The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-06-07

publican postmasters, think You
might well touch up civil service re-
form again. Particulars will be furn-
ished if wanted"
We feel incapable of doing the
matter Justice. 1t is universal COM
plant all over the country that our
mail service is in deplorable condi-
ton. But we protest against making
the now and then Republican post
master left in office responsible, es-
pecially since it was the avowed mis-
sion of the party in power to "turn
the rascals out" The Hartford Post
says that the postal department is run
by incompetent officials, all the way
down-from the postmaster general
to the postmaster in Arkansas "whC
waited until the mail bag at his office
was full before he sent it away
Yet we in the East are comparatively
well off. In many places in the West
business men have ceased to use the
mails, doing their business through
the express companies. Take for ex-
ample the Indianapolis office. 1t is
a positive disgrace to civilization.
Hon. VIM. ID. Foulke of Indiana
made the following astounding state
ment before the Massachusetts club,
last Saturday:
''In regard to the Pendleton act
the President said: My conception
of public duty requires that this should
be in good faith and without evasion
enforced Yet in the Indianapolis
Post Office, the only office in our
State within the act, Mr.. Cleveland
appointed to enforce it Mr.. AQuilla
Jones, who says of the civil service
law, Il despise it, He proceeds to
enforce it by Immediately turning out
everybody, sewing women and all,
from the unclassified service by re-
moving the carriers one after another
for the avowed reason that they are
Republicans land by publicly announce
ing that none but Democrats would
be appointed. Felons and criminals
of different kinds give variety to the
remarkable patchwork known as the
classified service of Indianapolis.
Among these worthy gentlemen was
a forger, man who by his own writ
ten confession had betrayed client
in lawsuit in consideration of $40.
Another clerk still in the service COM
mitted crime the very name of which
is an offence to pure and virtuous lips.
Another, substituted for Union SOL
der who had long worked efficiently,
was caught stealing letters within a
few weeks of his appointment. The
Assistant Postmaster and the Chief
of the Examining Board was man
of doubtful antecedents. Under the
benign influence of this board Demo-
cratic applicants passed examination
who were afterward found to be I'M
able to read the superscriptions of
the letters carried by them. From
month to month the service has been
growing more discreditable. On one
occasion two hundred unopened let
tiers, and on another one hundred,
were sold as waste paper to a junk
dealer in the city, and among these
were found valuable drafts. At
another time one of the boxes in the
central part of the town was found to
be overlooking with a weeks accumu-
[ation of letters. Letters have been
known to be ten days in coming two
and you can hardly meet a
citizen of the capital of Indiana who
las not some complaint to make of
lelay and insecurity in the mails.
The President knows all these things.
They have been laid before him IN
most exhaustive report by Mr.. Swift,
series of aflidavits, and
yet he has done nothing