Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-03
Will Confront New Chairman.

Will Confront New Chairman.
These facts will be before the chairman
of the committee on post Offices and post
roads. whoever he may be- Should the
chairman of that committee fail to favor
an increase in the salaries of the letter car
rers it is generally believed that he will
have against him, wherever he may have
his home. the same influences for defeat
that were aroused against Mr.. Loud.
It is to be seen whether these facts will
have any effect on the ambition of repre-
sentativeS who may be eligible for appoint
ment to the craftsmanship of that commit
ee. With Loud out of the way the rank
ing member of the committee, as constltut-
ed in the last Congress, is ketcham OF New
York. Because of his defective hearing and
consequent inability to participate in de-
bate on the floor of the House. it is believed
that he will not wish the craftsmanship, as
the chairman of that committee VIII De
liable to be called UP to defend whatever
position is taken by the committee. Smith
of Illinois. Gardner of New Jersey, Sperry
Of Connecticut. Bingham of Pennsylvania,
Cromer of Indiana, Hedge of Iowa, Slpley
of PENNSYLVANIA and Boutell of Illinois, all
republicans. rank on the committee In the
order in which they are named.
Bromwen of Ohio would have been a
likely member for selection chairman of
the committee had he remained in Con-
gress but he served as the representative
OF his Cincinnati district longer than any
one else ever served, and declined re-
nomination which he might have had.
Loud Defends His Course.
Former Representative Loud has been in
the city during the last few days. He
takes a complaisant view of his defeat Tor
reelection, although he regards with in
terest the future developments of the con-
test that has been made for an increase OF
the salaries of letter carriers.
IF il were merely a matter OF lncreas-
ing the salaries and involved no more than
the increased expenditure for that pur-
pose" he remarked in reply to question,
lit might have been just as well 1or Con-
gresS to grant the increase when the mat
ter was first brought UP and in that way
dispose of It, But the consequences to the
government are far beyond that In the
first place. 1t is not right to give the lowest
| class of employees the largest salaries.
| After his second year of service a letter
| carrier gets $1,000 year. He enters the
service with salary of $500 is raised, re-
| CARELESS of any special merit, after the
| first year TO $500 and in like manner is in
| creased to $1,000 after the second year.
| Twenty per cent of the letter carriers are
employed in gathering mail which work
calls for a very low grade of ability and
intelligence.
Even the carriers do not represent the
same grade of necessary ability as do the
clerks in the offices, and yet they are given
higher pay. The clerks enter with $500 a
year and upon merit they may be in
creased 800 year, against the sure in
crease. without any special ability, of the
carriers of 500 year On an average the
| carriers are paid 500 a year more than
| the clerks.
but that is still the least part of the
contest that has been carried on for an in
| crease of these salaries
IF the carriers succeed in securing the
| increase to S1,2GO per annum, for which
they have been contendng. other classes OF
employees in the Post Office Department
will take the same course they have taken
! to get increased salaries, and in justice
| they should have them in that event. The
| letter carriers, rural carriers post office
] clerks and the railway mail clerks number
| about G00OO, to say nothing of the 10000
fourth-class postmasters. If the increase
of salaries should be granted to these
| G0O0O employees the result would be an
| added deficit in the postal revenues of be-
| tween $1,000 600 and S200GOO0O. The esti-
| mated deficit for the next fiscal year is
| about $1,000 600, and for the present year
| the actual deficit Is between four and five
millions.
| 'All these classes of employees have moved
In the direction of securing higher pay.
| This campaign for increased salaries
naturally involves nothing that will give
| any increased income to the Post Office De-
| partment. Just let shrinkage occur In
! the business of the department of the kind
that came after the panic of 1898. and
| there will be condition that will make
people think about this matter that Is very
| little understood at this time. III Is not I'M
| reasonable to suppose that in such an event
the shrinkage in postal revenues might be
| as much as 10 per cent.
| Congress estimates for supposed in
| crease of postal revenues from year to
year. and makes the appropriation on that
| basis. Let them make an appropriation
| in that way and then let the revenues fall
! off 10 per cent. Then this matter will be
| understood In a very short time.
House Was Not Powerless.
| IT never advocated the increase in the
| salaries of letter carriers because I never
believed they should have it. A good many
other members may have found it con-
| venient to tell the advocates of this meas
ure that they favored 1t when they knew
| It should not be done. But they got no such
| talk from me while l was chairman of the
| committee on post Offices and post roads.
| 1T has been said that three-fourths OF the
| members of the House were ready to vote
| for this increase. Well. then why didn I
| they do It? The idea that chairman of a
| committee alone can defeat legislation is an
| error that Is known to every one who knows
about the working of the House. He can
| prevent legislation that the House doesn
| want. but he is helpless in preventing any
| haino hat ha wa ms