Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-03-09
POSTMASTERS MUST
PASS EXAMINATION
Burleson Announces Nasbys Of
First, Second and Third
Glass to Undergo Tests.
POLITICAL PLAY CHARGED


General Burleson announced today,
that after April |, the appointment of
all postmasters OF the first, second and
third class would be subject to COM
petitive examinations. Nominations
will be sent to the senate as in the
past, but in making selections the
president will be guided by the re-
suits OF examinations and will send in
the names at the head OF the lists.
Whether the civil service commits
sion, under which fourth class post
| masters are now named, will conduct
the examinations, has not been deter
mined
The presidents forthcoming order
will provide for a form of modified
civil service classification under which
all vacancies, whether caused by resig-
nation, removal or death, will be filled
by competitive examination.
Can Serve Out Terms.
Those already in the service will
continue without examination until
the expiration of four years term, be-
ginning with their last appointment,
and will then, it is understood, have
to undergo the competitive test.
A hornets nest was stirred up by
the announcement at the capitol,
where scores of members were in
their Offices preparing to lea, for
home. The order was roundly de-
nounced because some of the demo-
cratic leaders and several members
construed it as move to get COM
bined democratic and republican sup
port in politically uncertain house.
Democratic Leader Kitchin OF the
house delayed his departure for North
Carolina to go to the Postoffce de-
partment to register his protest.
Southern Member Talks.
Other congressman, who visited Mr..
Burleson, went on the latter's invita-
ton, to discuss the new plan of sys-
tematizing postal accounting by es-
tablishing central auditing postoffices
in county or district groups. This
subject was overwhelmed, however,
when the news of the civil service
order was broken.
One southern member asked if the
postmaster general had called them
there to ask their views or to tell
them what had been done.
Il am telling you what is going to
happen" he replied. The postmaster
general is quoted as having told them
that it was too late to protest as the
order had been determined upon and
would be carried out. He intimated
that he was not the author of it, but
that it was measure of efficiency and
economy.
Blow to Democrats.
Another member suggested that the
order would put many republicans in
Office, as many of the more active as
sistant postmasters are republicans re-
tanned by the democratic postmasters
and still another wanted to know what
would happen if the one man certified
from the examinations were a negro.
The postmaster general, according to
those present, replied the examination
would have to take place and there
would be special privileges to no
one"
A western democrat asked why the
order, if issued at all, should not pro-
vide for notifying the three highest
in the examination as eleigible to
postmasterships, as was done when
the fourth class postmasters were
blanketed into civil service. The post
master general said congress had the
opportunity of legislating to that eff
feet, but did not do so.
Some members complained that the
order would take out of political life
some Of the most active supporters of
the representatives in congress.
A majority of the republicans joined
with democrats recently in rejecting
proposition for putting all postmast-
ers under the civil service, when an
amendment to that effect was offered
to an appropriation bill in the house,
although Republican Leader Mann
ald a few others favored il.