Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-28
washington
w LETTER
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON. ,JuIy %
BY r. r. WALKER
Star Stan Correspondents.


WASHINGTON, July 2s.
About once in so often they go
through the pigeon holes over at the
Postoffice Department and throw away
the accumulation of charges that
have been made against postmaste-s
all over the country for "pernicious
political activity" Somewhere in the
batch thus awaiting permanent dis
posal are complaints of this kind
against Postmaster Frank Book. of
Newark, N. j.
This kind of activity, which is the
only kind of which many postmasters
can be fairly accused, was made by
President Cleveland the excuse of
getting rid of a lot of Republican
postmasters before their time was
out, SO that good Democrats could
have the jobs. The charge has
served for this purpose since, when
ever 1t has been desired to get rid
of postmaster. and there has been
no other sort of charge that could
fairly be made against him.
When H. b. W. Was p. M.
Once, when l was a postmas ter
Et0-
ries that one of my political enemies
had filed charges of this kind against
me and came down to Washington
to see the Postmaster General about
1t. When I got here, and the pa
pers were hunted up, 1t was found
that instead of one charge there
were seven charges of the kind on
file, demanding my removal. That
was all | ever learned about them.
and when their time came they went
the way of the millions of others.
into the waste-paper sack
"Pernicious," as distinguished from
other kinds of political activity, was
interpreted in the Cleveland admin
istration as a postmaster using his
Office for political purposes. 1t really
has no meaning.
Political Activity Expected.
It's one of the paradoxical things
that survive in politics. Postmasters
are appointed for political reasons.
They are expected to give at least
as much attention to helping their
party stay in power as they give to
postal business. Most of them have
good assistants, and have to know
very little about the potofflce busi-
ness. The office of assistant postmas-
ter was created mainly for the pur-
pose Of having somebody to stay In
the office and look after the BUSH
ness, so that the postmasters would
be free to give their time to politics.
] know of a new postmaster, In an
important city. who upon receipt of
his credentials a few weeks ago,
came down to ask the authorities at
the department what his duties were
supposed to be, how much work he
was to be required to do, whether he
ought to give up his private business,
whether he could get rid of some
Republican assistants he didn't want,
and few other things. After being
passed along from one division and
office to another for an hour or more,
he bumped into a department veter-
an, chief clerk who has been through
many administrations.
The Unwritten Rule.
Your main business" this veteran
told the new postmaster, is to see
liot eiio hhOhSy are IlOL
stolen, and to help the administra-
ton get what 1t wants In politics"
But is that so with this admins
tration " asked the new P. NJ
It's so with all administrations,
son" answered che veteran.
Practically speaking, "pernicious
political activity" means q Repub-
lican postmaster taking a hand in
Republican politics in a Democratic
administra ton, and vice versa. There
Is no such thing as "pernicious" po-
litical activity applied to a postmas-
ter of the same political stripe as the
administration in power.
The unwritten rule of the Postoffice
Department, so far as postmasters
taking part in politics is concerned,
Is that a postmaster is supposed to
do all he can to help keep In power
the party that gave him the job. If
he holds over under the other party,
what he has done before the change
in administration IL not counted
against him, but he is supposed to
keep out of politics after the change
ie he wants to serve out his term
H. B. w.