The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-17
TO FIGHT THE POSTAL CUT.
MI. QUIGG ADDRESSES A BIG MEET
ING OF LITTER OARRIERs.

btenA 70 No Enbfu NJ waco 10 hrOuNo Vppott-
tion Among CitiEen- 10 the Proposed Re-
ductlon or the Number OF NlaiI Deliveries
Tn This city from seven to -Four.
More than 1000 letter carriers of Now York
and Brooklyn and q number from other dis
tricts in the Greater New York met yesterday
afternoon In the Grand Central Palace to con-
fer on the proposed reduction In tho carrier SER
vice OF the Post Office Department In this and
In other cities. Before the meeting was called
to order IL would have been hard to find q moro
downcast set of mon anywhere. When it was
over the condition of affairs was just the oppo.
site. Men who had feared that they would lose
their places as carriers were filed with new
hope, and the beginning OF a mighty protest
against any curtailment Of deliveries in this city
had been made. No definite action was taken,
but q committee of lettor carriers wns appoint
cd, and in a day or two some effort will be made
to wake tho residents OF this city and Brooklyn
to protest against any measure which shall
hamper the delivery of mail in those cities.
Radical measures of some sort will BIO taken to
arouse the more strictly business portions Of the
city so that the Post Office Department shall BIO
obliged, In obedience to public opinion, to post
pone the proposed order to cut dow the
number of deliveries.
There were three speakers at the meeting
yesterday, and every point they made threw the
carriers into a frenzy of enthusiasm. The
speakers were NJ. A. Fitzgerald, the President
of branch 80 of the Letter Carriers Association;
John NJ. Parsons, President Of the national or
ganization. and Congressman Lemuel L. Quigg,
who has sheen working day and night to wake
up New York to the serious nature Of the meas
ure proposed by the Post Office Department..
The first two speakers were applauded vigor-
ously, but when Mr.. Quigg ended the whole
crowd of carriers jumped to their feet and gave
three terrific cheers and a tiger as their appre-
citation of his work In their behalf.
Mr.. ouigg laid special emphasis ON the point
that public opinion must be worked up 80 as to
influence the Post Office Department, which
would bo the body really responsible if any cur
Congress had taken action ON the question.
~ $3.50. -. 49, 49, os
Mr.. Fitzgerald was appointed Chairman. I'VE
are here. :" said the latter. ''to SEQ lust what action
rooan o,o to nro,ent no Ios.orinr ~ orr force
"ecan taKet 10 prevent inc lessehins U our iorce.
About 800 OF our men may DO thrown out Of
work If the proposed measure is carried into
erect. AT TINS season OF the year such u tnihs
would be very bad, and we are naturally anxious
~ n d n wig ma ," n.i,; ~ p to ,ens ~ Snl
happening. we stand willing to lend the de-
par'ment SlSo'ooo, II 1T cant get tho money Shs IN
y. V.no na'. ~ % 'oon - go ono ono
has brought IN a net revenue or 100000 oo
-.''c 1890 49,.
cripple our Office Is 70 XII the goose that lays
the golden eggs. Ihink OF me STARVATION OF our
that instead of having the greater number Of
deliveries Tor when people are cialn0rlng, we
are cong 10 nave the sTp p cno ow WI M ,oos
MT. parsons saia that, ne men hau no heeu
to feel DISCOURAGED, Tor II puoilc OPINION were
aroused, the department would DO oDngeo TO
respect II.
The omcers OF the department, ne saln;
ARE not generally in , accord ,S with t the PROPOSED 20
reuuctlon, pun tney thlhk tnat lhey nave no
alternative. Inc matter Will surely come De-
fore Congress, and we are glad TO say that our
fepresentataves there nave 'no saihe ihtcresI III
the matter as we nave.
the appropriation Tor the delivery service,
said Mr.; Quigg. rs made IN a lump sum. me
not succeed in passing: Now the Post once
Departmeht mas i4,ooo,oOo Lor tne iree 9ellv,
fas ba sfsf in the hand hands S OF !hss department, Il and ii It IS
left to the discretion of the Postmaster-General
as to how # shall be used. II has been discoy-
During the existence OF the Post Office De-
think, only two years in which the expenditures
dia 9T noa efceea tne aPpr9ppaation; s,on,s Tho.
the more si the free %aeIive SSps service has sa' been ss s1.
LOUD lt9I1 ol has told ahv Nj lin Heath io .l,n that the he ,Mr; Loud Sd.
that Nj. Loud had only one vote and that there
many as 81 in the Senate. Moreover, said
a9aI tno alme 70 Sriptie we serves woniu DC
aitcf, SonnSioSS ~ tSiuoeu ~ rppIIolt nn
Air. Loud nau sSiu, hehru' tnat inc fost oHce
committee would appropriate no more money
for the coming year Than It DID last year; i
said that 1t would be the hrst time that Con
gross haa retused 10 maze u larger appropria,
ti0n mar i9r inc year o.i3re' ana IhinS snch
action would Dc taken only when an end Was
made to progress IN INC lnlted states. we
must get the ostlnaster-Genera 70 postpone
Gripping the service until Congress has refused
the increase.
The sum to be cut of the salaries is, am
TOD, S24.o0D LOT New 1ork ana SIo'Soo ior
Brooklvn. THAT'S small In one way, Dut IT'S
big to the man who iS turned out. And 1t is
big where even now, with all our deliveries we
cant get The mail out or the ONCE on time. VI
course, OUT IN san Franclsoothey doh nave as
much man matter as we. lhaughter:l But
here is one thing Tor everybody to remember.
With ail our deliveries here we spend 2 smaller
per cent. OF our receipts than they 90 IN san
Francisco. We consume only II per cent. and
they.pse up Il per CEN: But Mr.: Loud says
that four deliveries q day are enough for any
residential section, Out IN san francisco they
DO have residential sections; lLaughterI put
Is the Columbus avenue district. residential,
and ia the Harlem district residential Ia
dozen voices: II guess no.. Are there any
twenty-five BLOCKS here where we don DO more