Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-05
MR. LOUD'Se SPEECH
His Farewell Remarks in the
House.
AZ Ct
P. o. APPROPRIATIONS
THEIR GREAT INCREASE IN THE
PAST FEW YEARS.
yt;N
Warning Against soCalled Classihca-
ton Bills-Extravagance in Rural
Free Delivery Service.

ment regarding the way the rural free de-
livery service had taken the bit in its teeth
This speech was delivered February last
and while it is not lengthy. 1t sums up the
conclusions Mr.. Loud had reached through
his long years Of experience in postal mat
tiers from the legislators standpoint He
said:
The post office appropriation bill for the
next fiscal year carries something over
1853 100000. When 1 look back over the
short period of time that I have been
member Of this House and can see that the
amount appropriated when l first became
member of the committee on post offices and
post roads was considerably less than $7O.-
OOO. 900 am not SO much reminded OF the
flight of time as am of the enormous in
crease In the amount of business transacted
in this country.
Increase in Appropriations.
The amount of money recommended by
the committee for the support of the sew
eral bureaus and divisions of the Post Office
Department are libeyal. some of them, in
my opinion, bordering at least on the verge
Of extravaganza. During the period from
1893 and ending substantially with the ifs
cal year of 1897 the appropriations made by
Congress, recommended by the committee.
were at least leading in the direction Of the
crimping of the Post Office Department in
the expenditure of money. There was, how
ever, during that period one year In which
the receipts of the department were less in
total amount than they were for the pre-
ceding year.
With the beginning of the fiscal year Of
1898, business being much improved in this
country. the post office committee saw fit
to recommend to Congress. and Congress
saw fit to adopt. a more liberal policy to-
ward the management of the Post Office
Department. Up to 1895 the post office APP
preparation bill contained not exceeding 10
pages. Moneys were appropriated in lump
sums for all branches of the Post Office
Department Congress found it very easy
to cut off 100000 here and 100000 there
in order to meet their views regarding the
management Of the department.
Arbitrary Promotions Unwise.
That resulted. Mr.. Chairman, in a general
cutting down Of salaries of postal employees
whose salaries were not absolutely fixed by
law. There was at that time and the pre-
ceding year a clamor throughout the coun-
try, very manifest upon this part of the
government. influences. demanding not
alone an increase of salary, but classified
ton bills which should increase their sala-
ries by statute each year of their service
l believe l speak for the post office commit
tee when say that the committee think 1t
unwise to enact any legislation that shall
arbitrarily promote every person in the
postal service each year until he shall
reach maximum statutory salary.
So. then, some years ago the post office
committee took hold of this matter, keep
ing the law intact as 1t was. .segregating
the various items. and appropriating direct
ly each year for so many in each class,
leaving, as you will observe, Mr.. Chairman,
to the executive department and to the
postmasters. and ultimately for Congress,
to determine how much promotion there
shall be in the various branches of the
postal service That work IS with this bill
completed. Post office clerks. railway mail
nj he, off fraSp los tn
be classified and segregated this year in
this BILL substantially all of which. how
ever has been done within the statute that
has been In existence for great many
years
The clamor for the passage of bill clas-
styling the railway mail service has sub
stantially ceased. The law regulating the
pay Of railway mail clerks Is fixed at a
maximum salary of $780, $500. 81 600. 81 200
and s., 400. In 1885. by reason of the small
appropriation for the Post Office Depart
ment, that department was confronted with
the situation Of either creating a deficiency
or cutting down salaries 1 think it is due
to that department to state to the House
and the country that that bureau, almost
alone, has studiously refused to create a
deficiency when 1t was possible to maintain
the postal service.
AS I say, they were met with this condi-
ton. They either had to create deficiency
or decrease the salaries of the railway mail
clerks The salaries We're reduced-clasS
. to $1,000 and class to $1.15O Our first
step was to restore class 5 to S14OO and
class to 81 200 Then we created an in
termediate class. Believing that an ad-
vance of $500 per year was greater than the
necessities of the service demanded, we
created a $1,000 class and an 81 100 class.
The result of that however was to give
men In that service more rapid promotion:
A New Classification Bill.
With this bill we have created a new
oil T will u
warranted by law. but the committee was
unanimous in its recommendation. In view
of the dangers. in view of the hardships in
view of the extraordinary ability required
for railway mail service clerks. the COM
mittee thought that a class of 81 500 should
be created, and you will find in this bill
that we have created a class at $500 a
year. There goes into that class but 225
men who will receive 81 800 year. They
are men who have charge Of two railway
postal cars or more.
In regard to this increase of salary and
the complete classification of all the en-
ployes in the postal service you must re-
member that the salaries Of post Office
mum in second-ciass eofiess, or $500 a
year. the minimum in fifst-cf4ss offices, up
to s2.7OO a year. So between that rate
there Is the chance and The hope Of promo
ton In the mind of every einploye in the
post offices to furnish al Incentive to him,
of him. with the hope that ultimately he
may reach this coveted goafl
The railway mail service Is now classified
in even hundreds Of ddfiarsofrom $500 to
$1,000; and there is the hope of promotion
even beyond that to the place of assistant
division superintendent Ut $3.50; and ulti-
mately the opportunity ,a1so to reach the
position OF division superintendent at So 900
year "a promotion which Is open to those
who deserve IT., which Your Committee rec
ommendS in this bill 9fs ~
A Delusion and Snare.
There is now before the committee on
the post offices and post roads bill which
has passed the other legislative branch pro-
vfding for the compulsory promotion of all
clerks who enter the post office to $1,000
year as minimum. This IL not agitat-
ed now. Mr.. Chairman, but 1t only slum-
bers, and will yet come-I hope not to
trouble you-but there will come to Con-
gress In the future that bill to classify let
ter carriers. Now, want to urge upon the
House that the word Classification" Is
simply delusion and q snare as regards
both of these bills. They are simply bills
providing for the compulsory promotion of
these employees of the government to a
higher grade.
say here without fear of successful con-
tradictton that this legislation tends to
PROSTATE and destroy the efficiency OF any