Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-01
WANAMAKER'S IDEAL
Some Suggestions Growing Out
of the Experience of the
Postmaster General;
RELIEF FROM THE ROUTINE
Through a Secretary Who Should
Be Paid $4,000 a Year.
POSTAL TELEGRAPH AND SAYINGS.
Supervision BY Districts and Q Fixed
Tenure Of Office.
FREE COINAGE AND FORTUNE MAKING

! CORRESPONDENTS OF THE DlsPArcH.J
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 31.-The best busi-
ness man in President Harrison's Cabinet is
Postmaster General Wanamaker. His de-
partment at Washington is the biggest busi-
ness department under the Government, not
excepting the Treasury, and Mr.. Wana-
maker manages it, as far as possible, on bus
iness principles. The views of such man
on business matters cannot but be of great
| interest, and 1 called at the postofice build
| ing at 4:30 o'clock this afternoon to have, if
possible, a chat with the Postmaster General
on the financial situation.
Half past o'clock P. M. is good time to
catch the Postmaster General. He gets to
the Department at about 8 o'clock in the
morning or an hour before his clerks begin
to arrive, and at 4:30 the great building is
deserted, the Postmaster General has gotten
through with his most important business
and ne is finishing up his work, which ends
between and P. M. every day. I found
him debating letter and after he had fin
| ished asked him to tell me his opinion of the
causes of the present financial stringency.
| He replied:
Opposed to Free Coinage.
"As to the financial situation, think the
trouble has tided over fc- q tine. We were
in danger OF panic, but we have escaped it
| and matters will move smoothly from now
on. The tightness of the times is largely
due to the lack in the amount of our circu-
| lating medium. We need a more elastic
currency, but we need one that is based on
different principle than that of 80 cents
worth of silver to the dollar.
81 would be in favor of the free coinage
lnf IIror ~
value of silver, but the putting of 80 cents
| into coin and marking it 100 cents is Just
| as bad as though you should put three pecks
of wheat into bushef and by marking the
measure full" should try to make the
| people of the world believe that it would
pass for bushel, and that they should pay
| the same price for it as when they received
| four pecks instead of three. The free coins
l. age bill may become law, but I don't be-
lieve it will last year longer than the Con-
gress that enaets it. The results of it will
be such that the next Congress will have to
repeal it"
About Postal Savings Banks.
"How about your postal savings banks
| scheme, Mr.. Postmaster General" asked.
"Would not such institutions increase the
boarding of the money by the people aud
add to financial stringencies like the
PRESENT."
"Not at all, replied Mr.. Wanamaker,
''The best thing for the country to-day
would be these postal savings banks They
would bring into !, active circulation
S100,000,000 which are now boarded
away in stockings, tucked beneath the raft
ers or sandwiched under the carpets or bur-
led beneath the hearthstones. Whenever a
bank fails this boarding increases. The peot
pie feel that they have their principal safe
If thew lose the iutarasf Tbav ao..;S.~
their hiding places better than the banks,
but they have such confidence In the Cow
ernmenL that they would deposit their
money at once if postal savings banks were
organized. My plan provides that the
money shall be loaned under proper security
to the banks In the States from which the
savings come, and this would at once put
the money into circulation. I want to see
these savings banks within an hours walk
of the home of every working man. The in
huence of depositors upon their fellows
would be marked, and thousands of dollars
would be saved by people who now save
nothing.
The Experience of Others.
"Last year the total amount of the de-
posits of the savings banks in Great Britain
was just about 500, ,000, 900, and the poor
among the French deposit about $50, 0OO, 900
every year in the Postal Savings Banks,
The 5arooi+s orc iroraosi,,o, :, Ill AZ. .-
+ris. ~ $500 NbioS L.n ~ az we S0un-
pa.,,I S1r;-c,s pa.I- 80, "coP'eu ZIG
,,ronor,ion nf tbo a1in,s .ra 5n.;aJ auu islSe
l,;n"r- ~ oho,r;nr, +hat 80, @ o Posiseu "
-. - a. .ohos1 nF soo.c, eio eSs ~ euu9a-
tioD T, ronid he a aood .Sina "a aosu tS
- ~. ao,rt,ra ~ .re,IS "a ~. .no ooys
= start =, i;rs % ~ W Ni@>e
X.M- Wa,,.1. .;s
+bonabt of h;s start - i;f. 'nes S Molus
ran;div ran ovar bi, .arser 80 81 IN b,1 G h5 mIn
Il rsno-tsd oonI6 ssa b;,, H;.s,I usalu e
go -. IT, a. .S nH hI.sAe iHn-
80 60 ,,;1as So - .Ie IL. ;.a 5..I aIu m1
- oIori- n . books;Jo.a - ," e, oE
co,,Id ssa h;;, q. . Titt1a ~ ofd.- ~ - "eeA @
"a 50 weet in q cIo,hino go - 49,
vear hv vsar and JoIIor doiIa. ,
grsv and s.1eJ fiji he ~. his go
fonnded the b;o stors vb;cb nov ~ ,i
tbonsonda of cfsrI. o,d -rhioh -. L;y
income of nerbans a tbonsand ,;n,a. =.
mnch every week as he made whsn bs
starred.
wo,,u.I,s-,. c-a.. xv..,.,,
Mr.. Wauamaker ia said 70 he worth mill.
ions. He has Investments of many kinds-
and it is said that the Philadelphia stors
makes a number of times the PresidsntIs
salary every year. Its business runs into
millions. and during one wear. bv its CO.
operative principle. it paid. I am told. to
a. olarks aIone S100 mn in axoas. of tbai,