Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-03-14

on IlhfL OF any OF ItOct Afo uhNt ulicu
that high ofice to interfere with the liberties
Of the citizens or use his position to influence
elections.
To say that the construction of the post
Office buildings proposed by this bill would
have tendency 70 make Postmaster -Gener-
ais bad men, or make the voters in the towns
or cities where they are located corrupt men,
is a very strange utterance. How the intiu-
ence of the Postmaster-General can be great
er II the building used for postal purposes is
owned by the Government than if rented
from a citizen, is not clear TO my under
standing. While these buildings are in
course of construction the Postmaster-Gen-
eral, if bad man, might possibly influence
a few voters in the localities where they are
building. but when they are completed and
in use his influence could be no greater at
those localities than tits now.
II this bill should become law, within
few years these buildings will be built and in
use and then the power OF the Postmaster
General during construction will be at an
end. After their completion the Postmaster
General will have no more control over them
than he now has over other postoffice build
ings owned or leased By the Government. So
that after all it is merely question as to
whether within the next few years the Gov
ernment shall for all time to come own a
postofice building in the larger towns and
smaller cities of our country with every con-
venient appointment for the transaction of
its postal, express, and banking business, or
whether it shall continue to use buildings in
these places owned by some citizen, pay high
rentals, move. probably. every four years.
and suffer, and the public also, from indiffer-
ent accommodations.
This subject if presented in the last annual
report of the late Postmaster General Villas
with marked force. From that report the fol-
lowing is taken:
large majority OF the postoffices i'm the limited
States are go wretchedy lighted and ventilated, so
hampered by sc1nt or ill-shapcd area by the isoa-
on OF DIVISIONS or sections In different and widely
separated rooms upon the same or different floors,
by rickety and antediluviau furniture screens and
other equipments. and badly located and ineufici-
ent lobby space, that the expense of operation is
frequently more than 25 per cent higher than ii
would be were all these facilities up to maximum
standard.
We're It possible to secure Congressional enact
ment which would enable the Postmaster eneral or
the Secretary OF the Treasury to purchase lot and
erect upon 1t suitable fire proof building for every
hrst and second class office in the United States es.
pecay adapted to the necessities of the respective
localities, much better as well as more economical
service could be secured them than in the rented
premises now occupied which in ma jority OF cases
are not such as the department needs, while the
high rents and additional expenses required to
keep up the grade Of efficiency are a heavy tax on
its revenues.
Postmaster-G General Dickinson in his an
nual report made in December last speaks of
the pending bill in these words:
This measure is one of the highest merit. Jts
policy is dictated by sound business principles and
as measure Of economy 1t is to be preferred to the
present system of leasing buildings for postal pur-
poses. At the expiration of leases Ii is almost in
variably the that strife srises among citizens Of
towns over the fixing Of new site for the post
office.
Real estate values IRE, to some extent. unsettled
by such changes, and 1t is frequently difficult for
tue head of the department to determine whether
the case presented for the location has strong popu
ar support in the interest OF the general convenience
OF the community or whether it is made up in the
interest OF mere real estate pecUatOus. From my
experience in the mstter of making leases
newing old ones am led to present this subject to
congress with much earnestness.
Mr.. Speaker, it will be seen that this bill
contemplates the erection of 1,433 postofice
buildings at an estimated cost of S17,775,0 900
and the purchase of 1,433 sites at cost of
$7,l65, ,0OO-or total cost of buildings and
sites, stated in round numbers of $25, ,OO0. .0O0
Donations will no doubt be made for sites.
If not for buildings, in some of the cities
and towns, and these, there is reason to be-
lleve, will materially reduce the cost of these
structures to the Government. Stated in
other words, the bill contemplates that a
postotfice shall be erected in 1,433 of the
larger towns and smaller cities in the United
States.
Sir in my opinion these cities and towns
are as much entitled to Government build
lngs suitable for postal purposes as the cities
which now have such structures. Ought we
to refuse them because of their cost? Bear
in mind that what these buildings cost, less
donations, is to be paid out of the postal
revenues. These towns and cities contain
near 100000 of our GO, 100000 population,
and they are the postoffice address Of full q
OOO,OO0 people who live adjacent.
The postal receipts at these /, ,433 towns and
cities for the last fiscal year were $l4, ,492 300
Upon the double ground, then, of population
and busines, these people have rightful claim
upon the Government for better postal ac-
commodations--post Accommodations equal
to those which the Government furnishes in
the more populons cities. In the ten princi-
pal cities of the United States having n Dopu-
lation of 4,8Sl,1 and with annual postal re-
ceipts amounting to $14,668, 400. the Govern
ment has expended the sum of S45 766, ,805 in
buildings for court and for postal purposes.
what proportion of this sum was for court
purposes and what proportion for postal pur-
poses it is impossible to state. Much less
than this sum, if expended in the judicious
manner prescribed by this bill. would pro-
wide every town and city in the United States
having population of 1000 and upward (the
few principal cities excepted) with a sub
stantial and commodious postoffice building,
handsome without and handsome Within
We have 165 other cities, with an aggregate
population of 4,216929 and with yearly postal
receipts amounting to ST., 1914 2iO, in which
the Government has spent for public build
ings $27, ,522,674.
These cities, it will be observed, have less
than half of the population of the cities and
towns for which this bill provides and their
annual postal receipts are nearly So, 600 ,O0O
less. The expenditure of like sum in the
towns and cities covered by this bill would
put these cities and towns upon the same
postal footing. All of these expenditures,
bear in mind. have been made with tax mon
ey collected from the people. The revenues
OF the Government come from every section
of our country, and in the same sections, so
far as it is possible, they ought to be expend-
ed. . o., Al ..-sass 50 q, .sa -.
At the last session. and thus far al the pres
ent session. the House voted 1910, 900 for
the construction of public buildings in 81
cities, whose aggregate population is 1904
SIo, and whose aggregate postal receipts for
the last fiscal year were S2,S26,958. These
cities have no more right to these buildings
than have the other cities of the country, and
! the sum thus appropriated would, under the
provisions of this bill, provide postoffice
buildings for 245 cities, who Q postal receipts
for the last year were $6, ,124, ,632, and whose
| population Ia 3,614.280.
Ii is very far from my purpose, sir, to com.
plain about the construction or the cost oi
the public buildings which the Government
has erected in the more populous cities
| Every citizen, whether he be poor or rich
feels proud when he looks upon these evi.
dences of his country's power and greatness
Some of them are magnificent structures
In nd NJ nna hax H0fh ion