New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-08
Two GOOD "REFORMERS."
TIE BALTIMORE POSTMASTER FOLLOWS IN
DON DICKINSON'S STEPS.
HOW FAITHFUL, DILIGENT, MORAL AND EFF
GENT" APPoINTEEs HAVE BEEN
"BoUNCED"-A CHANCE FOR
SENATOR HALES
rnr TELEGRAPH TO THE rIIBuSR 4
COMMITTEE


WosAineton, Oct. THAT great and good Re-
former fostmasterGenera Don NJ. Dickinson, does
not limit his energies, apparently TO tho violation
Of the mails, Of which he is the official custodian, by
sbstractng or ordering permitting the abstraction
Of Republican matter therefom, and substituting Dem
ocrattc newspapers and documents, or by paying de-
tectves out of the public treasury to keep watch on
the Washington bureau OF The Tribune; he has
recently adopted congenial role of custodian
Of the morals, private character and habits OF his
multitudinous employees The report which ne re-
Gently forwarded to the United States Senate, In
response TO certain inquiries relative to the conduct
Of the post ONCE at Baltimore made by the Select
Committee on the Civil Service, of which senator
Hale is chairman, is singulary interesting and dis
Ingenious. 1t will be remembered that L. Parker
Veaxey, late postmaster at Baltimore, was the subject
Of inquiry conducted by the United States CIVIL
Service Commission in June, 1856, which found MN
guilty OF gross and continuous violations both OF tho
letter and the spirit of the Civ Service law Veazey
subsequently, resigned, account Of the continued
demand for places made upon him by Senator German
Postmaster Frank Brown apparently finds the ser
vice of Don VI. Dickinson more congenal than that
under Colonel Villas, of which he bitterly complained
q he still regns In Vezeys place 1t appears from
Browns reply to the Senate inquiries that there
were on June 1, 1885, 1913 salaried CLERKS and 1873
salaried carriers in the baltimore post Office While
on April 80, 1885, there 14S salared clerks and
one substitute clerk, and ia salaried carriers and
80 substitute carriers
Postmaster Brown explains the large NUMBER OF
appointments ofllOws
Tho large number OF appointments IS accounted 4p e
for by the fact that many OF the appolnees o,d oI
sSS large Sercensre We're totally unit for the
duties which they were expected 10 perform Others
1855, las saaried clerks and one substute.incud-
ing carrier station and nine drug store stations
ty six clerks and thiry-sx carriers. which has been
made necessary IN order TO properly hahoe INC 70 20
supply the increased population of this CITY,
This labored explanation, however, can not set
aside two most important facts in the atrocious mis-
management of the Baltimore postofice, under Dem
ocrac auspices. First that there was practically
clean sweep of all Republicans from its pay-rollS; but
also and equally important that the Democrats run
n' by German and Company were found TO be grossly
and utterly incompetent. 1t has been shown by
Postmaster Brown himself that this was the case;
but be indicates further that numbers of these ut
tery incompetent representatives of the unterred'
Democracy must have been retained by him upon
the rolls and their work performed presumably at
lower pay-by substitutes for he shows that while
on June l. 1885, under Republican "hod-over'
postmaster there not single substitute employed,
on April So 1888, there thirty of them, and
a large percentage of those discharged were substi
tutes."
In this interesting report Of Postmaster Brown
there is the somewhat unusual spectacle Of crit
icsm By one Of Or. Clevelands most prominent " Re-
form appontees upon the administration Of another
appointes Of precisely the same stripe Postmaster
Brown himself made many changes and removals, but
these were among the Democratic pals" of German
appointed By his predecessor, Veazey, the latter
had long before fired outn all the Republican
ployes. Says Postmaster Brown;
Mr. Veazey having rendered his resignation to
take effect May 81, 1856, was named as his sue
possession Of the Office on June /, 1856 There
were on the pay rolls Of this office 124 salaried
clerks and 146 saaried carriers, together with
long list of substitute clerks and carriers deemed
It my duty to exert every effort 10 improve the
postal service of this office and in doing il be-
came necessary for me TO make a number of
ais both of the old and new employees, also of the
substitutes. The causes of resignation and remOv-
ais are not recorded In this Office except n extreme
cases, not wishing TO place record charges that
securing employment elsewhere, but In all cases
they been made for tho Improvement of the
service, promote its efficiency and 10 better serve
patrons. To be more specific as TO causes, they
have been follows lnefhciency, discourtescy
general stupidity, want of activity, drunkenness, in
difference as to their duties, want of cleanliness