Milford chronicle., 1903-09-18
MISS TODD ACTIVE PARTISAN.
Postmaster General Says DepOSed Green'
wood Official Allowed Office TO Be
Used As fractional Headquarters.
NOLaw Continuing POstmaS-
masters in Office.


Postmaster General Payne gave out
a plain statement regarding the re-
moval of Miss Todd as postmaster at
Greenwood Del. So many statements
pretending to contain the Postmaster
Generals views have been sent out OF
Washington that his authorized ver-
sion. it is believed, will put stop to
all speculation.
That President Roosevelt VIII not ih'
terfere. or at least that he will not re-
verse the action of Postmaster Gene
eral. is almost universally conceded IN
Washington.
MIR. PAYNH's STATEMENT.
"There is no law, regulation or rule
which applies to the department or the
Civil Service Commission regarding
changes in fourth-elass post offices, ex-
cepting that under the administration
of President Mckinley an informal rule
was adopted that postmaster should
not be considered as liable to removal
until he had served a term OF fOuf
years, unless for some cause Affecting
the propriety or ability Of the post
master holding the office.
'When | became Postmaster Gene
raj I endeavored to prevent the re-
moval of postmaster of the fourth class
even after they had served four years.
unless it was from some good cause
but there never was such rule form-
allv adopted. 1 am pleased to say
] that for the most part Senators and
Members OF Congress have acquiesced
in the wish of the department.
CIVIL SERVICE NOT APPLICABLE
s'There appears to be an impression
that aftera fourth-class postmaster has
e been permitted to remain beyond four
d wears that he should then by custom
he permitted to remain another full
term OF wears. No such custom has
:, ever obtained and the practioe Of re-
moving these officials at the pleasure
of the Postmaster General has pre-
a vailed, I believe, since the foundation
r, of the Government until the mOditica'
tion which was put into effect during
"a the term Of President Mckinley. The
9 civil service laws do not apply IN any
respect to fourth-class postmasters.
mWhen the two Republicans Sena
lg tors were elected in Delaware they
d. were put in their relations to the Ad
ministration, upon the same footing
e as anv other Republican United State
n Senators. and were made advisers 0
the department concerning the ap
i. nointment of pOstmasters in the stat
-. Of Delaware. For their convenienc
= the State was divided, Senator Bal
taking the Northern half Of the stat
1T, and Senator Alice taking the eouther
for half. This practice has prevailed j
ne. many Of the other States and is nc
60 sin0le to Della are. Greenwood
. located in Senator Allee's district.
rii- MISS TODD AN ACTIVE PARTISAN.
zone of the rules governing the AZ
tion of postmasters is that postmasI'
la sbaII not allow his office to be mad
ore the headquarters of political party
cry faction of a political party. nor sha
he be aggressively active in stirring
ME factional quarrels, political or otne
the wise. Miss Todd, who was remove
lila from the office OF Greenwood, above
her Office to be, in effect, the hea
,hs quarters Of, and her family and neFs'
'-.-s -. to be the most active factors 10, , =
W. tiOnal political quarrel inside the 4
publican party. This she virtual
admitted in her interview with nae, a
l,of according to the rule referred to ADO
ssts that was sufiicient cause for her
)ast mOVal.
ALL SENATORS EQUAL.
ton, "The department in dealing vi
&C. Senators and members OfCOngress mi
G. treat them uniformly. Mr.. Alice L
,me Senator Of the United States just
,rth much as sSenatOrHOar,O of Massaehuse
is q Senator"