The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-04-04
WANAhAKER TALKS
The Postmaster Generals Views
on Postal Matters,
ABOUT POLITICS AND PosToFFIoEs.

The Question of Party Should Have
No Weight In Making Appoint
ments- Observance OF the Civil
Service Law-Hc Thinks the Po-
sitions Should be Permanent.
PHILADELPHIA, April 4.-The Times,
In Washington letter written by
George Alfred Townsend, gives an ex-
tended interview with Postmaster Gen.
eral Wanamal1er, in which that official
tells of his early struggles, his first bus
iness ventures, his attitude in the last
presidential campaign and his antici-
pations for the future Referring to
the postal service. Mr.. Wanamaker
said:
1.-THE postofice department can never
be regulated like mercantile establish
ment because politics is in it. There
are 100000 employees under me, and theI
are &C 900 postoffices. To take that de-
partment and make it what conceive it
ought to be would be the labor of Il life
time. lido not believe it ought to be a
cabinet position at all-the true head of
it ought to be a comptroller. superin-
tendent or actuary, who should have
nothing to do with the political disiribu-
tion of the postolIices, or rather should
have everything to do with it.
Should be Divorced from Politics.
Ellis subordinates should be relieved
from politics. A great proportion of
the cases that come there ought to be
settled at the desk instantly without
passing through any red tape or delay.
nl ~
to be juge of the whole law and life of
it, and not be called aside to spend an
hour or two to hear a delegation on the
subject of who should be postmaster of
third rate postoffice. Yet that is the
main function of the postmaster general.
The congressman must some time or
other be set aside as givers of postmas-
tprshipS.
Il would have the country divided
into postoffiCe districts, over each of
which would be postoffice supervisor,
whose business it should be to inform
himself upon the efficiency of postmas-
ters and upon changes in the postoilices.
At present as you know, congressman
make new nominations at every change
of administration toevery grade of post
office. In a large proportion of cases
there is no reason for moving postoffice
out of the principal store of the town,
where, perhaps, it has been for years, to
locate it in some tin shop or saddler's
shop, merely that the asserting of the
letters may be job in politics. Per-
haps that congressman who comes and
represents that Mr.. Smith has always
been Republican and suitable to be
( postmaster has himself been indebted to
Mr.. Smith for getting him four or five
votes in his contest.
| Regarding Civil Service Reform.
! 1.-The hope of civil service reform was
to increase the efficiency and character
of the service. Instaad of that it has
degenerated into spy system 20 find
something to complain of in the depart
ment. After became postmaster general
Mr.. Clarkson was opposed to civil service
reform, said something or other about
| postoffice removals and the number of
them he had made, whereupon was at
tackled and have had occasion to see how
indifferent some of these men who have
high professions are to the improvement
I of the service if they can make an issue
/ or a sensation.
! "Now, as to fourth class postmaster
ships, the little village offices in the ham
lets and at the cross roads places, the
/ president is not bound to apply the civil
service rules there. Nor is it necessary.
| The postmaster at such places is too
]
postoffice and have his store made the
meeting place for his political opponents
to express themselves upon his grasping
what is not his own. Innearly all cases,
at the change of administration the re-
wards of the postotfice being small in
these little places, there is desire to
throw it up. But in the department it.
self, in the railway trains, we have OBJ
served the law strictly. We have ex-
tended the railway postoifices and made
steamship postoilices SO that the mail is
assorted US it is going along by land OF
sea-"
Should Have No Other Responsibility
Mr.. Wanamaker was asked: "Would
you undertake in exchange for your
business to become director general of
the postoflice, like Roland Hill, if the
place We're permanent onern He re-
piled:
Il think not. Such place should be
given one undisturbed by other RESPONSE
bilities or ambitions. A good salary,
not less than 81 600 month, should at
tach to the permanent comptroller of
the postoifce A change such rs have
described would at once remove from
politics the vast body of the patronage
and be worth more than all the civil
service reform hitherto attempted"
The postmaster general commented
upon the rapid coming and going of his
predecessors in office, and said: "How
can any man, in his brief term, develop
general policy over such an institu-
ton as the postoffice? 1t ought to be a
non-political place, governed by per-
maneht and experienced mind, who un-
derstands 1t, like q gigantic piece of
mechanism"
A Disconsoiate Actress Suicide.