New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-20
MORE PERNICIOUS "REFORM."
TWO FAITHFUL OFFICIALS DISMISSED.
SUPERINTENDENT JACKSON AND CLERK CHAMP
LIN TURNED OUT TO MAKE WAY FOR DEMO
Gratis THEIR ONLY CRIME is THAT
THEY ARE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
THAT MAY WELL STAND AS
EXAMPLES FOR THEIR

THAT MAY WELL STAND AS
EXAMPLES FOR THEIR
SUCCESSORS.
Superintendent r c. Jackson of the Second
Division of the Railway Mail Service. who in his
long term of service has never received from the
Post Office Department criticism of any official
act found on his desk yesterday morning the fol-
lowing curt note from General Superintendent
Bancroft, of the Railway Mail Service:
Sir: The Postma General having decided that the
good of this service will be promoted by your retire
ment from II. 1 hereby respectfully request your
resignation superintendent Of the Second Division OF
the Railway Mail Service. to take effect october l.
1885, Your will be detailed without delay,
when you may consider yourself leave Of absence
untn your resignation takes effect
REPUBLICAN, THAT is ALL.
Not a word of explanation, an expression Of
regret accompanied the letter, which closed
quarter of a century's faithful service in
peculiarly difficult department Mr.. Jackson's
relations with the officials at Washington have
always been pleasant, he has never heard of any
charges against himself, his office has never been
investigated, and he has not been an active
politician.
TO be sure I am a Republican," said Mr..
Jackson yesterday; but if any official was to be
exempt from political prescription, he would have
been pointed out as the man. He is fifty-eight
years of age, and almost all of his mature man.
hood has been passed in the Post Office service.
He was appointed clerk in l S64, and was with
Postmaster Pearson in the Railway Mail Service.
When the present system organized in 1859
he was made chief clerk in the Second Division
and though he did not become Superintendent
until 1875, he has been the most active spirit
in the service for nearly twenty years.
Mr. jackson had the supervision of $50 clerks,
was in correspondence with over $500 post offices
in the division-which includes NcwYork, New
jersey nnsylvania, Delaware, and portions of
Maryland and virsinia-and arranged with 300
railway companies the details of the transmits
sion Of mails. His Office of no political
consequence, except as providing for one olhcla'
he does not appoint "a single clerk or SUD
ordinate. 1t is simply business ONCE ana MI
Jackson has devoted every hour OF ms tlmc 10
arduous work in perfectlng the distribution OF
the mails in his division. In the early years
of the service every letter written from the office
was in Mr.. Jacksons own handwriting, ana ne
has retained ever since an acquaintance with the
details of the intricate system OF distribution
IMPROVING THE POSTAL SERVICE
An important feature Of Mr. Jackson's work has
been his intelligent and systematic carrying out
of the Civil Service reform. His division was
almost the first Office of the Government to adopt
q carefully devised system of examinations MI
Jackson prepared n series of questions IN March,
1874 and conducted a Civil Service examination
The first applicant examined by him was I. H.
Lyon for many years Mr.. JaclIsOns chief clerk,
and now q superintendent of division IN the brook
lyn Post Office The records OF the Cl''ll Service
examinations. well as the letter DOCKS, OF that
land succeeding years are in Mr. JactsonS
handwriting and show his lnde1atlgaDle Industry
in the work OF the office The system OF eAamlna-
tons has continued without break, DuI Win
many additions and improvements. up 10 inc
| present time. Mr. .Jackson's advocacy OF Clvli
Service reform has been constant and dlscrnlhat-
ing -, oo. ,,,oi,s
for early delivery, as well as OF the important
letter and registered mall matter mas Deeh soleuO
of constant study and investigation 10 oupcrlnSs
tendent Jackson. and the intricate machinery Oh
his office now runs smoothly that no one Watch-
ing with only ordinary care the 'rtns'lc.ion j.; VI
business would imagine how great were tiie III
tercsts involved. and how numerous were the 9e I
tails on which the Superintendent kept careIuI
owe Mr. Jacksons courtesy was as unialllnS as
| his industry His relations with the public were
pleasant and he was well liked BY his associates
and supcrors IN ONCE
DROPPING THE CHIEF CLERK ALSO
F. L. Champlin- chief clerk of the flrst
or Boston Division of the Railway Mall Service
who had desk in Mr.. Jackson's ONCE mas aiSo
hoon removed Mr. Champin was first appointed
clerk in the office at Norwich, Conn., during Tue
Administration of President Polk. on June l3
1919 lie has grown gray in the service OF
the Government, and performed MS duties ,, saui1
iactorily up to the day Of MS Ii, uls ilio,.a
In fact he is still at his post though MS lchoN"
was dated September {, as his Democratic SUI
ccsSor wants mis- help in learning the ropes
lie has been promoted step by step for merit, ana
nobody supposed that he would be disturbed n rcc
| oo-ri1, > he said that in the midst of a Pres-
Dental campaign things are done which, under
ordinary circumstances would not be thought oil.
lie will remain TO give his successor an Ihe al, IN
| formation possible about the work Oh the WV
| sion 49,, ryt,h on
Cincinnati Division, who is assigned to the sec
| ond division TO succeed Mr.. Jackson, is partisan
| Democrat 1t is said that he has succeeded III
making many changes in the interest OF MS party
| in the West, and the hungry and thirsty Demo
Gratis Of this city have hope OF his assistance mere
| lie saws that he is only here temporarily.