The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-17
Classifying Postmasters.

Iu0 puTV0yOT OIL CoIGdlu lulOTmdClOn,
and the department, sometimes many
hundred Of miles distant, being required
to pass upon questions Of which it could
know nothing at first hands.
Postmasters Supreme.
All this has been done away with. All
| first class postmasters in the country
will now be invested with almost SUI
preme authority in their several dis
tricts. They will have latitude of the
amplest sort, and it will be the policy Of
the department. to uphold them in every
thing they do that is proper. The local
postmaster, for instance, will be the SUI
preme judge of the needs of his office,
and will have authority to supply those
needs at will, holding himself respon-
sible to the general department, which
will keep careful check on his work.
He will have the right to decide on his
own initiative nearly all the questions
that he has been accustomed to send
as those decisions are proper or other
| wise.
| This tremendous increase of authority
will make Of every first class postmaster
in the country man of the first i'm
portance in his community. His re-
sponsibility will be greatly increased
and with them will come an increase Of
power. ii ....
AS Qualifying Test. ....
In many instances it may. be that
men nov now holding these higher grade
caliber to discharge their official duties
properly. Time will quickly test them,
| and if there is any deficiency In per-
formance, some other man will be given
the place. 1t will be the purpose of Mr..
Cortelyou to weed out the weak men
into the service men of higher type.
All postmasters, big and little, are
now to be Judged by carefully made
ratings, much like those to which school
children are accustomed. First will come
those who are graded Hexcellent,'' and
then will come 'Ngood,' then t'fair,' -
and then '..poor." No man will be re-
pointment, unless his rating comes under
one Of the two heads first named. So
far as the fourth class offices are con-
cerned, this matter can be attended to
without the intervention of the senate
In the case of presidential offices, re-
quiring confirmation in the senate, nc
man will be recommended by the de.
! partment to the president for reappoint-
ment who does not come within the two
first ratings.
On a Merit Basis.
The entire postoffice service, so far as
postmasters are concerned, has thus
been brought up to merit basis. Fourth
class postmasters will not be dismissed
at the end of four-year or any Other
period, if their records are all right, ano
presidential postmasters will also be
continued in office during good behavior
provided they can mark up either Sex
cellent' or Egood.'
1T is rather surprisil :; that every sena
tor and member Of congress to whom
this new scheme has been outlined ha:
heartily indorsed it. All any of these
men has wanted to know was that tn.
to treat all sections of the country
alike. Said one congressman today
eff this new order is carried out in th'
spirit of Roosevelt 8 square deal,' i
will meet my cordial approval for i
will relieve me of a great deal of bother
Postofice appointments, as rule, ar
the most difficult which a congressman
gladly get away from them.' And thi
man is southern democrat, too.
No such sweeping order has ever bee?
issued by a postmaster general in thi
country as the one just issued by MI
Cortelyou, and which it has been tn
purpose Of this article to describe, i
part. All the details of it were worke
OUT personally NY AI. SOICClyOu, duu IL
was several months in getting sufficien
data together to Justify him in proceed
ing. The program shas the hearty ii
dorsement of President Roosevelt.
Glory for Cortelyou.
The difficulties which Mr.. Cortelyo
has met and overcome presented then
selves to many postmaster generals b.
fore his day, but none Of them seems
. have been able to cope with them. Joh
Wanamaker, for example, wanted
- Washington and place more responsible
ity upon the several first class postma
ters by providing thSt an assistant pos
master general should be appointed f,
each of the larger cities, New Yor
Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, S
] Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. Co
gress, Of course, would not consent
such an increase in expense as this pls
would have involved.
Mr.. COftelyou accomplishes exact
what Mr.. Wanamaker desired to acco1
plish, but he does it without extra e
pense, and also without sacrificing tt
dignity of any first class postmaster. {
the contrary, he provides that the a
thority of each man of this class shs
! partment holding him responsible on
l for the results.
For several years congress has bet
considering whether it would not
well to pass an act providing for ge
eral reorganization of the postal servic
on account Of it's archaic condition, al
= several bills looking in this directit
= were drawn during the ,last congres
g Mr.. Cortelyou's IS order, and the poll,
x which will be worked out under it, seen
q to have made all legislation Of tn
. character unnecessary.