St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-03

prise. But Its mission Is not merely to
promote the business and commercial
prosperity of the country. We repre-
sent service that comes home 20 every
flreSide in the land. 1t comes not only
to The merchant and the manufacturer,
but to the men they employ. 1t exists
not only for the rich man, but for the
poor. In connection with the other
branches of the poStoffice department,
we are the agents and representa- yes
of the people, it appears to HE, in
larger and truer sense than the en-
plOyeS of any other branch OF the gov
ernmen
The American people are very much
inclined to estimate the Importance of
an institution by its value as Il money
making machine. The railway mail
service is not only the faithful ally of
every business undertaking, but with
equal and impartial hand it facilitates
the Interchange of that correspondence
which relates solely to the social amen
tiles and friendships of life.
well remember, when boy in New
England forty years ago, an some pi0-
neerS of the family had emigrlted to
the territories of Iowa, Minnesota and
California. when postage OH "A SingIe
letter composed OF one piece of paper
was six cents for distance not exceed
ing 80 miles and % cents for all dis.
tances more than 400 miles; of the
dreary months which elapsed. under the
most favorable conditions. before a re-
ply could be received to letters sent to
the absent ones.
Nor was it much better after the adj
vent of railroads throughout the West
until the present system of distributing
mails i'll transit was adopted. Many of
you will recall the time when Boston,
Chicago, st. Louis and st. Paul were
distributing postoffices, each for large
area OF cUuntry-When vast quantities
of mail accumulated at these central
points awaiting the tedious process of
separation and dispatch. When letter
from Concord, \. H., for Wiuona, MIMI,
would first be pOuched to Boston, then
to Chicago. then 10 st. Paul, and finally
to WinOna, and would doubtless be de-
tanned at each point longer than it now
takes to traverse the entire distance.
. The New Regime.
The establishment of the railway
mail service put an end to the cIumSey
system, as the railroad put an end to
the stage coach. The structures have
been removed and the. mail now goes
unvexed to its destination as rapidly as
express trains can carry it. Under the
old system tine passenger reached his
destination long before the mail ar
rived. The conditions are now re-
yerSed, and on some lines the mail
makes the best time. On the Chicago.
G., nj +n 70 oil
train runs from Chicago to st. Paul in
eleven hours and forty-fye minutes,
one hour and forty-Gve minutes better
time than is made by the fast test paSsen-
ger express train on the road.
The return fast mail train runs
from st. Paul to Chicago in
twelve hours and five minutes.
one hour and fifteen minutes quicker
than the limited express. The city dis
tributors go out to meet these trains.
and your letters are landed in each city
rea Y for Immediate delivery by the
carrier. Your letter leaves st. Paul at
6:55 D. m. and is delivered to your friend
i'll Chicago while at breakfast. or at his
office before he reaches it the next
morning.
times. Thirty years ago nearly week
| would have been consumed in the
| transit OF letter from Chicago to ST.
! Paul, and the cost would have been
! three times as great as at present.
! 1t is true our pOStOtfice department is
| not now Selt-Sustaning. The revenue
for the year ending June 80, 1892. In
| round numbers was 1000, 600, and the
expense $40, 00O.OO0. 1t is not. however,
| intended To be source of revenue, but
| an educator, an aid in the settlement
| and development of the country. by
| giving the pioneer and frontierSman an
equal chance with others. Yonr letter
is carried as cheaply to Los Angeles,
| Cal. as to Minneapolis. Mimi, and
| the large surplus received from the
| great cities and the thickly settled pOr-
| tons OF the country is more than SWal-
| lowed up by the expense OF furnishing
| good service to the SparSely settled SIC
| tons. The governments of England
anu France look to the poStof1ice rs a
source of revenue. The total revenue
from the postoffice department in Eng
land i'll 1889 was s43.O0O.000. and the eX-
pense only S2S,500,000. showing net
| profit of more than S14,000,00 to that
| government.
On the 3Oth of June, 1892. there we're
III the eleven divisions which embrace
the United States 6,417 railway post
| office clerks. On the 1St of June. 1893,
| this number had to be increased to
| about $500, SOC of whom were in this
Tenth division. l will not burden you
| with figures, but the statistics of mail
handled and errors made show that the
efficiency Of this force has been steadily
increasing year by year.
The qualifications required to make a
f,v1
He must have intellectual alertness, a
| quick and retentive memory and sound
judgment. He must have presence of
mind, QuickneSS of apprehension. aud
the faculty of thinking clearly and cor
rectly and acting promptly in the
midst of exciting emergencies. Phys
| ically, he must be stout and
hardy and able to endure long-con-
tinued and severe labor. The
mind, the eye, and the whole body must
work in unison and instantly. The dis
cipline and efficiency of the service
have largely increased since the applI-
cation of civil service rules TO govern
appointments. The best results cannot
be obtained until the service is lifted
entirely out of the domain of party poll
tics and freed from political control.
When the service is conducted on pure
ly business principles, and clerks real
ize that their tenure of office and
promotion depend on merit alone, the
highest order of efficiency may be
reached.
PeriIs of the Service.
The perilOus character of railway
postal clerks occupation is not realized
by the public. His position in a COLI
sion is almost hopeless. Imprisoned il
his car next to the locomotive, with NJ
chance to see the impending danger