BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-11

with President Cleveland's order of
July ID 1886, which has until recently
been the rule. 1t recited that "the
postmaster is not forbidden to exercise
any political privileges, but should make
proper determinations between what
ought and what ought not to be done
by public officer"
This regulation was formally super
ceded by an order of Postmaster General
Smith on April last, which read: "No
person in the executive civil service
shall use his authority or official influence
for the purpose of interfering with an
election or controlling the result thereof.
Officers and employees of the Post-office
Department and postal service are not
prec1uded from exercising their political
privileges, but must not use their official
positions to control elections or political
movements"
Questions as to the Interpretation of
this rule arose some weeks ago in the
threatened Withdrawal of Representative
Burton from Congress on account of
the hostile activity of Federal Office
holders in his district. The Postmaster
at Cleveland, the Collector of Customs,
and the United States Marshal, it was
alleged, had met in CAUCUS and selected
officers of the County Republican Com
mittee. Mr. Burton inquired if this
was not in violation of any Presidential
order.
President Roosevelt, it is understood.
believes that it is impossible to for4nu-
late in precise language any interpreta-
tie1 of the order in its relation to post
masters which would not work either
injustice or absurdity. He emphasizes
the distin.ion between per -ons in the
classified service, in whose choice and
retention the element Of political consi-
.deration is the )re!icelly absent, and pub
lie officers, like postmasters, wn3se ap
pointment is largely political. 1t will
be recalled that Civil Service Commits i
sioner Fo-l'ke, in rece:.1.. liiscaes;on Of
the right and duty of Cabinet officers
to participate in political campaigns,
brought out the distinction between men
who are a part of the political side of
an Administration necessarily, and
those other Federal servants whose du-
ties are the same, whatever the Admi-
nistration, and their tenure supposedly
unaffected by party changes. Postmas-
ters are held to occupy position mid
way between the Cabinet officer and the
classified service employee. Railway
mail-clerks, however, who are classified,
are forbidden by the order of May Id,
1894, to go as delegates to conventions,
make political speeches, or assist in the
management Of campaigns.
President Roosevelt in recent con-
versation, remarked that il would be
unwise to apply the same rule to the
head of big city post-ofiee, who might
by his actions coerce hundreds of en-
ployees, as to little fourth-class post
master, who merely wished to continue
to act with his neighbors in the custo.
mary way. "Ofice-holders," the Presi. |
dent is quoted as saying, unjust not use
their offices to control political mo-
vements, must not made public
scandal by their political activity, but
outside the classified service all efforts
to 90 further than this in the way of
restriction have signa1ly failed" Mr..
Wyunes letter is doubtless intended as
a specific Interpretation of this position.
An interesting complication is sug-
gested by the proposal of Postmaster
General Payne, soon after he went into
office, to disregard the four-year-term
sor fourth, class postmasters and tomake
hat tenure dependent on satisfactory
conduct of the office. This was appaI
-ently to put them step towards the h
position of the classifed-service empio-
7ees, and hence should correspondentlv
INIT their political activities. lI