The Washington herald., 1915-05-30
By r. H. BETHEL.

TIC DullQlns at washington Hdu DC
come loose; IL was unsafe for the
streams of sightseers usually found IN
| Washington to pass under II. and in
| consequence a man was employed to
warn people Of their danger. Do you
think the plastering was made secure?
Not at all; that job lasted through two
administrations.
| Business men are trained to econ
| omy. They know that they must prac-
| tice IL because 1t bears directly on the
profits. Proht is the incentive that
and continuing profit keeps them in
business. In Government the incentive
is lacking. The profit is necessarily OF
the political kind, and while there are
men in Congress and in the Govern
ment service everywhere who work
| hard and effectively. 1t is not in them
as a whole to discontinue practices
which to the ordinary mind are scam
dalously extravagant.
Speech Never Delivered.
At the outset / spoke of the Hon
, orable David J. Lewis as having In
serted in the Congressional Record a
| so-called speech. This insertion. which
shall describe as Exhibit "A" COW
ering forty-three pages in the Record
of December 81. 1914. was never de-
| hNSTcu ny LOWE oh thc hooA -
the House, though the Record itself
would make it appear so. That prompts
me to consider for a moment this prac-
tice of inserting alleged speeches IN
the Record of Congress, which Is
printed at Government expense and
distributed broadcast: also at Gov
eminent expense-or at the expense of
the stockholders of an unwilling but
helpless transportation company.
hrt rev.
enue stamps in great numbers because
the Government must have more rev.
| enue property to meet the expendi-
lures, but q regret to say it) the Rec
ord continues to go out swollen with
these undelivered speeches. to be
| transported in great numbers to FAR
away Congressional Districts that the
voter may be made to believe that his
representative is making people sit
UP and take notice" at Washington
and that is one way in which they are
| spending our money.
| For Exhibit B." we turn to a state
ment made by the Postmaster General.
the same Postmaster General who IN
his last annual report recommended
| that the Government acquire the tele-
phone properties and that the wire
! service be made a function of his De-
partment.
On the eighteenth day of last Au-
gust the Postmaster General was be-
fore the Senate Committee on Post
! ofices and Post Roads. The Chairman
| of the Committee. Senator Bankheaa.
opened the hearing with this state
ment:
| Gentlemen, this Committee has
| met for the purpose Of hearing
| General Burleson, Postmaster Cen
eral with reference to the
| provisions of what is known as
| the Moon postoffice bill"
In the course of the hearing. tho
Postmaster General in reply to ques-
| lions put by members of the Commit
tee made the following statement:
We are going to be compelled.
by reason of the diminution of our
imports, which has lessened our
/ revenue. to adopt some plan to
supplement the revenues. / see II
! stated in the newspapers that we
expect to provide for an increase
of One Hundred Million Dollars in
year. l want to say to you gen.
/ tlemen now that if the rural car
| riers were paid upon the same
/ basis that the star-route contrac-
tor is paid we could effect saw
ing of Eighteen Million Dollars
| year in this one item of the Post
| office appropriation bill alone. 1t
| could be easily done Now,
| ! reel mat lnls Ndsl dHOuHl VI
money should be administered in
! the interest of the Postal Service.
and in the interests of the most OF
the people. rather than in the in
! terest of the faw."
Amendment Recommended.
Mr. Burleson recommended this
| amendment to the law:
Provided Further. That under
| 1af
| scribe the Postmaster General is
| authorized to advertise for bids.
| and enter into contracts with tho
/ lowest responsible bidder, for
period not exceeding four years.
| for performing the service on any
rural route or routes, and pay for
| the same out of appropriation for
Rural Delivery Service"
Mr. Burleson. asking for the incfu-
sion of this paragraph in the law. said:
III you follow this plan as
have outlined it there, bidders will
be only too glad to go into Ii, be-
cause / want to say to you that
on every travelled road. notwith-
standing the clamor that has been
made for the increased compensa-
ton for rural carriers. there are
from five to five dozen applications
from young men and married men.
ciamoring to he permitted to enter
upon this service. And X this last
proviso l have just read were EN-
bodied in the law I nave not the
slightest doubt that I could effect
saving to the Government, to
be moderate and conservative, of
Ten Million Dollars and maybe
Eighteen Million Dollars year"
Senator Bristow asked IL just as
good service would be rendered. to
which Mr.. Burleson replied in the af-
irmative. Upon which, Senator Bris-
tow asked II it could be extended to
the city delivery with the same saw
ing, at which point Mr.. Burleson made
this statement:
Gentlemen. you will understand
that I do not bring forward this
voluntarily am compelled to
bring this forward as a matter of
self-defense. for the defense of
the revenue of Postal Service"
The Postmaster General does not
voluntarily bring forward a plan that
would save the Nation some Eighteen
Million Dollars per year!
When in my imagination I liken the
Board Of Directors of Company or
which I am the President to the Con-
gress and myself to the Postmaster
General (and, gentlemen. that requires
ina gination), and picture myself out
lining to the Board a plan that would
save to the stockholders Of the COR
poration and the public Eighteen Mil
lion Dollars per year, at the same time
explaining that ] do II NOT volun-
tarily, I have a feeling as of one trAv-
cling rapidly but without dignity down
6tvhf of atairR-travelinR "a opa