbons happy, how
ever, and it is thus endorsed By the Boston
Post: Good enough. This means the remova
of great majority of the republican postmas
tiers in the United States. 1t will now De in or
der to hear from the other departments"
The letter has produced lively and variet
comment in Washington. The New Iorl
Herald correspondent says that Republican
members thought at first that ii was an nven
ton to satrize the administration. Democrats
on the other hand. speak of it AS a lively III
tempt to hunt obscure postmasters with a bras.
band The latter class also condemn the plan
as tending to make them detectives, informers
and establishing in their district Il system OF
espionage that does not belong to their Con.
gressiona duties. The fourth class post office,
in the United States number about fortv-nine
thousand, with salaries ranging from s. tc
4 900 ppr annum and if is said hy both ranuhIi
can and democratic members of Congress that
if removals are to be determined bv the rule
Laid down by Postmaster General Villas there
will not be many, if any, changes on that
ground. There is not. it is said, fourth class
postmaster in the United States who either
publishes, owns or edits newspaper or who
has an office except as all such offices are
established in country stores. or who EMPLOYS
clerks paid out of government funds. Neither
were they as general thing, stump speakers
or members of political committee, or officers
of campaign clubs, or organizers of political
meetings, the provisions Of the Civil Service
law discouraging such labor. The Herald
correspondent also says: at is understood that
the democratic Congressman from Indiana one
of the first States selected for the operation OF
the new rule, positively decline to recognize
the suggestions made in the confidential circu-
lar addressed to Them
The circular has answered one good purpose
and that is in exposing the hypocritical civil ser
wee reform professions of the Administra-
ton, by which many were deceived.