Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-02
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
To Classify the Rural Free Delivery
Service.
DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO SOLVE
Admiral Dewey Talks on the
SchIey Case.
TODAY'S APPOIN TMENTS

placed under the classified service as soon
as practicable, probably some time during
the coming winter. This was determined
upon by the President soon after he sue
ceeded to the presidency and after he had
talked with Postmaster General Smith and
others. He has since talked with members
Of the civil service commission as to his
intentions.
The rural free delivery is one of the few
branches OF the government service remain
ing unclassified. and is destined to be an
important department of the government.
The details of this classification have not
as yet been arranged but will be as soon
as possible. The President looks to Post
master General Charles Emory Smith and
Civil Service Commissioner w. D. Foulke
to arrange the details. There will be no
difficulty whatsoever in classifying the ru-
raj free delivery clerks in Washington and
the special agents and inspectors in the
field. The same rules that now apply to
the other bureaus of the Post Office De-
partment can by the stroke of a pen be
made applicable to these employees The
difficulty comes with the rural carriers.
Each of these must have his own horse,
and must be personally acquainted with
the people living along his route. He must
have their confidence, for he has authority
to sell money orders and postal notes, and
to the carrier unless he knows him, partic-
ularly as the carrier is generally expected,
after making out the note or postal order,
to mail it for the purchaser. In such cir
cumstances it will not do to select carriers
by competitive examination. The carrier.
to be efficient, must live in the county
wherein his route lies. Some method must
be devised to insure his selection regardless
of political considerations, and to get the
best man obtanable for the work. That is
the problem which Civil Service Commits
sioner Foulke must solve. And in the t So
luton he must adopt an entirely new line,
for competitive examination, as he fully
appreciates, is impractcable in this case.
The system, however. will make the car
rier a permanent employe, removable
only for inefficiency. The President and
his advisers think the extension of the
merit system to this service will make it
even better than it now is.
How the Service Has Crown.
Comparatively few people fully under
stand how the rural free delivery service
has grown since it was started, October Is,
1896, just few days more than five years
ago. Then it was only an experiment, for
which Congress appropriated $4,000. Now
it has been proved successful and is being
as rapidly as possible. and will.
within a comparatively short time, cover
all the rural parts of the United States,
except the sparsely populated portions of
the mountain regions In the west. The ap-
for this service for the present
fiscal year amounts to s., 100000 which IS
ending June 80 last For the ffscal year
which ended June 80, 1860, only $4jO,0DO
was expended. but that was three times as
much as Congress appropriated for the
year preceding. that ending June 80. 1899,
and the 1899 appropriation was three times
that of the year before, which ended June
30, 1898. Postmaster General Charles En-
ory Smith is so convinced Of the impor-
tance Of this service that he has recon-
mended to Congress that the appropriation
for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1902,
be $6,250,OO0. an increase Of s., 750. 600. and
every cent of that sum will be advantage
ously expended. If the department could
keep up with the demand for rural free de-
livery, which eventually means the abot-
lshment of almost all of the fourth-class
post ofhces-that is, If 1t could investigate
requests for the service and arrange for
them-it could spend prof1tably twice as
much as will be asked of Congress. The
trouble is that much has to be done that
It cannot be done as quickly as Superin-
tendent A. w. Machen would like, and yet
the service is being extended at a remark
ably rapid rate. In the past four months
l 800 new free delivery routes have been
established, an average Of 325 a month. On
route covers an average of twenty-five
square miles. The population served is es-
timated to be 3,SO0.000 inhabiting 10000
square miles of territory. AS a carrier Is
with $500 routes Uncle Sam employs a
small army in this service, which really
has only begun. And it Is an interesting
fact that the service has caused a large
Increase In the amount Of mail in the sec
tons covered, SO while the cost is not ir-
creased much, if any, compared to the
post Office system, the revenue
promises to be largely increased. The sys-
tenn has. then, become permanent one,
which will grow steadily until it Is one of
the most important under the government
Admiral Dewey's Call.
Admiral Dewey called on President Roose-
velt this morning. but there was no dis
cussion Of the Schley court Of inquiry, ex-
cept in the statement by the admiral that
the case would be concluded in a few days.
Then our labors will begin" said the
admiral. "Yes, there has been work in
this case. When Secretary Long asked
me to go on the court told him that had
rather go through fight In Manila bay
again." and the admiral laughed when he
said this. 1--WE have been at work many
weeks now continued Admiral Dewey,
and the court Is coming to the hardest
part of its work, that of deciding upon the
various questions have able associates.
however, and realize that we are on trial
before the country as well as Admiral
Schley. TWO abler, better or more honest
a.
mirals Benham and Ramsey"
Admiral Dewey said that the court would
take up each charge in the nre
cept. review the testimony on that charge
and then express an opinion. He did not
know certainly that this would b, done as
he had not discussed the case with his
associates, but 1t had occurred to him as
good plan. Furthermore, he knew thar t,s
American people would want the courts
reasons in detail and were entitled to Know
them. He did not know who would write
these things. The court had given no
thought to that.
Presidents Appointments.
The President today made the following
appointments:
War-Charles B. Nichols, to be surgeon
of volunteers, with rank of naajor; Joseph
s. Heron, to be captain OF cavalry; James
B. Mitchell. to be captain in the Artillery
Corps; George G.. Broome, to be first lieu
tenant In the Porto Rico Provisional Regi-
ment OF Infantry: Willis C. MetcaIf, to be
first lieutenant in the Porto Rico Provision
al Regiment of Infantry: Charles II. An
drews. to be surgeon OF volunteers, with
nank Of major; Engene Van N. Bisseu, to
pc second lfeaItenant OF cavalry.
Quests OF the Presidcnt.
Secretary Hay and President James J.
Hin OF the Great Northern railway dIned