The Cecil Whig., 1885-06-27
TIE POSTAL SERVICE.

-fti i'f-hR MI Oh nave d5heI INC W
tell you "all about the mail service" |
can't; it would take nc a month to write
it out. | have no doubt you will secure
an appointment if the letters you have
and those you say you expect to get are
presented by some one in authority to
the Postmaster General.
First, your expenses will exceed your
income. You cannot help it. \ postal
clerk is not considered a railroad man."
and as such given reductions at the ho-
tells, sc. He is known as a big "oiticc-
holder" drawing big money. | cannot
say how the money goes, bat you will
find that out l will write you plainly,
as you requested, ':how the thing
works.
If you work you will have sore hands
continually. If you do not work, you
will probably be removed before your
probationary term (six months) passes
by. Familiarity with the service, and a
positive knowledge Of thousands and
thousands of postoliccs in the United
States ard Canada, the counties they are
in, the most direct routes to them, the
traius that carry mails Oh the different
railroads i'll your division embracing
from six to ten statcs), the hour o! their
departure and arrival, the time of de-
parture and arrival of steamboats, and
'star routes (stagc and horse back
routes and men who are messengers to
pack Il mail bag to some isolated place
far away from a railroad or steamboat
routc), where they start from and where
they stop, what mails they carry each
way and what is left at each place; such
know ledge is reqHircd of man who re-
mains in the railway mail service.
The route | am now on-Western
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West
Virginia. North Carolina South Caro-
lua, Georgia, Florida, kentucky, Ohio,
Illinois, Indiana and Washington, y. c.
we are not working all Of these South
ern States 1T present, but are liable to be
called upon to do so al any ch nge of
timetable on the railroads with which
we connect; that is, know how to DO the
work when the order comes from cur
superintendent at Washington to do it.
Then you must learn the local On your
own line. This is difficult, but is not
considered so by any except 4 new man.
= Ia ,t,,,l- fan oy-1v frntrl
that takes the unceasing study of years
to overcome; and during all these years
of study, you will all the time be aware
| that numerous people are trying hard to
| ret Your place; that each election sends
| men to Congress who must get Places
| for their friends; that your name has
been frequently urged on the depart
! reut at Washington as the one who
| ought to 90 to make room for some one
else and your having been always faith
| full aud having a thorough know ledge of
| your business is the only thing that saves
yOu | began when the service was in
| its infancy. We're | to begin now, |
would not remain any longer than |
could learn the requirements of the SER
vice. When I went on we drew 81, 200
| per year; now a man goes IN at $500. If
| his examinations are good, and he sue
ceeds in passing his probationary term,
and is deemed deserving, he may secure
a promotion TO $500. Some years later,
if his examinations continue good and
he works faithfully, secure another pro
motion to $1,000. Each is hard to get
please remember that; also that they
are slow. You can see for yourself that,
| as promotions are only made when va
caucics occur, the department cannot
cripple its own efficiency to please any
one man who wants a promotion. The
PoStotlice Department is daily pressed
Gy hundreds who want promotions aud
places, and daily pressed, year in and
year out: so the additional applications
Of Mr.. Blank or Mr.. Anybody else, does
net effect the man whose duty it is to
receive aud file applications, while the
country denlaHdS she prompt forwarding
and delivery of the mails; therefore, the
people need not and do not care whether
this one man is promoted, or even re-
tainetI, i'll the service. 1t is sometimes
the case that when man has begged
and begged people to write letters for
him he has made himself a mendicant,
has intradcd on his friends and acquaint-
auces. pushed himself on strangers, and
placed himself under obligations to
every body, and who now holds this big
office Chard labor at $C6.66 per month";,
is now an object of envy of some of these
friends, and can set only a cold shoulder
when he again pleads with them to aid
him to get promotion. And you once
securing a government Office, under the
present civil service law, you can no
longer aid your political friends during a
canvas further than by your vote, under
the penalty of some Office hungry man
preforring charges against you in the
hope of securing your position and
be sue of securing $50 66 per month by
working hard from / clock in the after
, noon until 9 O'Clock the next morning.
Remember, the new appointments so on
the night lines, and have to work hard
and faithfully; no sleep while on duty.
The new man cannot distribute mail. lie
would vol up errors against the men
who are responsible; therefore, he must
do the other work. He must take in
mail and help to pile it up-trom s to II
tons per night; he must pull it down
from tnc piles and drag it to the clerks,
who make the distributions; must close
up the bags as the distributors fill them
tie them up, drag them out and pile
them up again. lie must learn where tt
pile each bag, SO that it will not be mis-
sent He must ''set up papers on the
table for the distributors, and if he has
a few moments to spare he must SWEEP
out the car, put the empty bags, pouches
/ etc, where they belong, in case any one
should drop in who has authority over
; him or who has permission to do 50.
Then, remember, you will be away
from your family, including the time you
are on duty and travelling to and from
home, nearly two-thiids of your time
( You will be under constant strain, botl
mental and physical, for from II to /;
consecutive hours each trip. The mai
, service is also very dangerous business
the mail car is placed next to the loco
, motive. There are from IL to 81 lamps
burning in it, and the very nature of the
/ contents of the car are combustible anG
it has frequently been the case thai
when accidents have occurred and the
e clerks were but slightly hurt they have
been burned to death before they coult
be rescued. Should the new man pull