The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-07
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

| WASHINGTON, June 6.-Postmaster Gen
eral Wanamaker is engaged just now in
agitating the postmasters throughout the
| country on the special delivery system
| He finds that in many of the cities having
from IL, 900 to 40. 600 inhabitants and in a
| few of the larger cities that the special de
| livery system has become matter on
paper only.
The decline of the special delivery sys-
| tenn in many of the cities is due to a lack
! of interest taken in it by the postmasters,
as the law upon the subject has not made
it mandatory upon the postmasters to
popularize this branch of the postoffice
| service
At Boston the special delivery service
has been brought up to a high point OF
excellence On the average letter is de-
livered within thirteen minutes after 1t
has been received at the postoffice. In
some Of the cities through the central and
western states the average time for dellv-
cry Of the letter bearing the special stamp
is over one hour.
The postmaster-gen believes that,
while it is not possible to make the time
for the special delivery as brief as that at
Boston, on an average, there IS no possible
excuse for the decline of this service TO the
low ebb that he finds in many Of the large
cities, and he is asking the postmasters
why they have permitted the service to
way of improvements to build the service
up.
Mr. Wanamaker says that it should be
better understood than it IS; that for 10
cents persons living in special-delivery
cities may have their letters delivered, If
the law is enforced as it should be, within
fifteen or thirty minutes from the time
the special delivery letter or package is
deposited in the postoffice, whereas the
cost for delivery within the same length of
time If the district-messenger service IS
patroniZed would be from two to three
times this amount It is Mr. Wanamaker's g
purpose to improve the special-delivery
service to a point where it shall not only
compete favorably with the private-mes
senger service in the way of cost. but ex-
Gel it in the matter OF time required for
deliverance.
The contest which is being waged against
seating Senator Cali, of Florida, will prob
ably be settled from a precedent estab-
lished some years ago when the Hon.
Lyman Trumbull, now of Chicago, was a
conspicuous member Of the senate. At
that time a contest occurred over seating
Senator John 2. Stockton, of New Jersey,
which was much like the present con-
troversy over Call. The New Jersey leg
islature in joint session had passed Il resO-
luton that a plurality vote and not
majority would constitute an election.
Stockton received forty votes, while the
scattering votes of the other candidates
amounted to forty-one. Stockton was de-
clared elected, but met with hot contest
in the senate.
Senator Trumbull, the chairman Of the
judiciary committee, submitted a report
on the case, which brought out a legal
battle which is one Of the historic
memories of the senate The Illinois
veteran had with him such fighting stock
as Reverdy johnson and Thomas A Hen
bricks, while opposed to him were Charles
Sumner, Zachariah Chandler and John
Sherman. The Trumbuli report was in
favor of Stockton and it was approved. al
though it took the vote of Stockton him
self to get the necessary majority for ap
prOyal.
Charles Sumner afterward raised the
point that Stockton's vote was illegal in
being cast upon his own case, and on this
point he reversed the previous action of
the senate. The contest clearly established
the precedent, however, that legislature
in joint assembly might elect by plurality.
The old Irumbull report is therefore re-
garded as an authoritative precedent to-
day and as decisive in the contest against
Call