The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-04-11
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Absorbing Country Postof1ces and
Concentrating Power-Defeat of
the Scheme-Other Matters.
From our special correspOndent.l

From our Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON, d. C., April 8. 1896.
The consideration of the Post Office appropriation
bill in the Senate has evoked quite an interesting
debate on the power of the Postmaster Genen TO
consolidate the smaller postoces OF the states with
those Of the large cities This power has been eS
master Generals as the result of liberal eonstruc
ton of their powers without as II appears any eN
press or reasonably implied provision OF law
Within the past few years this power has been eX
ercised quite literally in Maryland, and especially
since the ineumbency Of the present postmaster OF
sodaton is to destroy at the same time the identity
and the independence of the country postohices
thus embraced, making them merely substations
of the absorbing city postoice under the direction
ola superintendent" who is merely clerk from
the classified service of the absorbing office, and
who suppIants the old postmaster. This policy OF
consolidation has been justified by the POSTMASTER
General and other jealous advocates of civiserviee
reform on the ground that it works extension of
the benecent principles of that doctrine, ana as
consequence is necessarily promotve oil the eIhci-
ency Of the service but their chief claim is that II
would result in saving money to the Government.
The present postmaster of Baltimore city, VINO,
We rv with the civil service Commissioners when
he first assumed office by the ingenuity ne eNer-
cised in eyading the ciyil-serylee reguhuohs ioI
the purpose of getting some OF ms personal ana
political friends In office, has apparently sought TO
atone for his early delinquency by very vigorous
application of the new policy OF CONSERVATION
During his incumbeney and upon his Recommending
ton no less than twenty-siX second, third and
fourth class postoces outside of the limits of Bal
timore city have been consolidated with the Balti
more postoiiice, and have thus become substations
thereof In charge of its clerks. Not content WIN
embracing towns like Gainesville and Towson, the
county scat of Baltimore county. and other places
having some kind of suburban relation to the city,
but by Of an eNempliiesttion of the plentltude
Of this newly exercised power OF eonsoiiualion,
the postmaster of Baltimore city reached out 10
miles TO Ellieott CITY the county seat o. Howaru
county, and took that ancient town under his pro-
lection and supervision as substation and made
its postmaster his clerk. ,
This power of postotiice consolidation, like all
other extensions and Capitalization Of the powers
of the Federal Government has been carried on SO
quietly and so gradually as to escape the attention
6f the Legislative branch of the Government and
but for the fragrant abuse of t. like that in the case
of Ellicott City, it would probably have gone ON
much longer without any inquiry into the legal
authority for its exercise. lt seems from the state
ments made in the Senate debate by Mr.. Villas, an
ex-Posmaster General, that the Post Office Depart
ment has constructed its power to establish ana
discontinue pOstofces. in its discretion into dis
cretionnry power to consolidate any number OF
country postoiees with those OF the larger cities,
recognizing limit TO its power in this respect eN-
ceping that of the money placed at its disposal in
the appropriation bills.
This matter was brought to The attention of Con
gresS through proposition presented i'll the Senate
| Committee on APPROXIMATIONS by Mr.. Lodge, of
Massachusetts the author of the famous Force
Bill, in the nature ola amendment 10 the post
office appropriation bill authorizing the Postmaster
General whenever any p0st-otlice is consolidated
with any Office so as to become substalion OF the
same the clerk in charge of such station may then
he paid ont of The general appropriation This
proposition was antagonzed by senator German,
and was rejected by the committee, and in lieu
thereof provision was incorporated in the bill as
reported TO the Senate prohibiting the department
| from embracing any postoiice atg county seat in
this scheme of consolidation. When the ball o4'ne
up for consideration IN the senate, Mr. Lodge again
! presented his amendment through the agency ut
| Mr.. WolcOtt, the chairman of the Committee on
| postofces and Post-Ruads
Mr. German antagonized the proposition on the
| Goor of the Senate. The following extracts from
his remarks made in this running debate viii serve
| to show the ground of his opposition:
Mr. German. Mr.. President, the amendment. If
adopted will, understand be the first direct APP
proval by Congress of the system which has been
entered upon of the consolidation OF any number oil
small fourth class p0stOficeS with the large post
Offices of the cities II is reversal of the practice
of the Department from the beginning. 1t is in
cord with the general tendency of all the business
affairs of the world to wipe out all the small offices
and concentrate the power in the hands of Il few
men.
Under the statute the Postmaster General, having
the unquestioned right has taken quite number OF
the large cities in the Union and abolished the indie
pendent Offices in the little country places entirely
outside in the villages, the ordinary country post
Offices and has placed such office in charge of
clerk who IS an appg!ntee or under the control OF
postmaster O% miles distant. To illustrate, the
city OF Baltimore. with 100000 inhabitants has
postoiice but they are not content with serving the
peopp in that community whoare engaged in bust
ness enterprises and who want frequent deliveries
OF mails. whore such system has become II neces-
sty for theu BAT by mi order qi the Drpartmcnt II
circle OF 10 miles is thrown around thai City. II
embraces the farming section and fifteen or twenty
little posOiices outside OF the city where there is
no necessity for daily delivery by curriers' and
where the people in those communities prefer Ia
assemble ut the local postOTiceS. ana get ther mail
Take the case OF the adjustment of the Presiden-
tial postoice in the community in which / reside
not within the county of Baltimore, not part of
tine Baltimore postoifice. and having no connection
with it-an Office old that in the city of Balt
more II is the distributing Office for the country
back ofit for twenty miles, and was by this order
consolidated With the city OF Baltimore ] know
the people of that community Theydenounce the
act they know il Is an Inconvenience to them; they
know that under this system which is being entered
upon, iii is unlimited. as is proposed, the whole
postoiee business of the State will be centered in
the hands of one postmaster.
/ agree that around cities like Baltimore. Phila-
dolphin, brooklyn, New York, or Boston. where the
street rilroad cars operated by electricity have pen
etrated, communication is easy and swift, and better
mail service Gan be established. Consolidation
would be a great benefit 70 communities so situat-
ed, but it ought to be done with discretion II
ought not 10 include the agricultural portions of
the various States.
lam 10th to have the Postoiiice Department enter
upon scheme which will remove the postoiiices
from the people. The whole tendency of legisla-
ton. the whole thought of the country II seems, Mt
this time II are to believe the pres, is that you
are to discredt the people, to take away from them
all power under the Government to remove from
the people OF the communities any power 10 DEFER
mine who are TO be their public servants. Good as
civil service may he for the great Departments OF
the Government | do not believe in IL when II
comes to these small offices, which belong TO the
people and which are of them. Ibeleve, Mr. Pres-
dent that this Government will be failure il we
are to have permanent tenure in all these small
offices which are scattered through the country
The matter has created much interest among
Senators, who have expressed great surprise at the
patent abuse of the power shown in the Ellcott
City consolidation. Leading Democrats and such
Republicans Senators Hawley, of Connecticut
and Nelson, of Minnesota, have participated in the
debate, taking the same ground as Senator German
while Mr.. Lodge and Mr.. Villas have found them
selves without support on the Democratic side and
not very well supported on the Republican side in
their defense of this consolidation project The re-
suit has been not only the defeat of Mr.. Lodges
proposition vi unlimited extension of this new and
undemoeiate idea, but definite curtailment of
the power within well-defned limits
Among matters of passing interest az the seat of
Government may be mentioned the passage by the
House OF the river and hrboF bill and the adoption
OF the Senate Cuban resolutions. which have been
formally delivered 20 the President. YEErrss.