The National tribune., 1907-10-31
posTMAsTERs, CONVENTION.
Many Prominent Speakers-Parcels Post
Discussed and Resolutions Passed
Election of Omcers.

Election of Omcers.
The Postmasters of the second ant
third and fourth class have been hold
Ing their National Convention in Wash
ington, and pronounce it a very sue
cessful affair There were about 60,
In attendance, and they gathered from
all parts of the country Many fine ad
dresses We're made, including speaker
from the National House of Represen
tatives, Postmaster-General Meyer. Jas
L. McCleary and A. l.. Lawshe, Secont
and Third Assistant Postmasters- Gen
r eral, and George II. Roberts, Postmas
ter at Brooklyn.
Mr.. Roberts urged the Postmasters t,
make their wants and wishes known
thru their representatives, and inveigh
ed against the present system of lettinl
, out mail messenger contracts to tn,
lowest bidders Mr. McCleary and Mr.
Lawshe explained the workings of thei
divisions of the Post Office Department
and asked the help and advice of TIL,
associations. individually and collective
ly, for mutual benefit.
4 PostmasterGener Meyer declared
that the parcels-post system now in use
Is 'un-American and unjust" He saiG
that there are two classes opposed tC
the parcels post-the express compa-
nies and the retail storekeepers. He
said that he did not feel obliged tC
IohCl any upoioSiSS " Tic thDftSS Coul-
panies and that he would look out fol
the interest of the country storekeeper
| James T. McCleary, Second Assfstan,
Postmaster spoke in part as
follows:
| "Mr. Chairman. Postmasters, Post
mistreSses in form and Postmistresses
in fact: The Postmistresses in form are
those who hold the commissions in their
own name; those in fact are those
whose husbands are Postmasters. There
are many of them. and I am glad to
see so many of them here. You have
come to Washington for the convention,
but you are also going to see the city.
That is an education in itself. You will
go home richer in knowledge and more
patriotic in spirit.
Il have been i'm Washington a good
many years. and I am proud to say
that my respect for Congress and the
men who compose il has Increased in
stead of diminished. Some years ago
1 was leaning against the rail at the
rear of the House with Democratic
| friend Il myself am one of those Re-
publicans who doesn't stutter when he
says so>. ana he said to me: IF you
had a measure which you desired to
| put thru The House. and which had no
merits. AMI IL you wanted to use some
argument other than that which ap-
peals to ihe brain--that is. money
point out the man YOU would go TO
! first And ] am proud to tell you that
on th"' floor We conld not find one
man who', we thought it would be safe
| to approach on such an errand."
Lincoln Memorial Home.
| lie also told them about some Of the
| beautiful buildings that they would sec
in Washington, and about the call
which they were to make upon the
| n \ Il
is modest little building on 10th street
which is the mecca of all Americans.
1t is the house where the soul of Abra-
ham Lincoln took its fight. (This house
is now the. Lincoln Memorial Museum
and holda the collection of memorial
relics which Capt. Osborn H. Oldroyd
has been most of lifetime getting to-
gether.) Across the street Is Ford's
Theater. now the repository of the rec
ords of every soldier who fought in the
Union army during the civil war. When
you have seen Mount Vernon and the
Lincoln fl,rse you will have seen what
to my mind, are the two places most
worth visiting in this neighborhood.
"Our organization is a vast army, and
from the nrivates in the ranks we shall
all welcome suggestions. for in what
better wav can we learn the needs of
the service? No man is big enough for
4 position who is not too big for it. for
he must know the environment of his
task besides the task itself.
The department has recently been
carrying on the greatest investigation
ever undertaken by any country in any
age. 1t is the weighing of the mail
originating from your offices. At first
it was thought this six months task
could not be done, but il is now near
com oieiion. and when the additional
work is over and the results system
atizcd cca tabulated the report will
give Co..--i'c an adequate basis on
which To liX rates for payment to rail-
ways fer carrying mail 1t is the great
est fci:. sc its kind. and the report will
be in demand from every civilized Gov
crnric.t on ihe face of the globe
Mr.. Lawshc, Third Assistant Post
maslerGeneral, said in part:
we hope TO do great deal with Mr..
Meyers proposed system of postal
notes, il IL is adopted. The plan is TO
have notes made in fixed denomina-
tions--l0. Is. 20 cents, and so on up to
ST. alui then s1.50. So and $3.50. The
charge will be one cent up to 81 and
from 81 TO $3.50, inclusive. two cents.
Notes from one cent to nine will be
supplied free to make up other
amounts. while by combination of one,
two or three notes any small sum can
be made at small expense and with alb
receive this postal currency and be re-
sponsib.c for 1t in the same way as they
now handle stamps"
Further advantages to be obtained BY
the adoption of his plans for the parcels
post and the postal savings bank were
outlined by Postmaster General Meyer
The Parcels Post.
Mr.. Never said in part:
1.-The nH;tclS most EXISTS TO-DAY What
shall recommend to Congress is that
the Pest Office Department be given
iauthnriiy to abolish an injustice to our
people, Il policy that Is un-American,
namely, that of charging 16 cents a
pound on parcels which are sent to our
OWN citizens, when only II cents
pound Is charged on parcels sent to for
eign countries.
Il am asking for reduction of four
cents 4 pound in order to equalize the
rate. am also advocating an increase
in the weight limit to IL pounds. be-
cause that is the maximum which Is al
lowed TO % foreign countries with
which we have parcels-post conven-
lions
In the past the country retail mer-
chant has been opposed to the extension
of the parcels post because he felt that
ii would work to his disadvantage. In
my recommendations to Congress for
the establishment of parcels post on
rural routes i have met the objection
OF the retail merchant and the country
rnly :a1,