Arizona republican., 1900-09-06
THE LETTER CARRIERS.
The Convention and Parade at De
 troit Mich.

Detroit. Mich. Sept. 5.-Detroit grace
 fully capitulated today to an army composed Of fully 5.000 letter carriers, who invaded the city with banners fly ing and bands playing. They came from all parts of the country to take part in a big parade today and the eleventh annual convention of the National As sociation of Letter Carriers which be- gins its business sessions here tomor- TOW morning. IL is estimated that there wer5. fully COCO men in line this afternoon. Large delegations. each with it's own band at it's head. were furnished by Chicago. Cincinnati, Grand Rapids. Columbus, and Ann Arbor. Toronto. Hamilton. and other cities across the border Were lis1 rep resented by federal delegations.
 The line was lead by John =. lar ,ns. national president. and other iheer. If the association. among the number be- ing Postmaster General Snli,... A. W. Machen. superintendent e th. free e. livery system: W. Edens. superinten- dent of the free delivery system of the western district. and PostH-a-.sr C ..- don of Chicago. After the parade luncheon was served to the carriers in the Light Guard armory. while the wis itiug bands gave q concert. This even ing there will be a reception with ad- dresses by a. number of men of national prominence.
 The sessions of the convention will occupy several days. The most import ant matter tn be considered is the p-n- sion bill. It is not the purpose of the carriers to ask congress to give them anything. but simply to ask for the passage of a law requiring a percentage of their salaries to be deducted. the money SD deducted to be used tO create a fund. on which carrIers having serve twenty years or more may be retired on half pay. The reports to be pres nt- ed to the convention will show that the association has made gratifying pro- eress both numerically and financial y during the last twelve months. Tha same is true of the mutual benefit in surarce branch of the association.
 The present officers Cf the National association are: President. John II. Parsons. New York vice-president. Charles T. Duffy. Chicago: secretary, r.. J. CantweH. Brooklyn: treasurer Alexander McDonald. Grand Rapids.
 The association was given birth at a conference of letter carriers held in Milwaukee in August. 1889. The flea of the founders was that only by unity of purpose and method could the condition of this important body of H. QG0 federal employees be improved. Tha main object at the time of organization was to secure an increased salary fo, letter carriers, and its laGors during the first year of it's existence were chiedy to that end. The first annual convention was held in Boston in 1890. About fifty cities were represented. and there wera ffty-three branches of the association. During the last decade the association has increased rapidly in membership until it now embraces the carriers in all the chief cities of the country. Sine the Boston gathering conventions have been held in Detroit. GndianapOis Kan sas City, Cleveland Grand Rapids. San Francisco. Toledo and scranton.
 The policy cf the association is now and always has been to c1-operate With the postofiice department for the inn pr0Vement of the service. and as a Ie- suit the utmost friendly feeling exists between the officials of the postonfce department and the national associa- tion. In the last report of Perry s. Heath as first assistant pcs master gen. eral. he spoke in the highest terms Of the association and gave it a great deal of credit for the high state of effcfsncy existing in the free delivery service.