Evening star., 1902-01-13
10 Take Oath as Postmaster General
Wednesday.
CALLED ON The PRESIDENT TODAY
Declines to Talk Now on Postal
Matters.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF HIM

HCJ ~ G. Payne of Milwaukee. who has
besn elected by President Roosevelt to
succeed Charles Emory Smith as Post
master General, arrived in Washington last
night He expects to be induc:ed into Of
flee Wednesday morning and to take the
oath Of office in the cabinet room at the
White House at 10 o'clock. 1t will be ad-
m:n.stersd by a justice of the Supreme
Court and Mr.. Payne will Immediately take
charge of his department. With Mrs. Payne
and her niece. Miss Louise Van Dyke
Jones. he has taken apartments in the
Arlington. where the party intends to re-
main a month or longer. Mr.. Payne plans
possibly to rent a house here and establish
his wife and niece as the mistresscs of a
new cabinet home.
AS soon as possible after his arrival at
the Arlington. which was about s o'clock
yesterday evening, the new Postmaster
General and the retiring head of the de-
partment came together for conference
on postal affairs. They had been together
only few minutes when they left the ho-
tel. walked to the residence of Senator
Spooner and included him in their discus
sion This morning Mr.. Payne received
several senators and representatives in the
lobby of the hotel. went to the White House
and paid his respects to the President and
gave the remaining time to Mr.. Spooner.
He expects to become acquainted with the
present situation in the Post Office Depart
ment between now and Wednesday morn
ing
No Idea on Postal Matters.
Il have no idea on any postal matter
he said to reporter for The Star this
morning My private affairs have occu-
pied me recently 20 the exclusion of every
thing else. l have been so rushed in ar
ranging for my journey to Washington that
L have been unable even to think of the
Post Office Department. Accordingly /
have no inclination to talk department af-
fairs for publication. and / have not done
so.
Some one misquoted me recently as an
ardent advocate Of penny postage. 1t
seems to me that penny postage is only
question of time. l believe in il 10 that ex-
tent But Ii is a question of time. and
must be approached from that point of
view.
"On all other subjects which have been
brought to my attention by interyiewers /
haven't even an opinion. l don't know
whether or not there are to be any changes
in the post office force. l have no opinion
as to the abuse of second-class mail mat
Ter l am not intimately acquainted with
the rural free delivery system. About the
only thing I have decided is that nv sec
retary is to come to Washington and re-
main with me here.
Mrs. Payne and Miss Jones will be with
me permanently, but they are to return to
Milwaukee temporarily in the course of the
next few days
His knowledge Understood.
Notwithstanding his disavowal of all
IDEAS on postal matters MIR. Payne is be-
neved to have brought to his new office
very complete knowledge of the Post Office
Department. For ten years he served as
postmaster of Milwaukee and his admin
istration of that Office is said to have been
uniformly successful and progressive in the
extreme. He has been frequently quoted In
his home papers as a consistent supporter
during the term of that service of any rea-
sonable plan to lessen the abuse of the SEQ
ond-class mail privilege. His admjnistra-
tion of the Post Office Department is CON
sequently expected to be based upon a most
practical knowledge of the operation of
post offices and to include several radical
extensions of the service