Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-19
The Local Post Office and the P. o. D.

The statements made by Mr.. Seymour
Tulloch concerning the relations of the Post
Office Department and the Washington city
post Office during the last part of his serv-
ice as cashier of the latter establishment
and concerning Irregularities of more or
less gravity developing by reason of those
relations afford two suggestions OF lmme-
date interest. 1t is to be assumed that the
Postmaster General will examine the def
mite charges of Irregularities to ascertain IL
they still exist and to correct them II they
do. Indeed Mr.. Payne has so declared his
intention and has taken steps to have Mr..
Tulloch's allegations sifted and investi-
gated.
But of more intimate consequence to the
people of Washington is the fact that Mr..
Tulluch's statements tend to corroborate
and emphasize the contention advanced by
The Star repeatedly in the past that the
local postmaster should be Washington
man. and that if possible the local office
should not be housed with the Post Office
Department. In short everything possible
should be done to prevent this local office
from becoming a mere bureau OF the
national department.
Washington a city is entitled to and
should be given a postmaster and a post
office of it's own. The local postal revenues
are derived entirely from the local commu-
nifty, the heavy official mail which forms so
large a part of the matter handled by this
office being carried free under the govern
ment frank. Thus the local community Is
made to care gratuitously for the govern
ment mails and the office is usually given
as a political reward to some outsider or
Is degraded into a mere cierkship of the
lions thus established result irregularities
of administration and conditions which
might easily develop into worse than irIeg
ularities.
The Washington postmaster should be Sc
lected from the community which he serves
in so intimate a capacity, just as the post
masters of other cities are citizens of their
bailiwicks The principle of home rule ap-
plies peculiarly to this office, which handles
local money and renders such a close indi-
vidual service to the District. Furthermore,
all local post offices are Independent of the
department to a certain extent save on GER
tain we'll defined lines of departmental ad-
ministration If the department intervenes
in the conduct of the affairs of the local
office 1t Is a matter of record. 1t should be
so In Washington. but it is stated that it
frequently has not been so since the local
office was housed in the granite structure
on Pennsylvania avenue. together with the
department 1t will be remembered that The
Star entered protest against the change of
the plan for the disposition of this building
which was originally designed to house the
Washington city post office and miscella-
neous bureaus of the government When
1t was proposed to locate the Post Office
Department in the upper floors this paper
cited the fate of the local office in past
years when it was a tenant by sufferance
of the Seventh street building, being con-
tinually pressed into narrower quarters and
finally ousted without ceremony when the
department needed more room.
The joint housing of the local and the
general offices is type of the unduIy close
relations which exist between the two in
administrative matters. making of the local
Office mere annex or bureau of the de-
partment. to be manipulated. 1t would ap-
pear from Mr.. Tulloch's charges. for the
payment of political debts and to be used
Tor purposes impossible in any other city
post office In the country.