New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-16
.BURLESON PLAN A RUS[!
"ExamS" for 18th Glass Post.
masters Would Aid Democrats.
CONTRARY TO PRECEDENT
Postmaster General Also to De.
termine if Department Is
on Paying Basis.

Washington. March l5.-While nro,ce,
ing his loyalty to the merit system ano
somewhat disingenuously suggesting mo,
President Taft 'did pot go far enough,
when he extended the classified service
to include the remaining $500 eour,n
class postmasters. Postmaster General
Burleson is adroity seeking to bring
about a situation which will pave ths
way for dLsplacng a good many Repubn.
can incumbents with pie-hungry Demo.
Gratis.
That Mr.. Burleson should seek 10 70.
ward the faithful with postmastershps "a
perhaps. natural. and should stand on ire
merits. to be criticised or commenced AZ.
cording 10 ones point Of view. but the AZ.
tempt 10 disguise the effort by pretending
even greater loyalty to civil service and
the merit system than was shown by ths
former administration is sufficiently dis.
ingenious to deserve attention.
In explanation Of his purpose. NJ
Burleson submits that Mr.. Taft did no.
submit the incumbents to any civil ser.
| vice examination. and therefore failed in
! loyalty TO the merit system, whereas MIR
Bureson would devise some form OF ci,1,
service examination which would be open
| to Democrats as well as Republicans
and as the result OF which IL would no
determined whether the incumbent Or
some Democratic aspIrant should serve.
1t has never been the custom TO sub.
| feet those IN office 10 examination when
| such office was covered intO"-to employ
the technical teim-the classified service
! President Cleveland did not do that in
the case Of the thousands Of federal posi-.
| tons he covered into the service. and
neither has any of his successors In the
case Of pOstmasters such a stop would
be even more superfuous than In tire
case OF most other federal employees be-
cause, under the merit system employed
I by the Taft administration. no postmaster
could continue I'm Office If his admlnistra-
ton did not prove. according 10 the IN
vestigatiOns OF the pOstofiice inspectors. 10
( be thoroughly efficient There IS no occa-
sion whatever Tor subjecting tho present:
| incumbents 20 any sort Of examination
other than the regular inspections Of the
/ postoffice nspectors-except the desire 70
make vacancies FOR spols hungry DEM
ocrats. fact which is doubtless perfectly
well known to Mr. Burleson, through his
long service i'm Congress
The Postmaster General intends 10 find
out for himself whether the Postofnce
! Department is on a seli-sustainns basis
/ He announced to-day that be purposed 70
/ set AT rest the conflicting reports about
the matter He Will appoint a commits
sion. probably composed or the assistant
Pos,masters General and the chief clerk.
10 make a careful INVESTIGATION.
The people Of the United States" de-.
clared Mr.. Burleson. have a right TO
know on exactly what sort % business
! basis the Postofice Department Is run.
/ No department comes into as close touch
/ with every man. woman and child IN To-
country as the Postof'ice Department" -
said. For this reason NJ purro . 10 let
the people know all about their big busi-
| ness enterprise"