Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-17

sAxoAsrrR SEPTEMBER II. iss.
ne PhIladelphia Postoiice.

4 TheEe has been some halting in the smooth
81 quick running of the mail deliver
1 - at the Philadelphia postoflice and the
Hepublican editors delightedly call atten-
Non to It a. result of change of admin
igtxation. And it seems to be true not only
hat there has been some deficiency in the
4 once service, but that it is in part due to
the succession of Democratic to Repub-
1tcan postmaster. But the deduction that
tho Republican editors make that this was
wrong succession and that the new post
master did wrong in substituting Demo
ezAts for a part Of the Republican clerks,
does not follow. Civil service reform does
not require that the offices of the country
should all be left in the hands of the Re.
publicans who have had them for the last
quarter of century.
There is very great difference between
the extremes of opinion as to the way in
which the offices should be handed around
The Republicans in Office generally are in
eympathy with the belief of their fellows
8 In the Philadelphia postoilice, that they
shOuld stay in. The Democrats out of
once incline to the conviction that all the
Republicans should be turned out at once,
4 and their places be given to Democrats !;
and some Democrats in Philadelphia 60 so
far as to think that their ward committees
should have the filling of the offices and
4 that no colored Democrats need apply.
There is golden mean between these
opinions; but it is evident that however
successful the appointing officer may be in
the exercise of his discretion, he is going to
b yelled at from both sides. We feel
= Il It would be great pleasure to kick
both the Republican and Democratic
donkeys who fail to see that the public
I o6ices were not created solely for private
profit and party powder; but kicking them
would be waste of energy; they would
: not understand what it was for.
The Democratic officer, who stands in
Z Mr.. Harrity's place, has a plain duty upon
him to conduct his office in the most efii-
Client way and it is also his plain duty to
put Democratic clerks in place of Republi-
cans, where he can do 50 Notwithstanding
the efficiency of his office. This country
has not yet got down to the doctrine that
there must be life tenure to federal clerk.
ships; and it is not likely to get there for
awhile.
But big postoffice is delicate thing
to manage. The mails have to be dis.
tributed on time, and it requires but little
TO throw the working out of joint. Mr.,
Harrity is remarkably efficient man iu
every position in which he is put, and will
prove quite equal to the duties of post
4 master Of Philadelphia. He will reduce
the rcbellious Republican clerks to subjec-
ton in short while, and must be ac-
corded little while for the work. He has
the largest Office in the country in which
the Republican clerks have struck against
The idea of being put out. A number OF
them have undertaken to be ugly about it
md have slighted their duties and worked
without energy, to bring the office and its
postmaster into discredit in the commu.
nifty. They have not been wise in their
generation. They would have done better
to have performed their duties with their
usual zeal, and to have thus had satisfied
consciences for their reward, if they did
lose their places. Now they are certain tc
l0ee the places and to know that they have
been fools. The public understand that
it is the Republican clerks, and not the
Democratic postmaster, who disturb the
even working of the Philadelphia post
Office. Mr.. Harrity will get it in order wher
all the rebellious element is out and ht
may be relied upon to put it away witt
speed.