Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-02-24
his term in Office at the beginning
of tbo ,,~oso,t hI,,.~:,l-.l:1.

his term in Office at the beginning
of the present Administration.
The Government does very little
for this class of its servants besides
seeing that their accounts are duly
rendered and are correct, and that
they are supporters of the party Of
the Administration in political ac-
ton. They are obliged to "6nd
themselves" in the items of office
and Office furniture. In many COM
munities the office is one much de-
sired by shopkeepers, since it brings
the whole community into their
places of business, where they are
apt to make purchases from the
general stock. In other places it is
not always easy to find a person
willing to be at the trouble of at
tending to the business for small
compensation attaching to it. What
the average compensation of Post
master of this class may be we be-
lieve there are no means of finding
out; but an estimate made by one of
the speakers in the convention plac-
ed it at 800. 1t is said that great
man ydo not get out of the business
$40 a year.
The convention in Washington
composed of delegates chosen by
State conventions, and twenty States
less than half of the whole mum.
ber-were represented in it. We
suspect that these Postmasters were
stimulated to this effort in their
own behalf by the success of a SIM
liar effort Of the letter carriers of
the country, of which the late s. s.
Cox was the Congressional patron.
They made certain complaints 'gainst
the present system of compensation,
and they have a measure of relief
prepared which Congressman Amos
j. Cummings will attempt to en-
gineer through the House. Their
complaint is that the work done by
most of them, especially the worst
paid ones, and the necessary respon.
sibility assumed are out Of proper
ton to compensation received; that
they get nothing on account Of
newspapers, which frequently con-
stitute the heavestpart of their work.
They complain, besides, that in
comes are spitefully reduced by
persons who would properly deposit
their letters in one office taking the
trouble to deposit them in the mail
cars or at another office.
The bill they have had prepared
provides that the total compensation
Of a fourth-class Postmaster shall not
be less than 1925 a year; that, with
this limitation, the compensation
shall be fixed upon the basis of
commissions upon the amount of
postage stamps, stamped envel-
Opes, postal cards, and newspaper
and periodical stamps cancelled
on matter that is actually mail
ed at their Offices, and on post
age-due stamps actually affixed and
Cancelled thereat, and OIL matter
mailed on railway postal cars and
accredited to their respective offices,
and on amounts received on waste
paper, Irvine, ETC., sold. In short,
they ask that their commissions may
be based upon the whole business
properly belonging to their offices
for which the Government derives
revenue. This does not seem to be
an extravaganza or unreasonable re-
quest. 1t certainly seems reasona-
bic that any person who attends to
the Post Office business Of a place,
however small, involving as it must
a great many details of labor and
responsibility to be performed with
fidelity under oath and subject to
heavy penalties, should receive at
least S25 year. 1t also seems
fair that the compensation should
be based upon all business actually
lone at, or belonging to, any Office.
These changes would not involve
any large increase of expense to the
Government, while they would tend
% fairness Of compensation and the
greater satisfaction of very neces-
'ary and useful, if humble, class of
If, in addition to these
,hings they could be placed upon
Evil service reform rules, as propos-
ID by Congressman Andrew of Mas
'achusetts, their neighbors and the
public at large would gain an advant-
lge quite equal to that of the Post
masters themselves, and the First
Assistant Postmaster General, with
his whole force of clerks, would
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