The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1907-05-30
A AHSINESS POSTOFHCE
Renewed Agitation to Remove the De-
partment From It's Political Infiu-
ences---H. A. Castles Views.

New York Journal Of Commerce:
The inperfections Of the post Office
department, considered as business
Organization, have by no critics been
so fully exposed as by those who have
had inside experience Of The working of
the system. Mr. Wilson, during his
term of Office, waged constant strug-
gle for the consolidation of minor Of
/ fees into groups arranged around a
central office and pointed out very
clearly how cttmberous and iinbusi-
gnesslike were the methods under which
tens of thousands of petty post offices
/ had each d separate account with
Washington and no intermediate sup
ervision short of that of an assistant
| postmaster general. Under Mr. Wan
aInaker the struggle was continued,
with but meagre results for d group
ing OF rural Offices around the central
office of the nearest city, with an ac-
Icompanying simplification of methods
of accounting and a more direct official
responsibility The Independence of
the third and fourth class postmaster
was too dear to the heart of the aver
age congressman to admit of any legis-
lation being favored which should
place these offices under civil service
rules and deprive the representatives
of the district of his initiative in their
appointment At the dinner given to
Secretary Cortelyou the other night by
| the postal officials OF this state, the
l late postmaster general recalled the
fact that under normal conditions from
fourteen to fifteen thousand changes
| occurred in postmasterships each year
a great majority of which represented
| deaths, designations and removals, and
that it was the rule of the departments
Ito call upon members of congress for
recommendation to fill the vacancies.
/ Mr. Cortelyot, while standing for the
| system of promotion by merit, was dis
posed to concede that party services
j should be considered in the selection of
a postmaster, and to that extent sur
/ rendered the field to the patronage
mongers. The enunciation as an abb
/ stract principle that public officials
| should everywhere secure office and re.
tain it upon a more worthy consider
alton than the mere bestowal of pa
tronage, will count for very little so
long as the appointment of the post
masters in his district is regarded az
"a personal and political prequisre bJ
Isevery representative of the dominant
i party in congress
The results of this system up to date
were very clearly pointed out by Cap
ltain Henry Al. Castle, formerly auditor
for the post office department, in an
address before the convention of the
| National Association of Manufacturers
| Captain Castle stamped the entire or
ganization as being antiquated and IL
! logical, and for these, among other
/ reasons: No Official in high authority
J. has nerua aapent tenure. The head q
j the department is a political appointee
subject to constant rotation" In the
past fifteen years we have had nine
postmaster generals. We have more
postmasters than soldiers. Every
postmaster receives his instructions
! and makes his reports directly to the
department OF these postmasters
thirty five thousand receive a compen-
sation of less than 800 per year each;
still, all their business is done directly
with headquarters, involving an enor.
NOUS and manifestly Improbable cor
lrespondence Captain Castle therefore
renewed, with all the emphasis at his
command, the recommendations OF
Messrs. Wilson and Wanamaker that
these little post offices should be de-
ltached and annexed to the post office
! at the county seat, for purposes of get
q ting stamps and other supplies. making