Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-09

ReumaH'c Mbe Roz al C1caeo
Copyright, 1911. by Frank c. carpenters

All dence to The Bee HE manages bus
4 wv mess which costs more than $780,
100000 a year. His corps of employees
ESNYESSI is three times many the United
kE@ZA0 States army His annual transactions
include the handling of fourteen thou
sand million articles, and his back and forth
over routes which II placed end to end would reach
almost twice as far from here to the moon. Their
travela in the space of year in the United States
alone five times great the distance between
the earth and the sun, and their communications
reach to every spot on the face of the globe.
This man is unknown to many of you, but by
proxy he calls at your front door every morning,
and for from to cents he will carry your words
to any place this great round world His name
is Frank Hitchcock; his title is postmaster general
and his business is the management of Uncle Sans
mails.
Suppose We become better acquainted We shall
call at the sate-colored Posoffce department which
stands on Pennsylvania avenue between the White
House and the capitol for is there he his head
quarters. 1t is O'Clock in the evening and the rank
and file of the clerks have all left The big building
is quiet except in the rooms of the chief where the
work may on far into the night. The postmaster
general Is one OF the men who do things. He is
wrapped up in his great undertaking and the hours
pass unheeded when he strives for results. Just now
he has big matters hand and midnight will come
before his light will go out. He is dynamo in
breeches and he works like dynamo. When the cur
rent is the sparks fly and when off the machinery
stops. and the living dynamo goes bed and sleeps
like baby During my talk with the postmaster gem
era today asked him If he could leave his work in
the office He replied that he never carried his
troubles outside. Said he
That is my only salvation. l do the thing that is
nearest me and always do the best that can.
try to be honest, and think may say that am not
afraid to do what to seems to be right"
The above believe to be the keynote of the life
of Frank Hitchcock and backed by business ability
Ia ~ lie
He is spoken of as shrewd politician but he objects
to this reputation, saying that he entered politics
only at the solicitation of his friends to accomplish
end, and that when that end was obtained he left
It for good His actions in the Postoffice department
a proof of this statement He has fought the
magazines and the railways and has even waved the
red flag OF defiance at the mad bull of congress and
that solely for the good of the mails and the people
Running Uncle Sans Mails at Profit
During my talk with the postmaster general
referred to these fights and hsefforts to cut down
the deficit which has been wiped out. then
asked as to whether he believed the Posoffce depart
ment could continue to be at profit
II do not think want to do that" replied Mr.
Hitchcock Uncle Sans business is not to make
money but to give back to the people in excellent
service the worth Of dollar they spend That
what We hope for the postoffice / would not want
surplus, except to extend the Of lettering the
mails and of increasing their to all the people
AS the department pays better, we shall reduce our
postage and give additional facilities of various kinds
to those we have
"As to running Uncle Sans mails at profit how
this is the first time 1t has been done within
several generations and believe we shall continue
to make the ends meet When this service was estab-
lshed it self-supportng and 1t continued so for
the first thirty years. along to about the time of
John Quincy Adams. After that 1t began to be run
at a loss Every year so there was a deficit This
at first only few million dollars 1t attracted
but little attention. Lately however, the loss has
leaped TO upward of ten millions, and when we took
charge here in 1909 found that the deficit was over
seventeen millions Last year we cut that down
eleven Millions and along in December II was almost
wiped out Since then we have been doing better and
better and we have crossed the line; we have
turned three millions into the treasury and are
d spending much less than make"
Hopes 10 Avoid Backward STEP
But win this ast2" 1 asked.
II hope so. The gain has been made notwithstand-
ing that the business of the postofces has been run
aing at a lower rate than in the past II we should
I, nave panic and period of hard times, which
10 not expect. there might be such falling off in