The National tribune., 1903-07-30


unreServedly to its keeping, and are un
utterably astoniShed when it betrays that
trust. The postal system has steadily
grown into model of organization and eff
iiciency, which commands universal ad
miration. 1t is one of the Nations great
est factors of civilization, of social, in,
dustrial and intellectual development. II
is the product of many mindS-the result,
ant of combined efforts. energies and as
piratiorS. Its failures are infinitesimal
III number compared with its successes.
Notwithstanding all this. there are de,
fects inherent in its structure and dan
gers incident to its administration which
pertain to no other Governmental func-
ton. 1t is the only purely business enter
prise conducted under National auspices
the only Department having receipts as
well as disbursements, earnings nearly
equal To- its expenditures. 1t is q phase of
socialism bringing numerous selfish mo-
tives and interests into collision, and re-
quiring constant watchfulnesS to preserve
its integrity.
/ TOO MUCH "EXPANsIvE EXPANSION"
The success and efficiency of the postal
service is, to those who are ignorant of
its defects and dangers. strong argu-
ment in favor of the Government owner
snip of railroads. This socialistic scheme,
with its billions of debt, its millions of ad-
ditiOnal pacemen, its transfer of the rail
roads from the control of practical busi-
ness men to the manipulation of polite
ians. and its inevitable opening of the way
to Government control of all business.
has grown in favor because its advocates
have been pushing it with tireleSS persist
ency. while the other side has been COM
paratively inactive. The time has come
for turning on the light. Government
ownership as Il cure for defects in rail
Il
as amputation of a foot to cure a corn.
There is enough of complication and
menace in present postal conditions to
suggest extreme caution as to venturing
| on additional and still more dangerous
features. Taking the service as it now
is, without any additional. eXtraneous
branches. the business and the labor are
| growing So much more rapidly than any
other element of our social economy. that
we nay well pause to inquire whittier
does all this lead-where ~ill all this end!
! There i somewhere Il limit to safety in
| this expansive expansion. even on its
present basis. 1t must be manifest to
any careful thinker that this limit TO
safety-this danger line-will. in all prob
ability. be reached soon enough. without
unnecessary stimulus. AT least, We may
plead for delay until the highest human
wisdom shall be invoked to devise more
accurate and comprehensive accounting
methods than any now in use, before the
| fCod gates are opened to swell the al
ready perl0uS tide.
POSTAL TELEGRAPHs AND SAVINGS BANKS.
Postal telegraph bills are introduced at
every session of Congress, and pushed
with zeal and energy which will ultimate
| ly lead to success. unless all the merits
and dement's of that great undertaking
are fully considered by those charged with
| the responsibility. The promoters call at
tention to the alleged success of the pos
| tai telegraph systems in other countries,
notably England. But official reports show
that England lost in IS years Il. 23o.S9t {
Js. 4d or about S36. 6.000.0 GEO, in operating
her postal teiegraphs. The deficit on
that branch Of the English postal service
is now more than S3,G0000O per annum,
and is steadily growing. Yet England IS
:. compact, populouS and wealthy coiin-
try What the deficit would be under
similar management in the United States
with our immense stretches of sparsely
settled and entirely minha bited territory
may be left to the imagination.
| Propositions for the establishment Of
savings banks in connection with our pres
eGt postal service are urged with equal
pertinacity. None of them shows any re-
gard for the necessity of keeping minute
and accurate accounts. Appeals are made
I
but il is a well-known fact that the Eng
lish Government to-day finds itself unable
| to invest the accumulationS of postal saw
| ings banks in such n manner as to reim-
| burse itself for the interest paid. TO say
nothing of the enormous expenses of ad-
ministration. Every deposit and every
withdrawal in all the postal savings banks
in the country must be reported to the Ac-
countant-General, corresponding to the
| Auditor in this country, where all the ac-
counts are kept and interest computations
made. 1t is safe to say that if the syS-
| tenn were established in this country to-
day and interest paid at the rate these
bills contemplate, LOGO additional clerks
would be required in the Auditors Of
| fee within five years to keep the accounts.
Other suggestions in the same line are
the parccls-post, postal life insurance, the
postal railway system, which is to alb
! sorb all the transportation of the coun-
try, etc. Those who urge these innova-
| tioHs lose sight of the crudities and i'm,
perfections in our present service, which
| are. to those who comprehend them fully.
| a sufficient warning against other features
still more dangerous. II may be profitable
| to mention few Of these existing blem-
ishes.
| POSTMAsTER'S EMoLUMENTs. -.'
| An inherent defect and peril of our
mail system is the cver-prcsent tempta.
ton to swell the emOlumcntS of Post
masters by iliesitimate increase either of
their cancellations or stamp sales through
fictitious ShOwings Of business or false re-
turns. In former years the salaries of
PostmaSters in all grades were based on
the revenues of their offices, consisting
principally of the sale of postage stamps.
Up to certain point the ~o-called com
mission" on sales amounted to 40, 30 or
10 per cent. thereof. Under this arrange
ment country pOstmastcrs could pay for
city purchases of provisions, clothing, etc,
i'll stamps, thereby largely increasing Their
compensation without performing any cor
responding official duty. This abuse led
to a change of system under which Post
masters receiving less than 81 900 per an
mum were compensated OH the basis of
their cancellations" these being supposed
to represent the actual business done al
the office.
If honestly carried out this plan would
be perfect but in INSCRIPTIONS hands it is
subject to abuses which are constantly oc-
curing, many of them being detected and
punished, others undoubtedly escaping de
lection. The knavish Postmaster, TO il
lustrate, holding n small office, expands
his income by arranging with heavy pa.
irons of the mail i'll some neighboring city
to send bags full of their catalogues, cir.
culars or letters by express to his office
whence they are forwarded to their deSti
l.. n