The evening times., 1911-08-03
.P0STMASTERS' CONVENTION NOT HELD
TO RAISE SALARIES, SAYS PLUMLEY
or to be technical. but to steadily work
for the Improvement Of the service.
Only Criticise

treasury who recently occupied that
position told prominent gentleman
In financial circles when the latter
complained concerning the style of
letters sent out by the treasury de-
partment that congress appropriated
sufficient money to pay for all the
clerks necessary to write lacking up
letters but did not appropriate q sim
gle penny to devote to letters of ap-
proval OF what some bank or some
official had done. Their own con-
science was supposed to be their own
approval. The department was there
to criticise and IL they did anything
wrong 1t proposed to criticise without
stint.
II expect that some Of you have be-
come convinced that the postoface de-
partment is run on the same scale
perhaps through the influence of con-
gressional appropriation-but as you
come in touch with officials of the de-
partment you will find that is hardly
the case, and where work has been
done which deserves to be approved
the department will take cognizance
of it in many ways and specially when
the time comes for reappointment. i,
Only Observes Rules.
"The members of this convention
possibly feel that they have greater
cause for complaint against the party
presenting this paper than against
anyone and perhaps all Of the officials
at Washington, because chance to be
the one who comes the closest in
touch with each one of you, because
Of receiving your postal deposits and
In many cases your money order de-
posits and also the payment of the
rural carriers who go out from your
Office. We also send out from the
Fargo Office very large amount Of
postal supplies which you request
through the department at Washing
ton.
eve try not to be technical-not
unjustly SO at least-but there are
certain rules which we are compelled
to enforce and during the past few
years there have been many changes
of forms and some changes of rulings
which have been made in consequence
Of congressional law instead Of origin
ating with the postoffice department.
These changes and the various red
tape requirements are very many times
provoking to the good postmaster; but
as you study the new blanks and new
rules you will find that the last is an
Improvement over the former, and I
hope IL any Of you feel that we have
wrongly interpreted any of these reg
ulations you will submit the point in
writing, through the question box, to
Inspector Hugdahl, who will be glad
to impartially clear up any points in
dispute This subject is hardly ger
name to the subject under discussion,
but at the same time wanted to take
the opportunity to convince any doubt
ring Fhomases.~ that am not the bear
that. some Of you have imagined me
to be. -''s 's. = '..f'sl 7'''
Must Cooperate.
Postmaster Fay Cravens of Milaca,
Mimi, In recent paper upon this sub
ject said: The value Of postmasters'
conventions depends entirely upon
ourselves and the use we make of
them. With a large and enthusiastic
attendance they can easily be made
worth while but If we become indiffer-
ent, leave all the burdens. of our or
ganization for our officials to carry
and do not join in promptly with every
effort that is being made for the i'm
provement of postmasters and the pos
tai service the organization can degen-
crate into perfunctory thing that
would be better dead than alive. Our
conventions are doing much in cor
recting erroneous ideas of the public
concerning the nature of our work as
we'll as forming an invaluable school
Of instruction for ourselves.
Interest in Politics.
II want to meet personally every
postmaster here and want every
postmaster to meet every other post
master. It does not matter what our
politics may be. We are not here to
discuss politics but at the same time
every one of us was appointed post
master because of politics and what
good is he to the friends who put him
in position unless he still continues
to have at least personal interest in
politics. 1t Is also necessary that each
of us take an interest in local, state
and national government in order to
perpetuate the government handed
down to us from our forefathers-the
best government on earth, in spite of
the muckrakers. and not because of
their libels. OF course we have civil
service rules which in substance say
that a postmaster must keep out of
politics, but that simply means offen-
sive partisanship. The postmaster
who ignores the work Of his party
after he gets into Office ceases to be
q good citizen. may be somewhat
OF q hereto, especially in the eyes Of
the civil service commission to talk
in this way, but thoroughly believe
that In order to have good government,
in order to have competent officials,
in order to have suitable service from
the different postoffices in this coun-
TRY 1t is necessary to have men In
office who believe that primaries are
important and that they should not
be neglected.
''1 have given you in. this desultory
Il talk only little Of what are the real
benefits OF postmasters' conventions.
It rests with you individually by your
active work at each session of this
convention and your efforts to improve
your service at home In your circle
i Of influence connected with the great
postoface department presided over by
General Frank H. Hitchcock, q young
imam who has succeeded IN; perfecting
nnnro Ynforyna IN thn aarv1ca than all