The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-11-27
How to Get a POStOffice

Is. in effect, the advice of Sena-
tor w. E. Chiffon to the Demo-
Gratis of West Virginia. who have
ambitions to serve the federal
government and to assist in the
handling of the mails. His adj
vice also included a warning
against growing impatient be-
cause any special office remains
Enacted upon.
Senator Chiffon and Congress
man Nicely and Brown feel very
keenly their inability under pres
e1t laws and regulations to Sc
cure postmasterships for Demo-
Gratis any more rapidly than they
are now doing, but the federal
laws and the administration S
policies, which are much more
broad and liberal towards Demo-
Gratis than were those of preced-
ing administrations, preclude
them from moving any faster, or
along different lines.
While there are four classes of
postmasters, they are appointed
in three different ways. The
first, second and third class post
Offices are those which pay 81, 900
a year or more in salary. They
are all in the presidential class
and the postmasters are appoint
ed by the President and confirm
ed by the Senate. The fourth
class offices, Of which there are
twenty times as many in West
Virginia as there are of the pres
idential class, are divided into
two kinds, so far as appoint
ments are concerned. All fourth
class postmasterg receiving an
nual salary of $3.50 or more must
take the civil service examination
before being appointed, while
those receiving less than $3.50 a
year arc appointed on the recon-
mendation of a post officeinspect-
or. So far as possible, outside of
the latter class, the recommended
ton of the Congressman from a
district is the postmaster gener-
ais guide in appointing fourth
class postmasters under civil SER
regulations and the Presidents
guide in appointing postmasters
of the first three classes. In dis
tricts that are not represented by
Democrats the recommendation
of the Democratic Senator from
the State is the guide to both
President and postmaster Gener-
al.
The applicant for an office to
be filled under civil service regu-
lations must apply to the Civil
Service Commission for blanks,
and take the examination. If
ne passes he is placed on the eli
gible list from which the post
masters are selected. There is a
separate examination and eligible
list for each officer. After one
gets on the eligible list, Senator
Chiffon or Congressman Nicely in
the first district and Congress-
man Brown in the second can
help him, but none of them can
be of assistance to him till he
takes and passes the examination.
Notices of these are published in
county papers and posted at post
office doors at the places where
there are offices to be filled.
When a Democrat wants a post
Office of this grade he should
first apply for entrance blanks
and pass the examination, and
then apply to his Senator or Con-
gresham for assistance in get
ting the appointment. These ex-
aminations are being held all over
the United States at once and as
rapidly as the forces engaged in
the work car push it forward.
Unless Democrats take the exam
nations for these Offices they
can not be appointed and if they
fail to apply for application blanks
they let the offices go by default.
Postmasters at offices which
pay less than $3.50 a year are ap-
pointed solely upon the recon-
mendation of a post office inspect
or. AS the post Office inspectors
are mostly Republicans at the
present time. a Democrat has lit
tie chance to get the place unless
Il u