Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-12-29
RHETORIC AGAINST FACTS.



Presidents very remarkable message to Con
zress is saat relating % the Postal Service,
az follows;
It is gratifying 70 note from the carefa'I,
prepared statistics accompanying the Pot
master Geserai's report that notwithstanding
The great expansion Of the service. the rafs
Of eIfeadifarss hzs been lsssensd, and effie-
iency has been improved In every branen.
tina, frsa AID crime have d. creased, tina
iosses from sbe mails lave bees rsdnesd,
sDd naf fss- lumber Of complaints OF the
serve. made 70 postmssers ard 10 the is-
psr Heni are far isss than ever before
Amor z the paper. accompanying the mes-
.sgY 70 the country is furnished a tract bear
ing the impressive signature Of that accom-
pii.hed political and Official romancsr, TN
Hon Don Manuel Dickinson. present Poet
mss4r-GeneraL Let gs sxsmine some Of
Mr.. Dickinson. carefully prepared haii.
ca" in contrast with those In the previous
Dspsrfms ntsi reports 10 zee bor far thy
can sustain Mr.. Clevsland's claim that not
xithstaniing the great eIpan.ion Of the ser
vice efficiency has been improved
in every branch" Such an examination will
be Of especial interest AZ this time just s-
Mr. Cleveland. on the eve Of his enforced
4. parinre from Office, set k. ith loud pro-
ts.taiions Of his devotion 20 the public gooo
TO ihrUs around bis pol.tiea henehmen . HON
he has rewarded With places at the kari~s'
Mail Service the protecting cloak Of Civil
Il d. -, h..
within the rank. Of the class fed service.
First ve rili look into the tabular state
men, Of errors" male by postal clerks and
by postniastsrs. /, will be found that the
number Of pieces Of mail matter handled BY
postal clerks in 1889 was 3,i55 800 $50; IN
1925 Il was I 94s go 900, and In 1888 IT was
5i5 ,s76 202. This was an increase OF
{ ,5lt Ggs 920 pieces, or ~ per cent for
/ Iss5 over 1882 and Of ,j97 SIG 502 piece,
Z or 80 per cent for 1888 over 1855. These
| ignfes do not indicate an unusually 'grs al
/ expansion Of the service" during the pas,
three years Of Democratic Adminis,i alton.
/ In the record Of errors made by postal clerks
We hnd that the incorrect slips returned
| numbered l34 25s in 1882, 800, 1876 in 1855,
and 700,7ll in 1888. The number OF
errors on these slips was 902 459 for 1882
/ ss7 .7O4 for 1856 and l,7G6, o2l for 1883,
/ Thus at the very outset, we see that with al
/ Increase Of - per cent in the total Of pieces
/ handled the errors were actually less in the
nnmbsr for 1855 than for 1888 while from
/ 1855 to 1883 the errors had nearly doubled
I in number although there va. an increase OF
only 80 per cent 10 the total number Of
/ pieces handled. 1t is the same story
/ throug hout-grestly increased efficiency dur
{ ing the last three years of Republican Ad
minisuation and largely decreased efficiency
during the first three years Of Democratic
| Administration.
/ But to go with the record The 'missent'
I letter packages, pouches and sacks numbered
/ H,7l2 IN 1889, "A s4l in 1856 and 20, l06 il
( 1898. The mis- directed letter packages
| pouches and sacks show q 1888 for lss2
1903 for 1885. and 4, s93 for 1883. tn,
"errors CHI, cked" BY postal clerks agains
other employees numbered 81 1873 In 1882
! / 7t2 $40 in 1876, and 3,l2l 59i in 1886
I No better evidence is needed than the state
ure Of Mr.. Cleyeland's efforts 10 i'm
prove O. the Civil Service b,
the removal of tried and faithful
postal clerks, The statement of errors
/ by po-imasters affords equally strong proof
OF Democratic incapscity The number Of
incorrect slips from postmasters was 202,
Gl2 in l-s2 1t vas 2l5 1852 in 1895. and il
vas 1868 $3.50 in 1883. The errors on thes,
! slip. numbered tU5 5tG, in 1ss2, AS t29 il
/ lssj and FOG 1913 in 1883. The "missent
/ lttler packages, pouches and sacks mum
o,rtd $500 in 1882, 400 in 1885 and ! ,6ss
I In less. The number of IN sdirectFd'
letter packages, pouches and sacks was | 500
in 1882, 5i3 Ia 1885. and 4,tGs in 1858
! MIR. Clevelands III, thods of Civil Ser
vice Reform have evidently not resaltec
more fortunately 10 the postotiices than il
the Railway Mail service.
! The records of the Dead Letter Office
furnish a further test of the inefficient man
ner In which the postal service has been con
Quoted by the present Administration, tn,
busInessof that office being largely recruited
from the mistakes made by postal employ es
What do the figures showl I he number OF
pieces of dead mail matter received at th,
DE d Letter Office in 1852 was I PSI, 2s6 in
| 1885 it vas sos, lag and in 1883 it va.
6,2ii.s76. This Was an increase of 522 SCI
pieces. or about ~ per cent, for 1885 over
1882, and liU9, $50 pieces, or very nearly
80 per CO, Mt, for 1883 over 1855 The ratio
of mistakes is thus shown to have considera.
bis more than doubted under Mr. Cleye.
lands Administration. The figures of the
Dead Letter Office stand alone among Mr.
Dickinson's carefully prepared statistics,
10 bear out MIR Cle,elands claim of an un-
duly great expansion " the Postal Ser
vice during his term of office Conyincins
rs they are, il scarcely needed the ottcla
statistics of the Post office Department IL
81 isf, the people of the utterly demoralizet
condition into which the Po.,al Service hal
fallen, The fact is notorious. and it ha
painfully impressed itself upon nearly
every citizen, through his expe riences viii
his own mail matter.