Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-26

all applicants with blank forms Of
certificates in which the applicant in bis
own handwriting, shall state upon oath,
his name, residence, DOstOffice address.
citizenship, time and place of birth, edu-
cation, health and physical capacity for
the service, previous employment in the
military or naval service, business and
residence for the previous five years,
whether convicted or under iudictmsu:
for any crime, and if so, what, and the
particular building where the Rppl.Cau.
proposes to establish the postofIice anl
whether in connection with any other
business. The candidate shall furnish g
sworn certificate, signed by three repu-
table citizens, declaring their belief that
he is a suitable person No other recon-
mendation shall be offered. No CeTtif-
cate shall be signed by any person hold
ing office in the Federal or state govern
ment. No application shall call for or
furnish any information concerning the
politics of the applicant. At the expira-
ton of the time for receiving application
papers the inspector shall post q list Of
the applications in the vicinity, and vis..
the place and make such inquiries as
shall enable him to form an .nteilige1.
of the respective applicants.
He shall then send to the post
master-general all the application papers
together with the report, in which
he shall grade the applicants
in the order of their relative fitness
according to his inquiries, and giving the
reasons. These papers are to be pre-
served for five years, and upon them the
postmaster-generals shall appoint one OF
the candidates whose names are reported
and designated as fit to be appointed;
but if he shall select any other than the
one graded highest, he shall place his
reasons upon record, and these shall De
open to public inspection. No appoint
ment shall be absolute until the ap-
pointee has served one year on pToOa-
ton. The postmaster-general shall DO.
appoint upon political grounds. nor !h9
inspector recommend any candidate
upon such grounds.
This bill Is an entirely new measure,
and is largely tentative in its character
but it is progressive; it affords TO the ad-
ministration a means Of appointing
fourth class pOstmasters without the ne
cessity of consulting members OF con-
gress, aud it will help to remove TINS
great mass of small Offices from polItlcal
control and restore to members of con-
gress the dignity which ought TO belong
to the lawmakers of the country. II WILL
help to abolish a system of pstrOnsg5
which leads to endless contentious anu
chickering's in almost every community u
the United states, which pRralyZes INC
legislative power of congress, and WHICH
holds these small prizes up as q re"ara
for the lowest forms of political activity
We would respectfully urge the leagu'
to take every measure possible to pro-
mote the favorable consideration anu
adoption of this or some other measure
which seeks 20 substitute general rules
for the individual discretion and self-il-
terest of members of congress and theH
political supporters. II the fourth-cIs's
postoffices can be removed from the nsIo
of political strife, the reform OF US
Federal civil service will be more IhSH
half accomplished.
(Mr. MacVeagh being absent on &C
count of illness, is unable to sign tn'
report before its presentation TO the eA'.
eoutive committee
WIN. d. FOULKE,
Chairman
CHAs. J. BoNAPARTE'
RICHARD H. DANA,
SHERMAN s. Rogers
Washington, D. c., April 8, 1890.