The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-22
.KNOTTY PROBLEM
FACES BURLESON
Question of What to Do With
$4,000 Fourth Glass Post
masters Arises.
BY p. II. MCGOWAN.
Special to The Times dispatch. !


Washington. March 2l.-Although
the new administration will have
many knotty problems to solve before
Its four years have come to an end.
there is one thing. perhaps. which at
the outset Is causing more trouble
than anything else that will arise Just
what to do with the $1,000 fourth class
postmasters placed under civil service
by c-dcr OF former President Taft is
nos the question at Issue.
When IL comes TO the appointment OF
n Federal judge. minister or ambas-
sador to some foreign country, an In
terstate Commerce Commissioner. or
some other government official whose
yearly emoluments VIII reach around
the $4,000 mark. their is apparently
little or no trouble. Attorney General
McRcyuolds. or the other Cabinet Off
GERS handling the matter for instance
Secretary Bryan in case of appoint
ments TO foreign posts, goes carefully
over tho recommendations which have
been indexcd and filed away, picks the
man who It is believed will best serve
the government. after visng him from
a dozen different angles. becomes
thoroughly convinced that he Is tho
best man for the place in spite OF all
the good things that may have been
said OF the other fellows, confers with
the President for a few minutes while
no eagle-eycd newspaper man is
around. and the thing is done. Some
one is named for minister plenipoten-
tiary or ambassador extraordinary,
clothed with all the credentials Of
high Office. and off he goes TO look after
Uncle SANS interests beyond the seas.
Should ii he a position on the In
terstate Commerce Commission bench.
the appointee takes his seat and begins
the endless examination OF complaints
against the railroads for all manner
of alleged wrongs and abuses: should
he be appointed TO the Federal bench
the judicial ermine is brought forth
and statutes and constitutional reStric-
lions are in order. These are compare
lively easy matters for the admins
tration 10 settle. But with the $4,000
fourth class postmasters. II is diff
fercnt proposition, and the fact is now
being admitted by Postmaster General
Burlcson that the department expects
TO have considerable trouble growing
out Of this matter before the thing
is done with
1t must be understood that, while
the remuneration allowed in the case
of the fourth class postmaster in all
cases is small. and in many. less tina II
nothing, there is considerable honor
III uOiulHP tne JOD ana DOME lne only
man in town who knows and who
probably remembers every man, woman
and child in the burg who has received
q letter that day. and just where II
came from. He knows. too. the name
of every person who has increased the
emoluments of the office on any par
| ticular day by the posting OF letter,
/ even though this emolument is so sma II
| that the latest patented adding ma =
chine could not count it, But II all
helps to make the business OF the
/ "quarter"-the end Of the three months
/ period when the aforesaid postmaster
! foots up his bill and sends IL in TO
! Washington for Uncle Sam to audit
and pay.
J 1t. is a knotty little problem while
| 1t lasts, and before the proposed civil
| service examinations are over Mr.. Bur-
! leson's corps of assistants will prob
ably realize what IL means trying to
utilize this small army of fourth ella ss
officials to the best interests of Uncle
Sam. while. at the same time seeing
| that every one is treated fairly i'm the
matter. Democrats who are wanting
/ the places may not find them so greatly
attractive after all. especially as the
pay is practically nothing in many
sa