Smyrna times., 1889-12-04

The eyes of the nation are now
turned in the direction of the national
capital at Washington. The Fifty
first Congress convened on Monday,
but preliminary to this was the caucus
of the Republicans (being in the ma
iority) on Saturday, the officers chosen
to be voted for on Monday being as
follows: Thomas B. Reed of Maine,
for Speaker; Edward Mcpherson, of
Pennsylvania, for Clerk A. J. Holmes,
of Iowa, for Seargeant-at-Arms /;
Charles w. Adams, of Maryland, for
DoOrkeeper; James A. Wheat, of Wis
consin, for Postmaster, and Rev.
Charles P. Ramsdell, of Washington,
for Chaplain. These nominations were
ratified by the vote of the House on
Monday, except that of Chaplain,
enough Republicans voting with the
Democrats to elect Milburn, the elO-
quent blind preacher. The time of
Congress was taken up in organizing
and the message of President Harrison
was deferred until the next day.
The reports of the Cabinet officers
for their departments were mostly
made prior to the Presidents to the
two houses of Congress.
That attracting the most attention
is the business like report of Postmas-
ter General Wanamaker. There are
now nearly $4,000 offices in the United
States, and they are increasing in num-
Der and in the extent of their opera
tions phenOmenally. More than 150-
600 persons are now employed in the
postal service, and a small army OI
carriers, messengers, route agents and
inspectors is added every year. Mr..
Wanamaker shows most conclusively
the pressing necessity of organizing
this service upon an improved basis
He suggests the division of it into
twenty-six departments, each of which
shall have the personal attention of {
superintendent who shall be a man OF
the necessary experience and whose
duty shall be to instruct postmaster;
to keep them up to a standard of eff
cheney and to classify them for promo
tiOn according to the quality of thei
work.
The whole service thus organized
should be, in Mr.. Wanamaker's judg
ment, under the direction of control
Ter, whose salary should be at leas
$4,000 and whose term of Office shoulC
not be less than ten years. Under tn,
operation of such a system this of1c,
would always be able to know jus
what was being done in every Office
what it required to meet the reasona
able demands of the community i
served, what it was earning anC
ought to earn, and, in fact, every de
tail with regard to every point in tn
whole country. With this informa
ton always available the labors of tn
executive officers could be perfOrme
intelligently, promptly and with re
gard to harmonious results. 1t is pal
ticularly to be noted that the tendenc
of this whole scheme is toward genU
inc reform, the utilization of expert
ence by gradual promotions, and tn
placing of the service upon that hig
plane in which fitness, capacity an
fidelity will be the test of office-gettin
as we'll as ofice-holding in the post,
service.
He also recommends the appoin
ment of fourth assistant postmastt
general and even fifth assistant; th
establishment of limited postal tell
graph service, postal savings banks,
marine post Office system, double pot
tai cards for return answer and a post,
museum. He says that "penny pos
age is an easy possibility of the ne;
future"
The annual report of Hon. b.
Tracey, Secretary of War, shows tn,
with the completion of the vessels al
thOrized by Congress the United Stat
will have but forty-two modern We
sells, an Insignificant number compare
with those of other maritime nation
He recommends the building of tw
fleets of armored battle-ships, one
twelve vessels for the Atlantic Goa
and one Of eight vessels for the Pacii
coast; also the elevation of the pc
sOnnel of the enlisted service, and CT
alton ofa naval militia.
Secretary of the Interior, John
Noble, recommends the granting of
pension to every soldier and sail
who did substantial service during Il
war and was honorably discharge
and who, being dependent on his dai
labor, is now or may hereafter be d
abled from procuring his subsisten