Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1888 — The Mail Service. [ARTICLE]

The Mail Service.

The Plymouth Republican says: We have never had so much complaint of missent mail, as during the past twelve months. A subscriber in Ohio, who is himself a postal clerk, writes us that it often takes two or three weeks for the Republican to reach him, and h& finds that it has been sent to a town of the same name in another state, where it has lain all that time through U|e carelessness of postal clerks. We hope there will be another improvement in the class of agents soon. There are Some good ones, and there are certainly competent Democrats who would be willing to take the places of the utterly imeorfipetent Democrats now on lnany of the postal rentes.” > Complaints of similar character are numerous, mail is delayed or does not reach its destination. This is made more prominent and .noticeable on account of the promptness and regularity of mails uuder the former administrations. Two things concur to produce this state of affairs. First, the substitution of inexperienced men for ones of experience in handling the mail. And, secondly, the reduction of postage and, consequently, the greater amount of mail to be handled. To; this may be added the effort of every post-master general.(since James the arrogant, and ball headed undertook to retrench in the postal service) to make his department self-sustaining. The service is as efficient as it can be under the present policy. It is an impossibility to make it satisfactory, if clerks ofyears’ experience give place to hew men. It requires at least a year for a new man to do even nearly the work of the clerk he Succeeds. For the first six months he is practically of little account. Within the last few years letter postage has been reduced a third and other mail correspondingly, and there has not been an increase of clerks to meet the increase of mail. Why? Simply because the post-master general wants to make his department as nearly self sustaining as possible and thus aid she administration, a part of whi eh he is, .to proclaim to the people how economically it has run its affairs. The theory that the post-office department must be made self sustaining is not entitled to a moment’s'consideration. - The people do not demand it, No one except. an ad' ministration officer dues. The The people want theiy mail at the earliest possible moment, and they want a sufficient force of men and those of experience, to be assured of prompt delivery. - It makes no difference what may be the politics of the tuan who handles the -letter, bn IT it • dbea-"vtnalre a difference if he is too ignorant to know where to send it. -.All the people demand is economy consistent wi ll on efficient mail service and are willing tint any deficiency may be met by general appropriation. The people to-day are the victims of political changes of postal clerks, and the desire of the administration io make an economical record to aid to a now lease of power.