Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1888-01-14
DEMAGOoUERY OF THE BALD
EST TYPE

nEMAGO9UEKH OF BALD
EST TYPE.
The reason for the Democratic surplus
in the Treasury can be easily understood,
when one considers the manner in which
Postmaster's salaries have been cut down
all over the country. In this State nearly
all the p~ostoffices have been reduced
from second to third class offices, with
salaries reduced accordingly. Postmaster
Whites salary has been cut down from
81. 400 a year TO 81, 800, and his request
for 300 additional for clerk hire has been
refused. The same refusal to pay fair
salaries has been extended to every Post
master in Nevada who has applied for a
reinstatement Of the old figures which
held under Republican rule.
The result ia that many Postmasters
have been compelled to discharge their
clerks, and now Nevada has the most
wretohed mail service il ever had, and
the public are the sufferers. All this
time the surplus occasioned by beating
down the Postmasters Of the United
States-over four millions Of dollars-is
still piling, that the Democrats may point
with pride to 1.-THE Treasury surplus.
The above is from the Carson Appeal.
We often wonder if il is possible for a Re-
publican editor to be candid and consist
emit. In their extremity to find fault
with the present Administration they
ladel out some of the thinnest slush that
mortal man ever heard tell Of. The adj
m~inistration has doubtless made blum
ders, and whenever it shall be assailed
for them il will not be our duty to say a
word in its defense. We say frankly that
we do not indorse il in all Of its positions
and policies. Bat why attempt to shout
der upon it things Of which it is not
guilty The editor OF the Appeal knows
as we'll as we do that neither the Presi.
dent nor the Postofice Department can
say arbitrarily what a Postmaster's sal
airy shall be. All salaries Of this char.
acter are either fixed by law or adjusted
on the basis Of the volume Of business
transacted by the several offices Of the
country. There is absolutely no discre'
tion in the matter. The cancellation of
stamps and the money order business,
under the law, establishes the salary.
This is all there is of it. Not a reduc.
tion has beer made in Nevada that would
not in like manner have been made by a
Republican administration. Either this,
or a Republican administration would
have been guilty Of winking at the law.
The trouble in Nevada is, that our popu.
lation has been steadily declining. All
Of our Postmasters have suffered in con-
sequence. We may take the town OF
Eureka as an illustration. Mr.. smith
was our Postmaster for the last eight
years of Republican rule. In the begin
ming he received a salary Of 81, 900 a
year. Following along the decline, year
after year, he was adjusted down to ST.
500 per annum before the Republican
party went ont of power. And so must
any administration do things II it obeys
the law. Had our population been grow.
ing, salaries would have been correspond
ingly increased. The lowering Of them
followed as a necessity of the law. which
every administration is sworn to enforce.
1t only remains to be said that if the
Carson Postmaster, Mr.. White, who by
the way is a holdover Republican Post
master, unmolested by the present ad.
ministration for three years. is not con-
tent with the emoluments and burdens
Of his office, there is a short way out of
the whole business. As to the Treas.
ury surplus" we are not mean enough to
say that it has grown greatly of late be.
cause it has not been passing through as
many Republican hands as formerly. If
we should say such a thing we would be
as mean and ~insincere as Sam Davis in
his declarations about the treatment of
Nevada Postmasters by Mr.. Clevelandls
administration.