Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-03
part and that part of the machinery re-
quires constant vigilence. constant care,

part and that part of the machinery re-
quires constant yigilence. constant care,
constant patience and hard work..
AS to the hard work, he has not sttnted
himself. You might have called upon him
any night in the last two years at o'clock
his desk. still working out the problems of
his department. And added to this hard
work has been his remarkable skill as an
organizer. One may say Of Cortelyou what
one likes, but no one can say of him he is
not hard worker. and that he is not a fine
organizer He went into the post Office two
years ago this March with a good working
knowledge of the department, having
served secretary to the post Office in
spector of New York as far back as 1880.
He was afterward secretary to the fourth
assistant postmaster general when that
bureau was being organized When he
General he found the first. second. third
and fourth assistants practically acting in
dependent of one another.
Changed the Organization.
To get these assistants to work in har
mony, to establish an esprit de corps, was
his first aim. He effected a reorganization
of the four bureaus and grouped, as far
as possible, all related subjects under one
head One example of the disorganized
condition of the Post Office Department
may be noted. The first assistant formerly
had charge of the postmasters and the
sistant postmasters throughout the country,
while the fourth assistant had charge of
the carriers Cortelyou changed this and
now the first assistant has charge of the
entire personnel of the department. except
the rural free delivery system, which is
under the supervision of the fourth as
sistant.
Another example of disorganization that
was Strengthened out by CortelyOu was
shown in the financial system in vogue
W q arly ho fret
assistant had charge of the money orders
and the third assistant attended to all other
financial matters connected with the Post
Office Department. Now the third assistant
has charge of all financial matters. The
second assistant has charge of transporta-
ton and mails, and the fourth has charge
of the rural free delivery and the dead
letters. The post Office inspectors, who
are the eyes and ears of the Postmaster
General, are under his immediate super
vision.
The merit system which the retiring Post
master General established has had much
to do with the present efficiency of the force
and much Is expected of 1t in the future
AS far as appointments are concerned, post
masters are divided into two classes: All
postmasters whose salaries are $1,000 or
over are appointed by the President for
four years. The others, known as fourth
class postmasters. are appointed by the
Postmaster General and hold Office during
his pleasure. The merit rule provides that
they may now hold office during satisfac-
tory service. Formerly they were practical
ly appointed by the congressman in their
districts, who brought politics to bear upon
the Postmaster General. Now there is no
politics in it. Cortelyou has appointed the
men according to their merits and those
who have remained in Office have remained
through merit.
They say Cortelyou is politician. He-ts.
and shrewd one. But any one who has
known the man will tell you that politics
has played no part in his conduct of the
Post Office Department. Not long ago an
effort was made in a certain town to retain
certain postmaster that Cortelyou had
said must go. The big politicians of the
state took the matter In hand. They wrote
to cortelyon; but ut he replied eL to them dis.
up to the President. They said the repub-
lican party would suffer in the state on
account Of Cortelyou's 'stubbornness."
Cortelyou. His ''stubbornness still con-
tinued, and 1t was that 'stubbornness''
that saw In this instance no logic to move
it. The result was that the postmaster Of
that town Is still out.
The merit system, however. is not confined
to the appointees of the Postmaster Cen
eral alone, for the rating Of the presiden-
tial appointees has much to do with their
reappointment. And 1t is the same in all
the departments. Good work is appreciated.
There has been nothing impersonal in the
conduct Of the Post Office Department I'M
der COrtelyou.
Equipment for Treasury Portfolio.
Now. nearly every one-whether he be
friendly or unfriendly to Corteiyou-ac-
knowledges that he has run the Post Once
Department we'll They agree that he has
brought system out Of disorder. But 1t Is
limited that the United States treasury Is
another propositions proposition involving
the handling OF millions proposition that
requires the highest financial skill.
HAS Cortelyou." they ask. the skill?''
HAS he the head for the iob?
In answering these questions In order to
be fair. one must consider that large sums
Of money are handled In the Post Once
Department-sums so large ,.lat they form
a financial report by themselves. For in
stance, the receipts of the Post Office De-
1906, we're $152 SOC, 600. and the expenditures
were $f67, 500. 900. about one-fourth Of the
amounts handled In the United States
treasury. but larger than the revenues and
expenditures OF Japan. OF China. Of Bel
gium, OF Brasil and Of many other coun-
tries. The deficit of $14, 000. eco in the Post
ONCE Department last year has been cut
down to $10.0000O0 this year. and if the
present policy IL continued, It viii be fur
Their reduced next year. Many reforms have
been planned-refornls that cannot now be
made public. II these reforms are carried
out the Post Once Department win become
revenue-making institution Of the govern
ment. And 1t b only just to say that Cor
telyou has been the originator OF these re-
forms. AZ for the actual Worlxing Of the
Treasury Department Cortelyou already
has a general knowledge Of 1t, for his first
employment was In the appfaiser's once in