Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-06
POSTAL sERVICE REFoRMs.

POSTAL SERVICE REFORMS.
The reforms in the postal service ex-
pectcd under the present administra-
tion could not be accomplished in q day.
The service had become very greatly
demoralized under the previous admin
istration. During the nearly three
years that Mr.. Villas was at the head of
the postofce department the postal
business OF the government went steadily
from bad to worse II was the first am
bition of that official TO obtain
national notoriety as a faithful
and active partisan. Advanced
TO prominence from comparative
privacy, and having had but n narrow
political experience, he fancied that no
saw the way to national fame and n
higher honor in turning the postal
service into refuge for the reward Of
democratic politicians. He had very
good success in doing this, but with
consequences extremely detrimental to
the service. Incapable and inefficient
meI by the thousands found their way
into it until everywhere the service
suffered decentralization to the great
injury of the public. Another ambi-
tion of Mr.. Villas was to make
reputation for economy In his
department, and this he sought
to effect by reducing mail facilities in
portions OF the country, the west suffer-
ing most severely from this policy. All
this was made apparent to the succeed
ing postmaster general, Mr.. Don Dick
inson, but he was so handicapped that
he could do little to improve matters,
however much he might have desired
to do so. The incompetentS that had
gained admission into the service be-
cause they were useful partisans had to
be kept there. and, while in some cases
the facilities that had been cut off in
order to make show of economy
were restored, every instance of which
was rebuke to Villas, care had to
be taken not to proceed too far in thus
condemning the administrative con-
duct of member of the cabinet.
Thus it was that for four years the
postal service, which mad been raised to
| u high state of efficiency under republi-
can administrations, was allowed to run
| down because OF incapacity and Il mar
row economy that took no account of tho
| progress of the country. Men who had
| given almost life time to this service
and knew its requirements thoroughly
| were displaced and the positions filed
| by others who had little or no llnowl
| edge of the service. The task presented
| to the new administration was that of
almost completely reorganizing the
service. Experienced men were TO be
restored, facilities increased, practices
| ejudicial to the service eliminated,
and very general reformation effected.
| This was no easy task and required time
| for its accomplishments. A year would
| not have been an unreasonable time to
allow the new administration for COM
| pleting this work, yet in the four
months it has been in power there has
been very marked improvement in
the postal service, and especially
so in the west, where improvement
was most needed. The reforms in
stituted and the greater efficiency at
tanned are apparent to all business men,
and they are an assurance OF still fur
ther progress. The revenues of the de-
partment for the last fiscal year were
largely increased over those of tho pre-
ceding year, aud as it is the sole ambi-
tion of the present head of the depart
ment to place it on a thorough business
basis, keeping pace in its faciliCies with
the growth of the population and busi-
ness interests of the country, he will be
prepared to recommend to congress a
more liberal policy for the postal SER
vice, with every probability of having
his recommendations acceded to.