The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-21
HOW TO GET POST OFFICE.
Precise and Conscling Information for
an Inquirer.

To EDITOR or THE SuN-Sir.
Your correspondent 8. Il. Doughty,
who wants you to help him get a new
post office for Englewood. n. j., has
set you al easy task. Just tell him
this:
Get your Congressman to introduce
a bill authorizing the appropriation of
the sum wanted for the purchase of a
site and erection Of a building. 1t will
be referred to the Committee on Public
Buildings and Grounds. The commit
tee won't do anything with the bill in
this Congress, so in the next Congress
start all over again. Your Congress-
man will then explain the urgent needs
Of Englewood to the nineteen members
OF the committee separately, get q
hearing before the committee by citi-
zens who will he asked in what part OF
Long Island Englewood IL, and he as
sured that your bill shall have careful
consideration,
That is as far as YOU will get in that
Congress, but in the mex an item for
half the amount you've asked for will
be Incorporated in an omnibus bill,
Then your Congressman must study
the bill. make a list OF all the members
interested in any Of the items and in
terest them in his.
Toward the end OF the session the
bin passes. but goes over in the Sem
! ate to the next session. when you re-
peat all that you've done. but this time
In the Senate through your Senator,
Finally the hill passes and liz signed by
the President: the Presidents secre-
tary gives your Congressman the pen
the President signed with. Also he
gives each interested Congressman the
same pen tthat is magic): your Con-
gresham gives the pen TO the chair
man OF the banquet given to the Con-
gresham for having secured a new
post office.
In a year or two you learn that nc
Appropriation has been made. II has
only been authorized. The a%ppropria-
ton is made by n committee of which
John i. Fitzgerald is chairman. n,
supposes Englewood. y. j.. is n goli
club. and upon learning hat 1t is 6
town is SO surprised he takes no action
for three years.
Then he takes pity on your Con
gresham and tells him that he will
appropriate n sum for the site wher
an estimate Is submitted to him by tn,
Secretary IF the Treasury.
Your Congressman goes to the
Treasury building. tells his woes 10 va
rious people. is finally referred to the
Supervising Architect, who promises L
sei.d an inspector Of sites Just as soor
as he can get hold Of me. He Is a mic,
chap and sends an Inspector to Engle.
wood the following year.
So IN the following year after that
the inspector having selected a site. il
Is finally approved, title is examined
and things begin to look bright. The,
are. Right away in the following yeai
the Secretary II the Treasury include.
in his estimates an item to purchas,
the site and the Appropriation is made
You give your CONGRESSMAN aroth,i
banquet.
Two years later az appropriation I.
made for preliminary work on your
building, a man digs a hole on the sit,
and tells the Supervising Arch!tec
what sort of soil Englewood has.
Then. an. then you've only to wal
until the plans are drawn. contracts
let, Continuing appropriation passe,
and a contractor comes along an,
starts work digging n basement.
Three or four years later YOU &c
your post office. MAYBE.
NEW York. April 81.