The National tribune., 1906-03-08

-" Write To-day. A
ing some minor official duty, and an
Inspector was sent to investigate. He
called on her for q written statement
of all that she did between 8 and 8
O'Clock in the morning in question. She
replied:
II washed my two children and got
them ready for school. and sewed
button on Johnny's coat and mended a
rent in Nellie's dress. Then / tidied
up my sitting-room and made two beds
and watered my house plants, and
glanced over the morning paper. Then
busted my parlor and set things to
rights in it, and washed some lamp
chimneys, and combed my baby's hair.
and sewed button on one of her little
shoes, and then I swept out my front
entry and brushed and put away the
children's Sunday clothes and wrote a
note to Johnny's teacher asking her to
excuse him for not being at school on
Friday. Then 1 fed my canary bird
and cleared off the breakfast table and
gave the grocery man an order and
swept Off the back porch, and then l
sat down and rested a few minutes be-
fore the clock struck 9. That's ALL"
The Inspector promptly quashed the
Indictment.
1t is manifest that under accepted
conditions the country Postmaster must
be a very resourceful fellow, since po-
litical practices have heretofore decreed
that he must be able to corral delegates
and control conventions In order to
make sure Of q reappointment, while
the Civil Service rules say that he must
refrain from "pernicious activity" in
politics under pain of removal from the
Office acquired through that selfsame
activity. The Bible says he must re-
member the Sabbath Day to keep 1T
holy, or lose his immortal soul. while
the postal regulations say he must dis
tribute the mails on Sunday, or lose
his beloved job. Thus he must keep
one eye upon the politicians and the
other upon the Civil Service Commits
sion during the week, and on Sunday
serve a cosmopolitan public and take
his chances.
The Picture Post Card.
A new agony to the village Postmas-
ter, especially in localities infected with
the tourist and the Summer boarder, is
the picture postcard. He Is swamped
with q novel Whim-overwhelmed by
fad. His appeals to the Department for
assistance. modern devices and United
States mail wagons to move the ac-
cumulation in his Office in the rear Of
the store have brought no response The
Government is wrestling with the prob
lem; it has not solved it. Moreover,
what is true Of this Postmaster and the
home Government Is true Of Postmas-
also of foreign Governments; at least
everywhere where SCENERY" and
points of interest" abound, and it is
an arid waste that does not fairly bris-
tie with both. From Deerfield and
Lebanon and Scroggs Crossing, from
hamlets nesting in the Pyrenees. the
Alps and the Himalayas, pOst-office en-
plOyes. lettering on the verge of the
ricketts, are sending up vehement pro-
tests against the picture postcard craze.
The American rural functionary gets
the worst Of 1t, perhaps. For him there
has been no vacation, no surcease from
toll, since the tourists found him out
and swooped down upon him. Apply
himself as he will and as he has, he
cannot keep abreast of his task; 1t Is
gaining on him. He is not equipped for
it. His dies are worn smooth and no
longer leave their imprint; his supply
of ink is exhausted; his pad has been
hammered fiat, and he is becoming
muscle-bound in his shoulders.
The claim that the compensation re-
ceived for the discharge of his respOn-
sible duties is too small, is very plaus-
IDLY urged by the worthy postal func-
tiOnary. Probably not one in five Of
the Postmasters of fourth-class offices
gets $500 a year. Thirty thousand of
them get less than 500. Fifteen thou
sand get less than $50. A very large
number have to be contented with from
So to IS quarter.
Fourth Class Pay.
Comparisons between their emolu-
ments and those of other workers are
a favorite recreation Of country Post
masters. One Of them writes: Il be-
lieve that the Postmaster Of the fourth
class is the only example Of skilled Ia
Dor under this Government which re-
ceives poor pay. The ordinary section
$35 to $40 per month, and only works
10 hours a day. I work IA hours a day
and get $26 a month
Another incumbent Of fourth-class
office Institutes still more invidious COM
PARSONS and grows correspondingly in
to read of the Department clerks in
Washington kicking about having to
work seven hours day. I am on duty
an average of IA hours per day, and my
office pays but an average of $22 a
month. Out of this I must pay Office
rent, light and fuel.
Il go to our COunty-seat once or
twice a year, and what do I see at the
city post office? The post Office located
in the finest building in town, rent paid.
Postmaster drawing $4,000 a year sal
airy. his assistant paid by the Govern
ment. his stamping clerk, his money
order clerk. his delivery clerks, all draw
ing a good salary from the Government.
II come back to Dixon, relieve my
deputy, and at once am Postmaster,
clerk, stamping clerk, de-
livery clerk, registry clerk and janitOr
Of the Dixon post Office. If I should
then sit down and write letter to our
Representatives in Congress urging
them to introduce and support some
bill for better compensation for our re-
lief will have violated an Executive
order. and therefore would be subject to
In fact, boys, we are upl
against it; can you see a way Out?"
Still another says: I'VE Postmasters
Of fourth-class Offices are only dogs to
yelp when kicked, with our soup SO thin
1t don't have any taste or smell at ALL"
There is a decided element of justice
In the assertion modestly put forth, as
a rule, by the energetic incumbents Of
the smaller Offices, that their pay is too
small. Rural carriers are not overpaid
at $50 month. but they get four times
as much as many Of the P0stmasters
who send them out. Certainly no other
employees do SO much for
so little.
Southern Postmaster writes that