The St. Louis Republic., 1901-06-02
Post Office Department Official Ex'
plains What Is Necessary
to BE Done.
REASONS FOR RESTRICTIONS,
General Effort Is to Avoid Confu-
sion in Names of Towns and
States-How to Name
the Postmaster.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Washington, June l-"Every few days
am asked how a post office is established,
said a Post Office Department official To-
day las there are few preliminary
wrinkles connected with the proceeding
which must be observed before the lea"ihs
citizen may affix the initials p. NJ. aiter
his name. they will be found of general IN
terest If briefly described.
THE first thing 10 do is TO decide upon d
name. This seems easy. but the department
has snags in the form OF rules on this point
which may cause several attempts TO be
made before finally successful. because they
are not generally known outside OF the Ok
fice.
There must be no post office OF the same
name already in the State, ror one Of such
spelling as might cause the postal clerks 10
confuse the Two For instance, there Is l.
Mauricetown ami Norristown in New Jer-
sey and a Charlestown and Charleston In
West Virginia. Trouble. confusion of mail
and profanity these and other similar
names have occasioned. These offices We're
established before the present rules went
into effect. and neither office will now con-
sent TO a change.
Some Causes Of Confusion.
Also. IL there il name of another post
Office In another State the abbreviation OF
which resembles the State in which the Of
6ce is sought 10 be established the name
will be rejected. II the people OF a commu-
pity in Tennessee agree upon Pleasant
WILLIE and If there is an office of the same
hame in Pennsylvania. they will be request
ed to select another name. because Tennes-
see when abbreviated TO Tenn. resembles
pennsylvania when abbreviated to Penn,
II being borne in mind that all of us do not
write oopper-plate hand The Authorization
Va for Virginia is easily mistaken for the
Pa of Pennsylvania.
Mail for offices of the same name in the
States of Colorado and California is being
constantly missent, to the annoyance Of The
public and postal employees. for the reason
that people abbreviate these States Col
and the same holds true to New York
and New Jersey. as people are careless al
forming their Us and Js in writing the
Giitials Indicative Of these two States.
Many Attempts Made.
The reason of the rule thus becomes very
apparent Sometimes a dozen attempts will
be made before a name which will suit the
department will be accepted II must be Of
single word. unless for peculiar local,
historical or particular business reasons q
double name is permitted. Communities de-
string post offices should always submit
ten or more proposed names for selection.
arranged in their order of preference. Dur
ing the Spanish War and Immediately there
after the names of Dewey. Schley. Samp-
son. Hobson Mckinley Manila and SAN
tiago for post offices poured into the de-
partment by the hundreds. and such as
der the rule / have given were granted.
while there Is no prescribed number Of
names necessary to a petition for new
post Office. there should be enough to indi-
eate its need. A dozen or two signatures Of
fesidents are sufficient. though some petit
Uons have over loo names
Selecting the Postmaster.
THE name OF the person desired for POST
onaster should always be stated in the petit
tfon. The department accepts the recon-
. Hnendation Of a Representative or Senator
of the same political faith final usually
in the appointment of the first and succeed
ing Postmasters. In some States the petit
tions are forwarded directly to the Repre-
sentative for his Endorsement and transmits
sion to the department. This Is an excel
lent practice. II saves time. unless the
; Representative IL one Of the lazy sort. who
allows his mail to accumulate. and then It
causes trouble.
IF there is no Representative Of the same
political faith of the administration in that
district. the department designates one or
more men, who are termed referees. and
whose recommendations are accepted. These
referees are usually ex-Representatives. Ma
tional Committeeman or other men of high
standing In the party and State"