Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1892-01-14

| 230 First class operators tper week. sSs ,an ~,
52i Second class operators (per ''S)
IS Pneumatic tube attendants. 'oS $50,
chiefly boys (per week. ......... 20, n, ~,
This salary list should allav W.
groundless fears aroused amoup nv
former associates in the telegraph ser,
vice that postal telegraph would ra-
duce them to starvation wages.
PROMOTIONS AND DISCHARGES
But the most striking feature OF tho
government telegraphs in its relations
to employees is the impartial promotion
OF every person according to CAPACITY
and merit ana the assurance OF EN-.
ployment during good behavior. The
tenure OF office, orrathcr employment,
| constitutes one OF the most commend.
able features OF government ,elerrapns
and is the most potential saieruaro
eagainst political interference with per-
sons employed in this branch OF tho
public service. 1.-The greatest trouble
we have" said the director generui of
,elegraphs for Germany. lis TO get rid
of Il man that makes himself often
sively disagreeaole. We cannot dis
charge IL man who has been placed ON
two years probationary service until
he has been convicted of IL criminal
o1fense before u court under the same
process that is prescribed TO" vioia,ors
OF the criminal code. We can inc MIN
for neglect of duty, or suspend him
for short time, but he cannot De dis
missed from the service
In America operators hold their
places subject to the whims ana CAP
rice of officials, often their interiors in
point of ability. and no redress IS af-
forded for the most giaring injustice
POLITICS DON'T COUNT.
Now q word about the political in.
fluences of the postal telegraph My
Investigations were confined to four
countries gland, France. Austria
ana Germany. France is republic
like ours, and party feeling is more
intense there than in America. Eng
land is a constitutional monarchy.
governed by the party that holds its
supremacy through electoral MAORI
tiles. Germany and Austria are i'm
tied monarchies. In all those countries
the uniform response to my inquiries
concerning political interference with
telegraph employees, or abuse OF power
in tampering with messages, was uni
formly the same. The chief operator
OF the Swansea (Wales) Office declared
most emphatically that he was rad
lcal and decidedly opposed to the pres
ent party in power. He said also that
| u number OF the operators in mis- Office
were either radicals or liberals but
',if the postmaster who has supreme
control of the telegraph force dared to
dictate what ticket we should vote,
| or undertook to interfere in any way
with our rights as citizens we Should
soon have parliamentary inquiry and
the postmaster would soon tind him
self dismissed in disgrace.
In Paris NJ. Magne. director general
OF the telegraphs, expressed great sur
prise at my question abou, poli,icul
interference with postal telegraph men.
I'VE all exercise our rights as citizens
untrammelled. said he. Postal tel
egraph men are not allowed to take
an active part in cam paigns or in pub
lie meetings but all vote as they
please. Such a thing as trying to de-
lay political message or tamper with
it or divulge its contents has never
been heard of in France. The at
tempt if made. would cause a revolt
and overthrow the party that was in
power at the next election"
In all European countries the laws
against delaying or destroying iele-
graphic dispatches are much more Sc
we're than they are in this country.
TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN OPERATORS.
1t gives me great pleasure to be in
position to pay high com plimen, to
American telegraph operators. After
careful inspection OF the postal tele-
graph in the British metropolis in
Paris, Berlin. Vienna. Birming nam
Manchester. Hamburg. Prague and
other European cities, can trulntully
assert that the most skiiliul telegraph
class operators does fully Us muck work
in given time as is done in London.
Paris or Berlin by two operators. On
the other hand. the European tele-
graphers as class have higher edu-
cation ana are fitted. not only to man
ipulate instruments and transmit dis
patches but to supervise other branches
OF the postal service. In Germany
telegraphers are classified from the
outset into two classes. The first class
Is made Of men who have received a
high school education before entering
the service. This class receives the
lowest pay and can only aspire to pro-
motion within the telegraph service.
al
graduates OF universities. who are paid
higher salary from the outset and
are in line of promotion. as electrical
engineers. superintendent. and finally
postmasters In larger cities. This fea-
ture has made the telegraph step
ping stone towards important positions
in the civil service that are directly
or indirectly connected with the postal
system.
In conclusion let me assure you that