Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-04
APPLYING MERIT RULE
Policy of the Administration as
to PoStmaSterS.
EAPABLEONES REAPPOINTED
circumstances Have Compelled Some
Exceptions.
VIEW OF POSTMASTER GENERAL
Economy in Motive Power Studied by
the Railways-Straight
Curves-Wind Shields.
|GAPABlEONES REAPP0lNTED
VIEW OF POSTMASTER GENERAL
BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
There was a good deal of talk last sum-
t,ner and fall about the application of
,inerit rule to the appointments of post
7masters, and we were told that thereafter
politics was not to govern the distribution
-of patronage in the Post Office Department.
1t was announced that all postmasters who
Mad a high rating for efficiency would be
Teappointed at the end of their terms, re-
sardless OF the recommendations of SEN
rators and representatives and other politi-
.cal influences. Since the meeting of Con-
.gress, however. several newspapers have
declared that this rule has been abandoned
.sud has been applied only in certain cases.
ssome congressman have gone SO far as to
ACCUSE the President of using it when he
wanted to punish a senator or member,
and suspending 1t when he had occasion to
pay reward In other words, he has been
accused of Inconsistency, and it has been
freely asserted that the merit rule was to
be applied like the Dutchmans rife so as
10 hit when 1t was shooting at deer and
to miss when II was shooting at a calf.
Postmaster General Cortelyou smiled
when he was reminded of these accusations
land suggested that perhaps the commotion
referred to had been raised for purpose,
tshe rule had not been abandoned or re-
Evoked and that it would be applied strict
lily as long as the Post Office Department
remained under the present administration
Business, Not Political Machine.
1.-THE postal service should be business
affair" he said, land not political ma
chine and. like all other well-managed
business institutions, it Is important that
we should keep good men as long as they
are satisfactory. The President has not
reversed or revoked the merit rule. On
lthe contrary, he has departed from 1t only
in a few conspicuous cases in which the
senators have refused TO confirm the IN
Cumbent If reappointed.
THE post Office al Chicago is one of those
cases. / suggested. Did Senator Cullom
/ and Senator Hopkins tell the President that
! they would not permit Postmaster Coyne to
! be confirmed If ne was reappointed?
THAT is very embarrassing question,
said Mr. Cortelyou. There have been sew
! eral other exceptions" he added, IN cases
where senators or representatives, peioIe
they were aware of the rule, had mace
pledges that certain persons should De APP
pointed The President has very reluctantly
given way in order TO protect them from
embarrassment and complications. But
those cases have been very few, ana, IN the
future we are going to stick to the rule.
/, Merit Is to be the controlling factor in APP
continents Postmasters will be retained
as long as their service is satisfactory"
Satisfactory to whom?
ITO the department and 10 the patrons
of the offices. gave notice of this In my
| annual report" continued the Postmaster
J General az said that efforts for improved
service, to be effective, must carry the full
recognition. in positions of all grades. of
merit as the controlling factor In appoint
ments and promotions. Under instructions
recently issued, a careful rating Is gwen 10
each post office. This rating, based upon
inspectors reports and other data, Will
have material weight in the departments
attitude toward a postmasters reappolnt-
ment Fourth class postmasters VIII be re-
tanned during satisfactory service. In the
case of Presidential postmasters who seek
reappolntment, the ratings will be guide
TO the department in making Recommended
tions TO the President"
Policy Explained in Detail.
This was not intended as buncombe, but
it expressed the fixed policy of the depart
ruent. Last October, in a speech to the Ma
tional League OF Fourth-class Postmasters'
I explained this policy a little more In de-
tall 1 said: The postal service should be
a business institution. It cannot be made
such IL other considerations than merit
govern in the discipline of its force. POST
masters hold a peculiarly important rela-
ton to the communities IN which they IlFe'
They are the direct representatives OF the
department. Their service reflects credit
or disCredit upon It. They should serve the
interests OF all the people of their comrnu-
mites without IeSdIu u pplltlSai4s SOSAoA VI
business Affiliations. This does not mean
that they are Invested Of their rights as
citizens. They would be UNIT for ther
positions II they did not take proper IN
terest In public affairs but a proper in
terest In public affairs bars them from
participation IN factional differences or any
other political action that would bring as
credit upon the services or show lack OF
appreciation of their relation to II. In April
last, upon the recommendation OF the POST
master General, the present policy of the
department regarding fourth-class offices
was announced, namely that incumbents
will be retained during satisfactory service.
This Is being adhered to strictly, and am
confident that continued adherence to 1t
Will result In substantial Improvement. The
postmasters of the country should not be
appointed primarily as rewards for po-
lltical activity, but primarily on the basis
OF fitness for the work and regard for the
wishes OF the communities they serve
Application of the Policy.
During the last year there were 13,055
appointments of postmasters out of a total
of 6s.O0o. being q decrease of 757 as COM
pared to the previous year. This decrease
was due. to a considerable extent, to the
application of the policy Of the department
regarding the reappointment of postmas-
tiers Nearly $500 were reappointments.
The remainder were new appointments
caused by T,T40 designations, ], 146 removals
and 100 deaths. The number of reappoint-
For example, last Friday we filled one hun
dred presidential offices. Sixty-eight were
reappOintments and thirty-two We're new
appointments 70 nil vacancies caused by
designations and deaths. This is about the
average. We are making two reappoint-
ments for every one new appointment. In
making new appointments. We consult the
republican representative or the senator,
where there are no republican representa-
tIyes the advisers, where the senators
are democratic l think that the same
ratio will keep up In the future-about two
TO one"
How do the congressman take it?"
''They are all right when they under
stand It. They are beginning to realize
that the merit system is not only a good
thing for the service. but, a general rule.
It is to their own political advantage There
are exceptions. of course. There are cases
IN which a member OF Congress is not
friendly to the incumbent, who may have
been appointed ny his political rival, and
he Is disappointmented because he cannot
put one of his own friends in the place,
but. q rule, II Is great relief for them
to throw the responsibility back on the de-
partment instead OF being compelled TO de-
eta hasv rive