The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-04-24
u.szsr
CLEVELAND sTARTFn =.
srans Rise Of "Ris Gusp
the Postal Den.a Machen il

Washington. Anril % .nsnt'
washington IN 1909 Gown upo,
than' NJ ONCE, Augustus W NJ viii
> ,,,a assam postmaster AZ Naaehen
was !. rsI In postmaster in 1Moiedo
Cleyeland by marriage Of ctusede
calculated to facilitate M ireafnstancr
lansing easily on a good thMaachen il
Wy, AFTER weeks and even manng; One
soAs by, Governor Campbell ~ a hat
4 Nam friend of the assistant ~ ohio, =;
yer IN Toledo, visited the Whitpa os5mas.
by a friend in this M1ouse
aho,t Ma ! 20 speak to the presis..
TWO We're leaving Mr.. CievaIannu' as tbs
nee. eVeiand' pres.
That's So" said the povar,.
thereupon returned. 'nor, ant
Is that fellow still here? ?" axo
MT. CIeSeland. fondling the lift,a met
upon the top of his forehead, nc cur
rsn m1nI IN p~erpiex1ty. when Covers WAS
appointment for Mr.. Machen' Oh ar
Yes. said the governor. who
WEI mat MT. Machen had come hera .e ~
the nope OF becoming first assissiI
postmaster general. assistant
what will he be willing ia +.L
asked the president. axe"
aIfnost anything," replied the gov.
How will the place as sunerinto.
ent OF free delivery suit?" eho'
That's splendid"
Mr.. Machen's First Start.
Thus Mr.. Machen, then ~ yeor.
entered the public service, where ha Nv nv.
Waxed great. Sometimes thew coli h nas
Big Gus." A powerful United VI ias
senator mo- many months ago rerresr1red
TO MIN as The Keystone OF the ent,re
dlnlculty In the postoffice department
NO mater what other things persons
may say about him, everyone apraas
that he has grown to great nfinsnes
IN the administration of postal q ffairs
and Will not be deposed from of1oa
without a fight which will make itsslt
felt in every political quarter.
NO other bureau Of the government
mas increased in Importance in the LAST
decade as has the bureau OF free de-.
livery. From his roomy office on the
Iourtn moor, northwest corner of the
postomce building, Mr.. Machen is in
immediate command Of a postal army
OF $4,000 men. The ultimate All.
monty, OF course, reaches up 10 First
Assistant Payne, but they have m1ch
less than he to DO with the actual de.
tails.
I came to the head Of the
Office In 1S93," said Mr.. Machen TODAY
careful to talk nothing except the char.
acter 81 the service in view. of pending
Investigations, ut comprised a force Of
fifteen persons. By 1896, I think, the
force had increased to about ninety.
Now I have an office force of 26S with
agents and others on the road
and in the field to increase the number
Of the force to 450. For the rural free
deiVery there are now eight division
and another will be es-
tabiished July l. These headquarters
are now in New York. Philadelnhia
Tenn, Marietta, O., Indian
apolis, ST. Louis, Denver and San Fran
cisco. For the free delivery in cities
there are four assistants; one here in
and each in New York,
Chicago and San Francisco. The as.
sistant Of free delivery in San Fran
is now also acting in charge of,
The rural free delivery division there"
A Big Increase in Carriers.
1.-THE number Of carriers under your oil,
vision has increased enormously?" was
suggested.
Eyes" replied Mr.. Machen, as he,
reached for a report, from which to verify
The figures. July l, 1897, there were for.
.y-four rural letter carriers in the service,
II the United States government. ORa.
rear later the number was 14s and another
year later, 3s1. BY Julye1. 1893. it Will:
15. 500, and 19,O08 nt ! carriers will
oe added to that force itE9the next fiscal,
,ear by reason Of the appropriations by;
he last congress.
I'm 1899, when I came into the service,
here were 11.625 city letter carriers. By
lext July their number will be approxi-i
mately 1880. Then the revenue Of post!
,ffices in cities with free delivery was,
AS, 0oa 600 annually; now it is sec, 900, 600.
"a Wv Or Sn11hJna Ea nh r,,~ a. -
about $50, 900 square miles, out of al
otal available area Of 100000 square!
niles"
Every congressman in the United States
Who has secured a free rural delivery!
cute, for his constituents has got it
through A. w. Machen. Democrats have
,een placed under the same obligations
o him as republicans and this is the rea-
on why political Influences are felt in
lis behalf SO strong that only the clear
st case against him can shake his hold
With the postcffice administration.
~ ~ r