Evening star., 1901-04-18
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
It's Application to the Letter Carrier
Force.

What has the civil service done for LEFT
ter carriers in a nutshen?' said weIl-in-
formed young postman to a Star reporter
TINS morning, We'll, it's done a great
oeal- III give you an Illustration.
ihere are 16.427 letter carriers in the
service, OF whom LOO receive 5000 per an
mum; fsl, $500; 1851, $3.50. and g. 765. s., 900
me totai sum OF Sl6OO0.0oO will be required
1or their salaries. which will also include
promotions, substitutes. temporary carriers
at summer resorts, holiday service and
other emergencies, and for carriers to serve
routes or carriers employed on civil service
boards.
During the past year there have been
446 separations from the service We
can't correctly say removals as there were
lIo deaths, and 142 designations. so the gen.
eric term used is separation and II in
cludes every know kind of reason WHY a
man leaves the service. For instance
slxty-nve carriers were separated for In
tox1catlon, twenty-three for arrest and vio-
iations or the postal laws and regulations
ninety-two for gross violations Of the postal
laws and regulations. which means princi-
pally the infractions of the rules. which
cannot be condoned, and eight for physical
disability.
"A loss Of only 446 men from all causes,
including death and resignation, in a sin
gle year from an army of over 16. 600 speaks
very highly, not only for the administration
OF the branch of the service which EMPLOYS
them. but for the personnel of the men
employed.
The percentage Of separations has stead
lily decreased since 1893, in which year, in
Guiding deaths and designations but ex-
Guiding removals for cause 1t was SO per
cent. In 1900 it was but 80 per cent The
percentage of removals for cause in 1913
was g. and In 1900. only LII, indicating
remarkably healthy state of the service
manifest reduction of percentage, and a
condition rejecting great credit upon the
carriers as a body.
suits are directly traceable TO the operation
of the civil service rules But for the en-
forcement of the law any jimcrack who had
the pull could get on the force, and IL the
pull was strong enough could resist efforts
to cause his removal for incompetency The
officials would find themselves as reluctant
though they might be to be placed in such
a position. powerless to withstand the pres
sure froom politicians and men to whom
they directly or indirectly owed their own
places. Old carriers would be squeezed out
by sheer force of circumstances, new men
would bungle their work. and the whole
service would soon be in complete state
of decentralization as regards efficiency A
carrier would not have the pleasant secur-
ity he now enjoys so long as he Is faithful
and attends to his own business. He would
never know that there would not be another
man at his table in the morning and that
on the night before he had made his last
delivery.
THE public too would feel the change at
once in the poor mail service resulting Let
ters would so astray. be misdelivered
stolen and lost. The department would be
deluged with angry inquiries from all quar-
ters. and some of the loudest kickers would
be the men in and out of Congress- who
cherish and advocate the spoils system.
The present fine system OF city mail de-
livery would be twisted and awry the poll
ticians and their adherents would descend
upon the department like a hungry army,
and confusion worse confounded would
reign. 1t takes several years to make q
good letter carrier out Of a man Of average
intelligence. There Is no branch Of the gov
ernment service where training counts for
81 much as In the postal"