Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-11
The Local Postmastership.

II ii is true that the President has de-
cded not to reappoint Mr.. Merritt as post
master of Washington, it is earnestly to be
hoped that he has not at the same time de-
termined to ignore the reasonable and
righteous petition of the District that the
principles of home rule be respected. This
Is a permanent petition, kept standing by
reason of many disappointments which have
led the people of Washington to fear the
appointment of outsiders to strictly local
offices despite the promises of the political
parties in their platforms. OF late years
the District has always had to fight vigor-
ously for its post office, to keep it from fall
ing into the hands of residents of the states
as a reward for political services How
ever worthy personally, such appointees are
always regarded as intruders upon ground
that should be held apart for the bona
hde citizens of this community.
When Postmaster Willett finished his
term of office and President Mckinley cast
about him for a successor a hot contest
ragged over the office, chiefly between Mr..
Madden of Detroit and Mr.. Harlow of st.
Louis. The local candidates for the APP
pointment waited humbly on one side hop
ing that the contest might be a draw and
the decision fall to the bystander But the
President solved the problem by naming Mr.
Merritt, then serving as an assistant post
master general, and to make things all
square he named Mr.. Madden, the leading
contestant for the postmastership to the
place thus vacated. The District got moth
ing. When this result was announced The
Star said editorially:
THE excuse for the appointment that the
present postmaster is the only Washing
tonan who has ever held the Office is fiimsy
because grossly inaccurate. The Star print
ed few months ago the record on this
point of the poStmaSterS of Washington,
which disclosed that with exceptions so
few as to be marked, the men who have
been chosen for this post have been resi-
dents of the District at the time of their
appointment. The issue does not turn upon
the nativity of a man, but upon the degree
of his identification with the community
prior to his selection for office. Two Washing
tonians-Munroe and Jones-held the office
between them for nearly fortyseven years.
1t was not until 1880 that the President went
deliberately and unnecessarily outside to Sc
cure a postmaster. In 1883 a man thor
oughly identified with the capital secured
the place, and he was followed by one who
had, by virtue of long official residence, be-
come in every essential Washingtonian.
He in turn was succeeded by a man of local
birth and uninterrupted residence"
The case remains today as 1t was then
The fact of Mr.. Merritt's appointment in
1899 does not weaken the sound argument
for the selection of a strictly local man for
the position whenever he vacates it, A
wrong should never be regarded as a justi-
flying precedent. Mr.. Merritt has, it is
generally thought, served the community
well But he stands for the violation of
the principle for which the District must
steadfastly contend If the office Is not to
be made reward for political activities.
This post Office carries all of the govern
ments mails free and yet pays it's own ex-
penses out of the pockets of the people. 1t
is one of the busiest of all the Offices and
Its co. is borne by the real residents of
the capital. If the government claims that
1t should have the privilege of naming any
one 1t chooses to care for its own mail the
District can with even greater force point
to the records which show that its own
stamp purchases have more than paid for
the governments postal service here.
If the President will but announce that
the office is to be given to the best man
available among bona fide citizens of the
capital, such men as are under the law eligi
BILE for appointment as District Commission
CT, for example, there will be no dearth of
attractive candidates. But so long as the
blighting prospect that the Office is to be
held apart from the people of Washington
remains. its real residents will be slow
about proclaiming their willingness to enter
the contest for the place.