The Cordova daily times., 1920-12-24
TURNOVER OF
 P0STMASTERS ISEXPECTED
BY COL. WINFIELD JONES


 Correspondence). - According to re- ports here when the Republicans take . charge of the federal government next March there will be big turnover not only in all appointive offices but the Democratic postmasters will be among the first to be replaced by de serving Republicans" This report has caused consternation in the post al service. Already many members of congress are receiving inquiries from postmasters in their districts con corning the reports, which shows that apprehension already exists among the postmasters for their jobs.
 President Wilson on March 31, 1917, through the civil service, issued an order which apparently made all postmasters of the first; second and third class permanent appolntees. There has been great misunderstand- ing concerning this order It has been generally understood by the post masters and the public that the or der removed the classes of postmast- CTS named from the realm of political appointments and put them under the protection of the civil service. That has been the general understanding.
 But the general understanding has been wrong, it now develops from in vestigations made by your cores pondent at the civil service and the post office department At both civil service and post office department it was learned positively that the presi- dents order, so generally understood, merely provides for civil service ex- animation for the selection Of candi- dates for postmasterships, who are to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate as hereto fore.
 As the order is merely an eXecu- tive order it can be set aside at any time by Senator Harding when he becomes president, and if set aside would at once throw open all the post offices of the country to the political spoilsmen. Whether or not MT. Hard ing will set aside the order remains to be seen. That tremendous press ure will be brought on him to do so is not doubted, because the postmaster ships in every section are the best federal appointments and there are more postmasters than any other class of government employees. Tn every city and town right now there are aspiring candidates for the post office appointments, and big efforts will be made by many members of congress and political managers to get MT. Harding to abrogate the Will son order, so that the faithful" can be rewarded. There are no better ap- pointments than the postoffices and and as in every congressional dis trict there are many postoffices there is no better medium for us in paying off political obligations.
 From this situation it will be seen that the first, second, and third class postmasters under the Wilson admin istration will lose their jobs soon af- ter MT. Harding takes possession of the White House. Those postmasters throughout the country who have been living since November in the false hope that they will continue to hold their jobs might as well make up their minds that they will even tually have to make way for other appointees.
 It was learned today that practi- cally every Republican leader in house and senate believes that MT. Harding should abrogate the Wilson order, and let down the bars fer sp- pointments of a Republican ill every postoffice in the whole country. The slogan among the patronage hungry is: ''To the victors belong the spells"
 Under system of turning the pres ent Democratic postmasters out all of them would be replaced by Repub- lican appointees, just as fast as their four year terms expire. Terms of all of the first, second and third class postmasters expire every day, in large numbers, and after the Harding administratio comes it is believed the largest list of nominations of Repub- Ksans that will go regularly to the senate will be nominations of Repub- ican postmasters.
 The postmasters are the nearest