Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-02-02
REPUBLICAN ABUSES.
Democrats Unjustly Blamed for
 Their Existence.
A Truthful Version of the Post ofice Department Repair shop-why See retary Morton Abolished the
 s.Sced DIvision."

We have Just discovered an anomalous condition of affairs says Superin- tendent Machin, who has charge of the letter carrier service at the post office department. "The republican postmas- ter of St. Paul. Minn., was recently here, and while attending to some busi- ness in this department, he admitted that the letter carriers of St. Paul are annually taxed in the sum of $1 600 for street ear fare.
 T never heard of such case before, in any part of the postal service. 1t seems that contract has been entered into with the street car company, under the terms of which the letter carriers and other post office employees are car ried to any part of the city for the az gregate annual sum of S3,2o0. l1 is customary for such annual rates to be made with street ear companies in other cities; but the government pays the expense. At St. Paul, however, the government pays $1,60o, and the St. Paul letter carriers pay the other S1 600. This is not according to law. As nut ter of fact the law forbids the govern ment to receive any services without compensation; and also forbids the government from accepting any gratu- iry from it's employees. The condition at St. Paul is m outrage upon the let ter carriers which the department will not permit"
 There have been recent rawlings, some of them almost eloquent, concerning the alleged ill-treatment of women who work in the mailbag repair shop of the post office department. The present ad-
 ministration has been blamed and tra- duced. As matter of fact after the adoption of the civil service law in 1883, whereby the spells of office were eur
 tailed, the republicans of congress and of the executive departments, organ- ized bureaus of various kinds whose employees should not be covered by the civil service law. One of these bureaus was the mailbag repair shop. There women were employed at from S50o to $500 per week. The work to be done is of a menial character, and the pay is small comparison with the salaries paid to other government employees. This repair shop has been iDeexistence  for about 15 years, and is of republican origin.
 Lacking facts upon which to base ti- rades q republican partisan writer has assailed the administration of the post office department, and called the repair shop a sweat shop" blaming the dem- ocratie administration and the demo cratic party for its faults and failings. It is true that the place is unworthy this government, and that the em- ployes are overworl5ed at small wages But the whole truth should be told. The den is of republican origin, has been maintained by republican con gressional appropriations, and has been as reprehensible under republic an administrations as it could be The existing conditions should be amelio- rated, but it is unfair and unbeeom- ing of any fair-minded man to lay the blame upon the democratic party for conditions created by the republican party.
 While the republicans were prepar- ing bureaus to be exempt from the pro- lection of the civil service law, they created what was called the "seed di- | vision" of the department of agricul- 1 ture. There upwards of 200 women i were annually employed, weighing 1 seeds and pasting them in paper bags Tor distribution among the farmers of | the country. The women were ap- pointed without having to pass civil 1 service examinations. Education was 7,T 4 e.. majority of the women employed upon the recommendation of republican congressman were pretty, handsome and some of them beautiful As mat i ter of fact the seed division became known as place for girls who were the special favorites of congressman. i The seeds were distributed under the l franks of the members of congress. and each farmer who received pack ages was thereby placed under obliga- tions to the statesmen. Many man thus fostered his own ambitions, and | secured renominations by the inhu- ence and prestige which he obtained | among the farmers of his district.
 J. Sterling Morton. the present demo cratic secretary of the department of agriculture, regarded tbe seed division | as an unnecessary expense to the gov arnment. He said that it was of no practical benefit to the farmers of the country, and he abolished it. lie quit | buying seeds at extrayagant prices. He | discharged the employees of the di- vision. He closed up the place, and de- clined to reopen it, even when besieged and bitterly assailed by the congress- men. He sturdily refused to continue what he regarded as a needless bureau, and practically departmental dis grace.
 Republican senators have recently 1 called Secretary Morton before them and required him to officially explain 1 his reasons for abolishing the seed di- vision. Hs~cxplanations were not fa- vorably received, and there is pending a resolution in the senate to compel l Secretary Morton to re-create the seed l division. He will not do so unless com pelled by new legislation. These con-