The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-14
POSTOFFICE BOYCOTTS
THEY GIVE THE DEPARTMENT A
DEAL OF TROUBLE
The Recent Assault Upon Postmaster
LOftin at HOgansvilIe, Gn.-A
Row Involving Drug Store and
POstOffice at Ambler, Pa
HumOrs of the Situation.
Washington Bureau st. Paul Globe, !
CorcOrdn Building.

Special to The St. Paul Globe.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-The form
Of vengeance adopted by the inhabi-
tants of Hogansville, Ca, in the case
Of Postmaster Loftin, who refused to
die or resign after the recent assault
upon his life, is not a new one in
postal circles The boycott has given
the postoffice department. almost as
much trouble as it has given the in
dustrial world. 1t has not been con-
fined to the South or to negro post
masters. During the last administra-
ton 1t flourished so vigorously in
various parts of the North that First
Assistant Postmaster General Jones
made it subject OF special treatment
in his report for 1894, and Representa-
tive Henderson, of North Carolina.
prepared a bill to forbid a resort to
such means of annoying obnoxious
poStmaSterS.
In fourth class postoffices the COM
pensation of postmasters depends
mainly on the number Of stamps they
cancel on mail matter actually sent
through their postoff1Ces Their re-
ports to the department on this point
have to be taken as truthful till
proved otherwise, as it would be i'm
keeping them constantly under official
surveillance. But the surest sign the
department receives that the boycott
has been Instituted at any office is
the sudden interest which the local
townspeCple disclose in the affairs of
the Office, in the way of sending to the
department voluntarily their observa-
mail matter which have passed
through the Office, thus enabling the
department to keep tab" on the post
masters accounts.
If, after comparison or two of this
sort, 1t is obvious to the department
that the postmaster has been making
excessive returns for the purpose of
swelling his income, an inspector is
sent to the spot. His investigation,
four times out of five, discloses the
fact that the postmaster was tempted
into wrongdoing by boycott declared
by his neighbors upon him. This, of
course, does not absolve the post
master or release his bondSnen from
liability; but it gives the department.
a great deal Of annoyance and usually
spurs 1t to a pretty vigorous policy
toward the patrons Of that office.
One way in which the department re-
Dukes boycotting is, after issuing due
warning, to abolish the Office Altogether
Then the offending patrons are driven
havior in the future on condition of
getting their office back, or of venting
their further spite upon themselves by
going a much longer distance than
usual to mail their letters-perhaps as
far as the next town. This is a resort
to which the department does not like
to be driven, if possible to avoid it, for it
has the bad effect of Furnishing inno-
cent patrons equally with the guilty.
Hence, Mr.. Jones's desire to prohibit
postoffice boycotting by law, and thus
put the whole community on it's good
behavior in the first instance.
One Of the noteworthy cases which
arose under the last administration was
that at Manorville, Long Island. For
twenty-five years the postoffice was To-
Gated at the store of G. w. Raynor, a
leading Republican. When Mr.. Cleve-
land became president for the first time
a Democrat was appointed to succeed
Raynor, but by friendly arrangement
| the office was left at Raynor's store,
postmaster. When the second Cleve-
land administration came in it found
Mr.. Raynor back in his old place. to
which he had been restored during the
Harrison administration. A Democrat
was appointed again-this time one E.
w. Lane, a rival storekeeper. whose
place of business was at the other end
much aggrieved at this appointment;
not that they necessarily objected to
a Democrat, but Mr.. Lane was charged
whit having, during Raynor's term,
kept a supply Of postage stamps at his
| store, so as to have the patrons of the
office buy Of him, mail their letters on
passenger trains or at other stations,
and thus cut down the business of his
rival.
When, therefore, Lane was appointed
postmaster and removed the office to
his store. the friends of Raynor re-
sorted to the same tactics which Lane
had practfced when the cases We're re-
versed. But Lane was an energetic and
| outspoken man, and he lost no time in
appealing to Washington. Meanwhile,
the department had been very much ex-
ercised by the treatment its new Dem
ocratic postmasters were receiving in
other parts of the country, and resolv-
ed, in the absence Of any prohibitory
statutes, to rebuke this town and 9TH
ers by showing them the futflity of a
| struggle with the government An or
der was issued directing that the rail-
way mail car while passing through
T Mancrville should be locked so that
matter could not be posted on it, and
by request of the department the en-
ployes of the Long Island railroad re-
ceived orders to accept no letters or