The morning call., 1893-11-26
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

| the one fixed upon is of the size used by the
International Postal Union, and postal
| cards will now be the same all the world
| over. We use such an immense quantity
| OF THESE cards that the saving in the new
contract amounts to $4,000 year. The
| contract is made for four years, and the
total saving will thus be $3.50, ,0O0 1t is a
| one-cent business. but the saving means a
| fortune.
| 1t will be surprising to many people that
| the postal service of the United States by
| no means pays its OVID expenses. Uncle
| Sam has for years been carrying letters
ana mall below cost, and it is estimated
| that the POsto1fice Department Will need
| ABOUT S5,OO0,0O0 every year from the ap-
| propriatiOns OF Congress- This is so not
| wlthstandlng that the mails are carried
| over the Pacific roads without any cash
| outlay on the part Of the postoffice. These
| roads owe the Government. and the amount
| OF money due for carrying the mails is
created TO their account If it were notso
| the department would have to pay out bout
| 100000 additional every year, so that it
really costs S7,000.000 year more than it
| brings in. Tie most expensive part of the
business is the carrying of secOnd-class
mater, which pays only cent pound,
| ana winch costs on an average about
cents pound to deliver. All of these
items are being closely looked into during
these hard times and every bit of postal
| revenue Is being scrutinized. The Post
master-General, in fact, has been materi-
ally helped through tie money order
fund. We have had a money order
system since 1864, and during all this
| time orders have been issued and paid for,
| but the money has not been called for at
| the other end. Either the orders have been
lost or stolen, or the parties receiving them
| nave tailed to collect them. The sums
have accumulated until they have now be-
| tween two and three million dollars of such
money In the Treasury Department. From
| this fund there was recently credited to the
Postoffice Department S1,250,0O0 and this
is now being applied to the deficiency of
! the current year.
| made some inquiries at the department
| as to whether any improvements were
contemplated in the postal service, and I
| ind that IL is the Postm aster- Generals idea
not to attempt any experiments at the
| present time. He is great advocate of
thorough organization and of complete de-
Velopment lie believes that the postal
service can be improved by investigating
It's needs, Strengthening its weak spots and
| per1ectlng It's present system. He is not
at present seriously considering any mat
ters connected with the postal telegraph,
| postal telephone or the pneumatic tube
| system Tor cities, evidently believing that
| such experiments, Decessitating the eXpen-
| dlture OF great sums of money, should be
| lett 10 more prosperous times
During my call | had a few words with
him about the service, and Tnd that he is
thoroughly In favor of civil service rules
and thinks that these should be enforced
as far as possible. He told me that these
rules had been extended to fourth-class
poStmasters, and that these are now al
lowed to remain in Office for four years
whether they are Republicans or Demo-
Gratis, unless good reasons are given for
their removal. The appointments of post
master are now made almost entirely on
petition FROM the people, and the Post
all u
which there was delegates convention
called by the members OF the Democratic
party of the city. where the delegates
elected their postmaster The different
candidates came before 1t aud one of the
defeated ones moved that the nomination
OF the successful man should be made
unanimous. This was carried and the
name OF the successful nominee received
the appointment of the department here.
While talking to the Pos stmaster-Gene raj
the other day the subject of Government
clerks came up. and l asked him whether
he would advise young men to try to get
places under the Government.
he replied that he would not, and said
that the short hours and the work seemed
TO demorallze the employees. Said he:
| ut seems TO me that the hours and the
| work here are injurious TO character The
clerks work from 8 until and there ia a
tendency for them TO become machines.
lhey have not the incentives to good work
=.
ana had 1 a boy l would not want him in
| the department. Just in this connection I
have protege in Buffalo, who wrote me
the other day wanting a place in the de-
partment He is now letter-carrier in
| Buffalo, and when | first met him he was
backing my bonts in a barber-snop. He
| attracted my attention by his knowledge
| OF the geography of the United States
A man who was being shaved asked
whether Detroit was the capital of Mlcni-
gan, when this boy broke in and said /:
NO, 1t is not; IL Is Lansing l then
asked him what was the capital of
Louisiana? He replied: Baton Rouge
| And COnnecticut?' said I. Hartford is
the capital now.' was the boys reply.
1t used to have two capitals, Hartford and
New Haven, but they have changed that,
and IL has now only Hartford | then
asked the boy where he went to school.
and he told me that he was going to night
school and learning as best he could I
gave him an order on one of the book
| stores for what books he wanted and took
an interest in him from that time on.
Well. he got fair education. and one day
he surprised HE by coming into my Office
and telling me that be bad passed the civil
| service eXamlDation and was working for
| Uncle SAM He had received an appoint
| ment as letter-carrer and is now making
$1,000 year. He has been saving his
money and investing it, and he is now
worth nice little property. He is
| bright young man, ana though l did not
| tell him so, l think he Is far better off in
Buffalo than in Washington depart
| ment."
At this point the conversation turned to
| President Cleveland, and the Postmaster
General chatted interestingly of his early
association with him. 1t is now nearly
twenty years since the two began their
practice in the law together at Buffalo, in
connection with Lyman K. Bass, who had
been member of Congress. Mr.. Bass left
the firm in 1876, and from that time on it
went under the name OF Cleveland & Bis
sell. ln speaking of it | said: Suppose,
! MI Bissell, you let your mind run back
fifteen years to the time when you and the
President were practiciDg law together at
Buffalo. Had you any idea at that time
that Grover Cleveland might be President
of the United States and yourself q Cabi-
net officer?"
Il can answer asily for myself" said
the Postmaster General, land almost as
| we'll as to the President. | never had any
ambition TO engage in politics, nor to hold
office, and at that time l was devoting N.Y.
self to the practice Of the law. During
C