The Washington herald., 1914-03-15

operations.
But this was not all the resuItsut bsns-
Mt OF this thoughtful act OF a prorr.rsfv,
omcfal Promised reward stimulafed an
bition. and as every soldier IN Napoleon,s
army was said to carry the baton Of 4
marshal IN his knapsack. 30 every clerk
to the proudest positions It had "a -.
stow and the men prepared to avan tnsm-
selves Of the opportunity thus pressnted-
While department life offered no sach
Inducements to the worthy ana the an
bilious. the higher places being rarely
filled from tho ranks below, the erea,
prtzes In the railway service were almost
without exception won by the successive
steps OF meritorious promotion, a dif-
ference perhaps In the method Of admin
istration. which may be susceptible OF
proper explanation because OF dtYer-nt
conditions. but which left the auestton
why, unanswered. though the same prtn-
ciple Of general preparation for fuf.r.
usefulness might apply with equal forcs
and reason in the one case as In the other
the best results being the object In botn.
Trained for Higher Places
The rapidly developing business no.,,-
bilities Of the service which began vim
the agitation OF the parcel post and postal
savings features. made this practice In
the Railway Mail Service-viz, txatnfns
men for the higher positions by permit.
ting competitive merit alone TO decids
who Of their number should wear tbs
honors Of successful effort-partieufariy
advantageous and desirable. and was thus
In accord with the business policy which
the coming need foreshadoved. The Gus
tom has worked so well. both for the
ambitious clerk and to the interest of
his employer. that Its practical benene
would seem to have urged its general
adoption
But a new day has dawned. TAs Old
time partisan view which has obtained
Tor many years Is to give place TO an
other and a fairer method. Tho Post
master General Is a public-spirited ana
fair-minded man. and merit Is certain to
be recognized and rewarded. Irrespective
OF political belief and In the interest OF
an efficient service The need OF praise
and the welcome plaudit. ~weu done
thou good and faithful servant" which
has such power to stir the hearts OF
men. will doubtless not be wanting II
conditions warrant expressed approval.
No Place for the Idle.
That the railway mail service has never
been a place for the idle or the tncompe-
tent is well known. The peculiar exac-
tions Of the service are such that nons
but the industrious and the perseverinsiy
faithful can hope to meet its Imperative
demands This makes for CONTAGIOUS
manhood and gives to the country a class
OF public servants who may be relied on
to give all that man can give of faithful
devotion to the common welfare.
1t Is a common experience in admins
trative life here In Washington that
among the best men in the postal service
may be counted those who have come
from the railway mail Their training
Of nerve and brain. general adaptation
and alertness, make them q dependable
quantity. and the fact that many OF the
important supervisory Positions IN the
department requiring executive ability
and thorough knowledge Of the service
have been filled by men drawn from the
railway mail attests the strength of their
character and their fitness for public
station
Congress has not been unmindful Of this
hard working body Of men as Is shown
in the increasing appropriation for their
salaried support and the provision made
for disability or serious injury incurred
in the line Of duty, which. though long
delayed. now Is being met and considered
and may be expected to receive still great
er consideration as the conditions be-
come better known and are more thor
oughly appreciated and understood