The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-06-22
Bells Give Away.

order extending tho civil service
rules to the railway mail service.
When he did so the service had
been rendered somewhat less part
isan than he found it by the APP
pointment ot competent Demo
Gratis in the place of Republicans
who had retired on their own nc
count or been discharged for un-
faithfulness. 1t is notorious fact
that until President Cieveand's adj
ministration the railway mail SER
vice was wholly in the hauds of
Republicans, that n Democratic
postal clerk was unknown, and
that when vacancies began to be
filed with Democrats II combina-
tion was formed among some of
the hold overs to embarrass the
new men and refuse them neces-
sary instruction in their duties. AS
soon as something like equality in
the proportion of Democrats and
Republicans in the railway mail
service had been reached the civil
services rules were applied to
check future partisan action as far
as possible.
One of the first acts of President
Harrison was to suspend the oper-
alton of the order until May ]. j.
Lowrie Bell of Reading, Pa, Il
."practieal politician of the Clark
son stripe, was made general sup
.erintendent of the railway mail
service with the understanding
that in the two months he was to
turn it into Republican corps.
Then followed what the Civil Ser
vice Chronicle calls the "loot Of the
railway mail service" Bell swung
his AK with vigor and Democratic
heads were chopped off with un-
precedented dispatch. The pre-
tense was that the cold and eN-
perienced Republican clerks" were
to be reinstated, but this was only
a pretense. a few Of the cid Re
publican surerintendents and
clerks were restored and among
them men who had been removed
for good reasons, but the majority
of the appointees were new men,
utterly ignorant Of their duties and
whose only claim was their party
services. When the end of the two
months of "lootimg" had nearly
come, Wanamaker, Clarkson, and
Bell wanted two or three more
weeks in which to hunt out the
few stray Democrats remaining,
but even President Harrison felt
the shame of such action and re-
fused. The extension was scarce
" necessary; the railway mail SER
vice is nov almost wholly nepub
lican.
The result is seen in the COM
plants coming up from all direc-
tions. So many of its letters have |
gone astray without any possible |
excuse that the st. Louis Republic |
conceived the idea of making a
collection of "missent" envelopes |
and asked its fellow sufferers to
send them in. The yield has been
astonishing, Every mail pours |
them in and the tales their ad- |
dresses and postmarks tell reveal |
an amount of ignorance or care |
lessness on the part Of the "eSper-
fenced and intelligent" Republican
clerks scarcely conceivable. These |
are not eases where letters have |
gone astray through fault of send
er5, and addresses being unmistak-
able and in many cases printed.
Bad as this showing is, il is not
so O.strong an impeachment Of the !
railway mail service in the condi-
ion to which it has been reduced |
~ Bells "loo" as are the state
nents i'm Bril's own circular to his |
clerks, just issued, and which has,
1een given in full in the Plain .
Dealers dispatches. After stating
hat the clerks are required to keep |
themselves posted as to the duties
# their position, which would seem
D be an unnecessary reminder to |
experienced and intelligent Of /
'ials, Supt. Bell goes on tn say |
nat sit is Il prevalent belief that |
structiOns relating to the check !
ltg of errors are not strictly fol- |
we'd, and it is supposed in many !
stances that clerks have agreed |
anong themselves not TO check |
4a IN other, thus defeating the pur-
;e of one of the most essential /
ln thods which have been institute
I'd for the betterment of the pener-
al service. 1t should he under
GOOD that pleasures will be taken
q ascertain who disregard these
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