The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-04
BRISTOW GOT ALI
Extracted All the Glory Out Of
His Office.
Fourth Assistant Now Has
Duties Limited.
FOR RURAL ROUTES.
There His Authority Begins and
Ends.
Mr. COrtelyOu Has Completely
ReOrganized the Office.

SIS 4SAL the once OF fourth assistant
postmaster general after having ex-
tracted about all the glory there was
in that Office. Further DEVELOPMENTS
recently show that he left at an op-
sportune time. There is very little now
in being fourth assistant postmaster
general; though the eight years that
Mr.. Bristow, a Kansan, held it, there
was not only much hard work, but
great responsibility and considerable
glory.
On and after December /, under a
recent order of Mr.. Cortelyou, the
postmaster general, there Is now little
left in the bureau Of his fourth assist
ant save the rural free delivery syS-
tenn. OF course this is important; but
Mr.. Bristow had that under his re-
gimes and very much besides.
Mr.. Cortelyou has completely re-
organized the postoffice department.
He has switched things about so that
an old caller at the big department
scarcely knows to whom to go, now.
for information. Duties that were
formerly included in the control of the
various four assistant postmaster gen
erals have now been reassigned to
other assistants; and in the shifting
about, the fourth assistant has lost
much that was good and responsible.
For years, the appointment and
bond divisions of the department have
been under the supervision of the
fourth assistant. These alone have
made that official an important bu-
reau chief, for the reason that all ap-
pointment cases; all references of
designations, removals, and vacancies
IN pOStmaSterS, were referred to mem
bers of congress by the fourth assist
ant. He was the "headsman" and
prepared all cases of appointments,
commissions, bonds, etc, for the per-
functory approval, save in rare cases.
of the postmaster general himself and
the president. Now these two d.
visions are placed under the control
eral
When the postal fraud expose came
in 1903, Postmaster General Payne
took the rural and city free delivery
divisions out from under the first as
sistant and gave them to Mr.. Bristow,
the fourth assistant. Mr.. COrtelyou
now gives back to the first assistant
the city free delivery business.
All rural agents-those men who trav-
Ell all over the country Investigating
cases for the establishment of rural
routes, and inspecting them afterward,
and rearranging then1-are taken out OF
the control of the fourth assistant by
/ Mr.. Cortelyou and placed under the
/ postmaster generals immediate super
vision, nominally under the chief post
office inspector.
The above shows how the Office Of
fourth assistant postmaster general has
been sheared of its powerful and re-
+ sponsible division since the retirement
| of Mr.. Bristow. It was in the manage
ment of the affairs of these divisions
! that Mr.. BristoW made much Spendid
record while fourth assistant postmaster
/ general
1t viii be remembered that Robert
J. Wynne, who became postmaster
general for a few months upon the
death of Mr.. Payne about a year ago.
and who had a personal grievance
against Mr.. Bristow, made an order
| just at the time Mr.. Bristow was pre-
/ pairing to retire from Office, which took
from the fourth assistants Office con-
| troll of postoffice inspectors-the young
men with whom Mr.. BTistow had been
! enabled to clean up the postoffice de-
partInent in three instances: The Cuban
! postal frauds, the set-rich-quick con-
| Germs, and finally the Machen, Beavers
and other exposes in the department
proper. And now the bureau of the
/ fourth assistant has been completely
obbed of all its power and response
bility save in the matter Of rural free
So it is apparent that Mr.. Bristow
retired from his office at time when it
was great, and at an opportune mo
ment; for it is no longer great.
The arrival of Senator Warner of
| Missouri is hailed with much delight
| by the Oklahoma and Indian Territory
SHAREHOLDERS. They claim now that
these two territories, which nope soon
| to be single state, have at least two
I senators: Chester I. LonT and William
/ Warner. For two years Senator Long
/ has been the faithful friend OF these
/ territories and now he will have the as
/ sistance Of Major Warner. Major War
ner is welcomed back by many senators
and representatives who served with
4 him in the house of representatives for
several terms in the eighties.
/ -,4-4.t,o, .~.,7 TpTior, Ter
! ritorv each has a representative IN the
! city at present, who may be, II the new
state Of Oklahoma should be Repupliica1I1l,
| senators themselves These are Dennis 1;
/ Flynn of Oklahoma and Pliny i. Soper OF
| Indian Territory. Each was a kansan IN
| his day. and each is well known in Wash
| ington FLYNN used to live in Barber
/ county. Kansas. and he and Senator
Long We're struggling young lawyers To-
/ He later served four terms in congress
| as delegate from Oklahoma, ana IS now
| practicing law at Oklahoma City. Sopel
| read law with Senator Long IN IoPeka ~
! 1924 and was later assistant United
/ States district attorney for Kansas under
/ President Harrison. lie served elghl
! for the northern district az Indian Ter
| story. Flynn and STOPPER are here on Do
/ Htical and other business incident to thefl
/ territories. and will take 4 prominent
! fight in the statehood hght.
Thomas RYAN of Topeka, assistant see.
I rotary of the interior, is at his desk after
a long vacatio1. part Of which was sTtnt
years in this capa eirv, and is Z, cd fl
i four years more, apparently. Much of riif
/ important business Of tie department. ni
] the interior deVoIves On him. and ne acts
/ as secretary very frequently n the ali
I sence of Secretary Hitchcock
/ Burton J. Mitchell. a cousin of Genera
Frederick Funston, who is a first lieuten
1 ant in the Twelfth infantry, has been or
| dered to San Francisco to act as quar-
i termaster on the transport Logan on it
next trip to Manila and return. Mitchell
was for for some time aid to Genera
Funston
Midshipman Clarence A Richards. sol
of a. 4 Richards. of Wellington, has
by recent orders of the navy department
~ to the Chauncey. Asiatic squadron
Richards completed his four years cours
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