The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-13
MR.. PAYNE STATES
THE CASE OF MISS TODD
Postmaster General Justifies thssRe
movaI of thu Delaware Postmistress.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Sept. 12.-
Postmaster General Payne, today made
the following statement regarding his
policy in the appointments of fourth
class postmaSters Withoiparticular ref
erence- to the recent remover of Miss
Todd, the postmistress at Greenwood,
Del.
There is no law, regulation or rule
which applies TO the department or
the civil service commission regarding
changes lin fourth class pastofhGes ex-
cept that under the administration of
President Mckinley an informal rule
was adopted that a postmaster should
not be considered as liable to removal
until he has served a term of four
years, unless for some cause affecting
the propriety or ability of the post
master holding the Office.
when 1 became postmaster general
1 endeavored to prevent the removal
of postmaSters of the fourth class
soon after they had served four years,
unless it was for some good couse, but
there was never such rule formally
adopted. l am pleased to say that for
the most part senators and members
of congress have acquiesced in the
wish of the department
There appears toqbe an impression
that after a fourth class postmaster
has been permitted to- remain beyond
four years he should then, by custom,
be permitted to remain another full
term of four years. No such custom
has ever obtained and the practice Of
removing these officials at the pleasure
of the postmaster general has pre-
vailed, / believe, since the foundation
of the government the modi-
fication which was put into effect dur
ing the term of President Mckinley.
The civil service laws do not apply
in any respect to fourth class post
masters. l.
when the two Republican senators
were elected in Delaware they were
put, in their relations TO the admin
istration, upon tf46S same footing as
any other Republican United States
senators, and were made advisers OF
the department concerning the OPP
pointment of postmasters in Delaware
For their convenience, the state was
divided, Senator Ball taking the
northern half of the state and Senator
Alice taking the southern half. This
practice has prevailed in many of the
other states. Greenwood is located in
Senator Allee's district.
"One of the rules governing the ac-
ton of postmasters is that a post
master shall not allow his office to be
made the headquarters of a political
party or a faction of a political party
nor shall he be aggressively active in
stirring up factional quarrels, political
or otherwise. Miss Todd, who was
removed from the office at Greenwood.
allowed her office to be. in effect. the
headquarters of, and her family and
herself to be the most active members
in, factional political quarrel inside
the Republican party. This she vir-
tually admitted in her interview with
me. and, according. to- the rule referred
to above, this was sufficient cause for
he removal.
Undoubtedly it would be great
relief to the department if the tenure
of offices of fourth class postmasters
was permanent and stable during
period of good, behavior, but this rule
has never obtained under any admin
istration and no attempt has. been
made toward establishing such "a rule
until the present administration. Post
masterships of all classes have been
universally recognized as political ap-
pointnfents, not civil service appoint
ments, and no claim has heretofore
been made that they were under the
civil service law. The department. In
dealing with Senator'S and members of
the congress. must treat them uni
formly."