Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-12-06
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES
THE ELECTION OF MAIL CARRIERS.

THE ELECTION OF MAIL CARRIERS.
An important step was taken toward
placing the free rural mail delivery in
this country upon firm basis when, on
Wednesday last, President Roosevelt
signed an order bringing the system into
the classified civil service. Although
the order become effective Immediately,
so far as concerned the clerks, inspectors
and special agents of the service, those
employees will not, strickly speaking,
be numbered among those of the regular
classified service until formal regulations
have been adopted for the appointment
of rural carriers.
How best to select the carriers has
been somewhat puzzling to those who
have had the matter in charge. 1t seems
now, however, that the plan likely to
be decided upon is that of virtually al
lowing the country people who receive
the service to make the selections them
selves. That is to say, the residents of
place will name as candidates several
of their townsmen who they believe are
willing and qualified to perform the
work, and will cast votes in order to
determine which of the names shall be
submitted to the Department The
candidates, of course, will be expected
to apply personally for the appointment.
When the votes are received in Wash
ington, an inspector will be sent out
whose duty it will be to investigate
carefully the character of the candidates
and to subject them to such simple and
preliminary tests as may seem necessary
to assure their fitness.
They will probably be asked to show
their ability to write legibly, and also to
read ordinary writing; to give receipt
for money which is to be forwarded by
money order; to execute properly the
reports which they will be required to
send regularly to headquarters, and
possibly to do one or two other things
of a similar nature. When they eXami
nation is finished, the inspector will
forward his report to the Department
with a suggestion that John Smith, we
will say, shall receive the appointment
of carrier; and unless thereafter some
good reason arises for rejecting job n
Smiths name, he will be duly appointed,
1t is argued that no plan for selecting
The carriers could be more likely to in
sure the popularity and permanent sue
cess of the free delivery system than
the one outlined above; that it would
result, practically, in securing as a
carrier the best man in given town
among those who may wish to undertake
the work; and that it should have the
additional merit of guaranteeing. to a
large extent, that personal or political
considerations will not avail to deprive
of the place In question the man most
competent to fill it. Furthermore, if
the mail carriers were chosen in the
manner indicated, there would be less
cause for many of the petty complaints
about this, that and the other postman.
An interesting experiment, perhaps !;
but how many of the reasons alleged
for trying it would not apply with
equal force to many other offices which
the United States Constitution and the
entire administrative system of our gov
eminent make appointive ins tead Of
electlve?- New York Sun.
1000
THE NEW CONGRESS-.
The Fifty-seventh congress, chosen
)
election, begins the work of its first
session on Monday, Dec. 3. Like its
predecessor, the Ffty-sxth congress, it
is strongly Republican. Both branches,
indeed, of the new congress have a slight
ly increased Republican majority. In
round figures there are about 200 Repub-
licans and $50 Democrats in the house of
representatives the POpulists and Silver
ties numbering only s. In the senate
there are several vacant seats, and Della
ware, notably, is without representation
owing to the protracted deadlock in the
legislature caused by the persistence of
the fight for and against Addicks. A
full senate consists of 80 members, and
the Republicans have working plurality
of about 20. An unusually large proper
ton of the members of the last house of
representatives have been reelected. For
example, all but one of Indianas l3
members belonged to the last congress.
There is only one new member in Iowa's
delegation of IL. In Missouris - seats
there is not a single change. The dele
cation from Maine, Connecticut, from
Georgia and louisiana, from New Jersey