Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-06-04
FOURTH CLASS PoSTMASTERS
MUST PROVE FITNESS FOR
THEIR PLACES.
EXAMINATIONS OPEN TO ALL
Competitive Tests viii Be Applied In
Every State-Civii Service Conn
mission Entering Upon Biggest
Job That Ever Confronted It.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


| der the orders of Postmaster General
Albert S. Burleson, sanctioned by
President Woodrow Wilson, who nat
| urafly takes a deep interest in edu-
cationa! matters, the postmasters of
| humble rank soon will be called be-
| fore examining boards not only to
prove their fitness for their 5000 plus
| Jobs, but to prove that they are bet
| ter fitted to hold them than are any
Of their fellow townsmen with postof-
flee ambitions.
Fourth class postmasters are now
legally on a civil service basis. The
fact that a man holds the job at pres
ent will be of no service to him UNI
less he can down other aspirants in
the competitive examinations which
soon are to be held all over the United
States. Here are the competitive tests
which will be applied:
l. Elementary arithmetic and ac-
counts Simple tests in addition, sub
traction, multiplication and division
Of whole numbers and common and
decimal fractions and statements of
the postmaster 3 dCCOuulS.J
2. Penmanship (the legibility, neat
ness, and general appearance of the
compositor's handwriting in the sub
ject of letter writing).
3. Letter writing Ca letter of not
less than 1875 words on any one or two
iSsubjects furnished).
4. Copying manuscript address Ia
simple test in copying accurately adj
dresses given.
| 5. Facilities for transacting postal
business (basedlon the location of the
postoffice site, the convenience of of
| flee arrangements, etc..
Bio Task for Examiners.
| The civil service commission will
send examiners to the county seats
for the purpose of conducting these
| postmastership examinations. The
task of the "quizzers' will be a big
one, for there are many thousands OF
! fourth class postmasters, and prob
ably there will be many more thou
sands of applications than there are
jobs in sight. Postmasters who are
receiving less than $3.50 year are not
to be disturbed at this time, but it is
taken for granted that there will be
no strong protest against this exemp-
| ton from the Democratic faithful who
are seeking preferment.
Some of the Republican members of
congress are inclined to be jocose over
this invasion of the civil service into
the fourth class postmastership field
They are asking if, when the lists of
the successful competitors are scan
ned, it will not be found that most of
the successful ones OF good, true and
time-tried Democrats, This question
ing on the part of the Republicans
carries with it an intimation that the
civil service commission, which is to
conduct the examinations or the ex-
aminers themselves, will not do their
duty as 1t ought to be done, and it
Implies, also, that neither Mr.. Wilson
| nor Mr.. Burleson is sincere in this
latest civil service exploit. There has
been very little complaint in the past
of the work of the civil service COM
mission, and it is hardly likely that
the commission or its agencies will
stoop to trickery for the sake of help
ing some thousands Of men to get pic
ayune jobs.
Where Democrats probably will
profit in a party sense by these COM
petitive examinations for fourth class
postmasters is in cases where, under
Republican rule, the jobs have been
given to men for political service only,
men who had no proper business quail
ifications for the places. Fourth class
postmasters of this kind probably will
be ousted before long, but Democrats
may not profit any more than Repub-
licans, taking it for granted that the
average of intelligence in the two par
ties is about the same Except in the
south there probably will be about
aminations as Democrats, and, there
fore, fitness probably will rule.
Wall of Porto Rico.
1t is pretty we'll known in Washing
ton that the administration and the
Democratic leaders in congress fear
sugar in it's results on the Porto Rican
industry more than they do the results
DIS LQ6y Will dA0CI LI1S pldAS-
ers and the western beet-root grow
ers. The administration and congress
are being told by possible aIarmists
that free sugar will ruin Porto Rico.
Representative of the Porto Ricans
are in Washington doing what they
can to secure a change in the proposed
tariff legislation as it affects sugar.
The Porto Ricans say that with free
sugar the most important industry on
the island will be wiped out. 1t is a
direful tale which the islanders tell,
and if things turn out as they say
blackly it is certain that they Will,
the island will experience a destruc-
ton of its system of public education,
paralysis of public works and santa
ton endeaycr, and the impoverishment
anu the throwing into a condition of
absolute misery of 100000 Porto Rican
men, women and children.