The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-05

ciates have made today will deepen this
public respect for body of devoted
men whose work comes more directly
home to the people than that OF any
other class of public agents.
The noble spectacle we have wit
messed today recalls to my mind an in
cident of nearly year ago which you
Will permit me to relate. At the great
Peace Jubilee of Chicago last October,
twelve hundred letter carriers of the
Chicago postofilce participated in the
Imposing procession. They were stall
wart and vigorous men. Intelligence
alertness and fidelity were written on
their bright faces. In their full uni
form and marching steadily by COM
pany front, they presented as fine an
appearance as any men N the long line
The president of the United States re-
viewed the whole column. When about
half the postal regiment had passed be-
fore him he turned to me, standing at
his side, and with a sentiment of ad-
miration which he made no attempt to
conceal. he said: "Mr Postmaster Gen
eral. aren't you proud of your boys?'
Yes Mr.. President" I answered, 1T
am proud of what you call my boys,
and 1t is the first time ever quite COM
pretended why the head of the post
office department is called general"
There can be no general without true
and intrepid soldiers. Behind Dewey
stood the heroic men at the guns. Be-
hind Roosevelt and Wheeler and Haw-
kins and Lawton and Macarthur stood
the gallant representatives Of Ameri-
can valor who followed them on the
fighting line. Behind the president
stand the true and loyal American peo-
pie upholding him In his patriotic
American policy. You are a typical
part of the great postal force of the
United States. That force numbers
nearly or quite $4,000 men. 1t In
cludes much more than one-half the
entire civil establishment OF the coun-
try. 1t equals our whole army in the
Spanish war and is more than double
the army at the present time.
Every division Of that great force
the $4,000 postmasters, the faithful body
of hard working clerks, the skilled and
devoted CORPS who man the wonderful
railway postofflces--all honor the SER
vice and deserve well at the hands OF
their countrymen. But you who are
gathered here represent that portion OF
the postal army which comes closest
to the homes of the people. Your in
vasion is peaceful and welcome. You
are the daily visitor. Your campaign
| goes right on in the rainy as we'll as in
| the dry season. You do not stop for
storm or tempest. There is no finer
| sample Of steadfast and conscientious
service than that of the letter carrier
| who braves all weathers and all condi-
| tions in his daily rounds.
! 3 | am glad and proud to see the spirit
which animates you. The glory of the
| service is not in its material structures
| or its outward symbols. but I'M the life
| and essence which inspire It. The true
grandeur OF our country is not the
magnitude of its territory, or the
wealth of it's boundess resources, or
| the marvellous raDidity of it's mighty
growth or the resistless march of It's
| teeming prosperity, magnificent as
these are. but the higher and domnat-
Ing truth that IL is a majestic republic,
the greatest in history. founded on the
fundamental principle of liberty regu-
lated by law and standing for the ad-
! vancing civilization of the world. The
| true glory of our victorious army and
! navy is not their organization. not
their equipment. not even their achieve
ments. resplendent as these have been.
| but the fact that they represent the
| quality and valor and manhood of the
| American character and the American
| resolution that where the flag goes in
the course of duty and destiny, there II
shall be maintained
And so the true glory of the postal
service is not In the stately structures
| which adorn many of our cities, not in
the vastness and minuteness of its
reach, not in the splendid organization
(which unifies the whole and makes IL
such an effective system, but in the
high spirit of fidelity and zeal and as
piration which underles all. and which
gives its energizing force to the SER
vice. You are not simply the employees
of a great official machine. We are all
the holders of public trust. The peo-
pie have the right to ask and to expect
the highest purpose and the best en-
deavor from you and from me. I car
testify that they get 1t from you. The
best way to promote any cause or in
terest we may be supposed to represent