The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-06
High Order Of Efficiency in the
Postal Service
Has Been Reached Under the
Management of BurlesOn.
SECOND MAN FROM THE SOUTH
To Hold the Position of POST
master General.
Five Different Men Held the
Job Under Roosevelt.

1VO O4AOGOm0 MACA xAO1W t1A0
Job Under Roosevelt.
Washington, Dec 6.-The remark
able activity displayed in every branch
OF the postal service since the begin
ming OF Postmaster General Burleson's
administration, and which has attract
ed the attention Of the press of the
country, would seem to show that the
south can furnish quite as capable
and energetic business men as the
east, from which section nearly half
of all our postmasters general have
been chosen.
It il a noteworthy fact, however, it
may be explained, that excluding the
speaking. has had but two men in that
office since the days Of BENJAMIN
Franklin - Joseph Habersham Of
Georgia and Albert S. BurlesOn. The
more populous states of the east, with
their political power and material adj
vantages, have had the greatest num-
Der Of such appointments, twenty
three Of the forty-eight men who have
held that office having come from
that section. The border states have
It was not until 1866 that the west
| was at all recognized in the appoint
| ment of such cabinet office, when
! Alexander w. Randall of Wisconsin
was chosen by President Johnson:
Subsequently that state furnished
three more postmasters general. viz.
Howe, Villas and Payne.
In considering the states Of the
union, which have been most for
tunate in this respect. 1t Is found that
to its credit, New York comes next
| with six, Connecticut, Kentucky, Ten
nessee and Wisconsin with four each;
| Massachusetts, Maryland and Ohio,
three each. and the remainder scatter
| ed among the seventeen states from
which all the pOstmasters general
have been selected.
! The term of service was, It seems,
much longer in the olden days than
at present. From 1775 to 1850. seven
| teen men in that position. Gideon
Granger of Connecticut having served
thirteen yeats and eight months, and
Return j. Meigs OF Ohio, nine years
and three months. From 1850 to
1912. sixty-two years. there have been
thirty-two men in that office.
Roosevelt Had Five.
Whether the shifting currents OF
political life and expediency, or other
causes, have operated to make
changes in this the most important
many occurred in the administrations
Of some Of our chief executives. Roose-
Welt, for instance. had five postmas-
ters general: Grant, Arthur and Cleve-
! land Gin the latter's two terms). had
three: Jefferson, jackson. Van Buren,.
| Fillmore, Lincoln. johnson. Hayes and
! McKinley. two each. The remainder
| of the presidents evidently held on to
the men they originally had ap-
! pointed.
The postmaster general being, by the
nature of his official duties. brought
into close contact with the people. it
| might be Of interest to know something
of these men, who they were, why cho-
sen, and what notable achievement
i were connected with their names. but
all that Is past history. We live In
! an age where new subjects and vital
questions occupy the stage and demand
consideration, prominent among which
at this time is that of economical, yet
| effective, public administration. To
this subject the present postmaster
general has given his attention. and
! having served in congress, on the COM
mittee Of appropriations. is evidently
interested to know how the public
money Is spent and what return is
received for it. and being in position
i to find out, at least SO far as his
department is concerned, is taking the
necessary steps to discover it.
| The survey Of existing conditions dis
! closed the fact that because of fire.
quent divisional changes, the different
| bureaus were found to be overlapping
I one another in various instances and
exercising separate authority in cor
related matters. A Encouragement.
whereby these officially related duties
| were brought under one head, soon cor
rected this, insuring not only prompt
attention and fixing a definite respon-
sibility. but simplifying as well the adj
ministrative features, which has pro-
ven to be OF recognized benefit and
| value.
If the selection Of the right men for
public station is one of the essentials
to successful administration, the post
master general has been fortunate in
his choice of the mel to whom these
great trusts were committed. All are
| well qualified and have given satisfac-
| ton in their several stations The
| first assistant postmaster general, Mr..
Roper. has an extended political ac-
quaintance, is conversant with public
affairs, and has the discriminating
judgment his position requires.
| Second Assistant Postmaster General
1 Stewart, former Kansan, is, by train
ing and experience, abundantly able to
t deal with the great problem of railroad
! transportation, where much Of the ap-
| preparation goes. The third assistant,
Ex-Governor Dockery. who has gem
eral supervision of the financial oper-
atoms Of the postal service, to which
has lately been added the Increasingly
popular branch Of postal savings, is so
well known by his successful public
career that comment is quite unneces-
sary, and Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General BlaEslee has shown himself