Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-10
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
MR.. WANAMAkER AND THE IN
SPECTlON OF POSTOFFICES.
Secretary Rusk and His Work-A Talk
with Roger Q. Mills-First Nights at
Capital Theaters-The Government OF
the City of Washington.

| with Roger Q. Mills-First Nights at
Capital Theaters-The Government Of
the City of Washington.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Oct 26.-Postmaster Gen.
eral Wanamaker is a queer man. He is
insistent and persistent. If he cannot ac-
complish thing in one way he gets at it in
another. An instance of this is found in
the manner in which he finally secured
special inspection Of majority of the
postoffices in the country. His first idea
was to divide the country into inspection
districts, about thirty in number, and pro-
vide for the appointment Of an inspector
of postoffices in each district. Congress
would not consent. Then he asked for an
increase of the force of inspectors, so that
part of the men might be detailed to this
work of inspection. At the present time
the inspectors are fully employed looking
up depredations on the mails, cases of rob-
| berry and fraud, and have no opportunity
to inquire into the workings and needs of
the many thousands of small postoffices
| throughout the country. but congress
was just at that moment in an economical
mood, and the increase asked for was not
| authorized by law. Still Mr. Wanamaker
did not give up.
| "I'll tell you what we'll do" he said to
his lieutenants; well ask the postmasters
at the county seats to volunteer as inspect
! ors of the postOffices in their counties. OF
course we can't pay them anything for this
| service, but / believe large number of
| postmasters will take sufficient interest in
| the postal system to give their time and
labor to this cause without compensation. +"
Then the postmaster general, who was not
to be baked in his plans because con-
gress proved contrary, prepared 1000 let
tiers to postmasters asking them to
travel about their counties and see what
they could see and hear, and with his own
hand signed each of these letters during
his vacation.
The result of this plan is a vindication Of
Mr.. Wanamaker's estimate of the patriot
ism and public spirit of the postmasters of
the country. In all parts Of the United
States the county seat postmasters are
travelling about, some with horse and
wagon and others by rail, looking into the
workings of the postoffices in their coun-
ties. The reports are beginning to come
in, and right interesting some of them are
too. wish I had space to give lot of ex-
The postmaster at - is drunk six days in
the week, and the office is not open the other
day.
The postmaster at - is good fellow, but
he is deaf and almost blind, and he mixes the
mail UP frightfully.
This postmaster does not give any of his time
to the office. His twelve-year-old daughter
runs the office, and 1t is a model. rate it Al.
The postmaster at - keeps all his mail in
a tobacco caddy, and Fam told that when his
ink freezes in winter he cancels stamps with
tobacco Juice of his own manufacture.
From the far west came this unique re-
port:
while on duty in the office. and don't think
postmaster of the United States ought to do
this and told him so; but he says he has to in
order to defend the mails.
Another report from the same region:
The postoffice at - should have an iron
safe. Registered letters are frequently on hand
over night, and the postmaster finds it neces-
sary to take tho letters away with him in his
pocket when he closes the office.
But these are some of the unfavorable
and comical reports. AS a rule, the in
spectors find the offices in good condition,
and we'll managed Some of the reports
are models of comprehensiveness and ac-
curacy For instance, John L. Denote,
postmaster at Valparaiso, Ind, makes up
a book, with a mao of Porter county, and
embellishes his report concerning each of
the postoffices therein with photograph
of the building in which the postoff1ce is
housed. The postmaster at Freeport, Ills,
pursues the same method, as does Henry
Robinson, the postmaster at Concord, N.
III. Albert j. Frick, postmaster ut Dan
vile, Pa, draws maps of all the townships
adjacent to postoffices, and besides gives
photographs of offices. A. A. Thompson,
postmaster at Carlisle, Pa, makes up a
pretty book, with printed cover, contain
ing his reports and large map of the
county, with the distances between post
offices marked in red ink, showing the
roads and the number of families served
from each Office.
When all the reports shall have come in,
the postmaster general will be in posses
sion of more information concerning the
postoffices of the country than any post
master general ever was before. From the
recommendations made he will be able to
correct many evils and effect improve
ments in thousand directions. Post
offices will be discontinued where no ne
cessity for them exists, and others will be
established. New mail routes will be es-
tablished and new service provided in
thousands of places.
Mr.. Wanamaker is studying night and
day how he can improve the postal service
Republicans and Democrats alike what
ever else they may say about him, cheer
fully commend his zeal and spirit. He in
vites suggestions from every one who
thinks he knows where or how improve
ments may be made. Only few days ago
| Mr. Wanamaker heard that clerk in the
money order Office had some ideas concern
| ing the method of transacting the business
| of that important branch of the service.
and the postmaster general promptly sent
! for him and asked him what he had to
offer. For more than an hour the million
aire and cabinet minister was in confer
ence with clerk. The postmaster gen.
| erals principle Is that ideas rule the
world, and good ideas are too rare to be
thrown away, no matter whence they come.
| If Mr.. Wanamaker's hostler were to offer
him advice about the postal service 1 am
sure the postmaster general would listen
to him, not only with patience but with in
| terest. Mr.. Wanamaker believes the post
| Office must keep up with the times; that it
must progress as the wants of the people
change and increase. He is willing to
make experiments, and by trial to winnow
the wheat from the chaff.
Secretary Rusk is another pushing, prac-
tical, jealous cabinet officer. He does not
sit up nights planning new schemes for
the improvement of agriculture, because
"Uncle jerry does not believe in sitting
up at night even in good cause but he