Ill discussing the recent clumsy efforts of President Taft and Post
master-General Hitchcock to cut down the posioffice deficiency by
increasing the postage rate on magazines and periodicals, and not on
newspapers, together with the self-inflicted duties of the Postmaster
General, who would set himself up in the role of censor to decide on
what are and what are not newspapers, Albert Shaw, editor of the
Review of Reviews, has this to say about the present condition of the
postoffice department in the March number of that publication
“There are members of the postal committees of botli houses ol
Congress who have studied these subjects much and who understand
them well. The present postmaster general has had no opportunity t<
study them thoroughly and has given no unusual evidence of under
standing them well. Mr. Taft, with a multitude of matters before
him, has never had time nor opportunity to know anything whatever
about these details of the postoffice business. Last year, in the long
session of Congress, the Postoffice Committee of the House gave many
lull days to hearings upon the question of increasing postage rates on
second-class matter. As a result of their inquiry' last year, they weie
not able to convince themselves that the rates on second-class mattei
ought to be raised until after we have secured a business organization
of the postoffice, and could obtain accurate figures, together with con
clusions worked out intelligently and fairly by men of knowledge.”
He then refers to the Carter Bill, which was framed after an exhaus
live investigation of the Postoffice Department, and which lost out in an
attempt to force its passage at the last session of Congress. This bil
provided for the office of a permanent Director of Posts, with assistant
in direct charge of different branches of the business, and seemed te
promise the long-felt want of a Postoffice Department run on business
principles. It was of the highest value and importance but it was lost
“At present, continues the editor ot the Review, “the Postoffice
Department, on the administrative side, does not focus at all. The
present postmaster-general, who came to his cabinet position heavily
burdened with the office of chairman of the Republican National Com
mittee, has been obliged to give his time to appointments and to poli
tics. Beneath him is an unmapped administrative wilderness, roughly
divided among non-communicating and unrelated tribes, presided over
by chiefs whose names and functions are as yet, for the most part un
known. There is no single human being who grasps the business
a whole or administers it with intelligence and skill.
“Mr. Meyer and Mr. Cortelyou did remarkably' well with an obso
lete system, and would undoubtedly' have welcomed the reconstructs:
which the best study of Congress has declared to he necessary'. At tin
present moment, the House Committee and the Senate Committee know
perfectly well and eagerly declare that the one thing to be done for tin
postoffice department is to clean out its Augean political stables—whi.'l
smell to Leaven in their rankness—and make a business organization
out of it.
“This can be done by passing the Carter bill It has no enemies
outside of the department and its political beneficiaries. It is not the
publishers alone who are up in arms against the system as it is. Tin
thousands of faithful employees of the Postoffice Department,—those in
the arduous railway mail service, and those who do the real work in all
the other branches,—are the victims of this bad and wasteful system.
It ought not to be the business of the postmaster-generals, or the travel,
ing postoffice inspectors to “round up’’ delegates for the next national
convention. Even the much maligned lailroads, aceu ed of obtaining
firsavenue Beattie House Mocle^™<
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IDITAROD HOTEL “]
First-Class Accommodations Your Patronage solicited |
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First Ciass Cato. Liquors and Cigars
Pool and Billiards
N. GLANTZ AND MRS. SWANSON
CHEER AND COMFORT
AT THE
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Patrons will find that their Clothes washed by the new method will look
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Willow Street Phone 129 Ben Holland and B. J. Banks, Prop.
Wouldn't Those Make You Thirsty? spec sals
MANUEL’S SALOON
Budweiser Baer Old Lewis Hunter Rye
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Large Warm Stables anil Dog Kennels
WHEN IN ID ITA ROD STOP AT
POOL, CIGARS, TOBACCOS, CANDIES WILLOW ST.
•go much from the government for carrying the mails, are just as much
opposed to the present system as are the publishers.”
In the light of these facts it is easy to comprehend how Alaska,
and particularly, the Iditarod, having no political power to weild, get.
:>o favors from the postoffice department which is now the “patronage”
rrab-bag for the president’s political manager
and Deaths,
No m@-h y-the- Se a
According to letters and clippings brought from Nome by
Coke Hill, who drove in last week after a tough trip, two well
known characters of that city have passed away during the past
month, and one more atom of humanity has been added to the tax
roll, or rather to the census, with the possibility of the tax coming
up later.
Billy Bush isoneof the well known characters who have passed
into the great unknown, his death having occurred in Seattle in
April, and is said to be the culmination of a long illness which
first sent him Outside.
Bush has been the Nome agent for the Pacific Coast steam
ship company, and was known by everyone on the Seward
peninsula.
W. Ij. Thorp, better known as “Mtrph” Thorp, a teamster,
who has pushed the ribbons over horses on the streets of Nome
for man years, was also one called to join the great caravan. He
died at Nome in April and was buried by the Pioneers of Alaska
with great ceremony and a wide show of respect.
As the old timers have passed away beyond that veil through
which we cannot see, another soul has come to take up, in time,
the cares they left behind.
This is no other than a baby boy, born to Mr. and Mrs. War
ren Nelson, the youngster making his bow to the public on a
bright and shining Raster morning. Mr. Nelson was in the
Squirrel river country at the time of this interesting event.
Gov, Clark Stops at
all the Best Places
Washington—The travelling expenses of Governor Walter Eli
Clark, of Alaska, were under lire in the house today. Representa
tive Cox, of Indiana, wanted to know why Alaska’s chief executive
should receive so much more than the governor of Arizona, who
was allowed only $500.
The bill grants Governor Clark a lumpsum of $7,150 for
travelling and for office expenses, an increase of $2,600 over the
amount granted last year.
Mr. Gillett, of Massachusetts, in charge of the bill, said he
did not know, unless it was because of the vastly greater distances
In Alaska and the greater necessity for the governor of Alaska as
the mouthpiece of that territory to come to Washington to advise
on Alaskan matters.
Mr. Stephens, of Texas, a Democrat, Mr Mann and others de
fended the paragraph and Mr. Cox waived further objection.
Swedes Ring In Some Changes
Chicago.-The program for the fifth Olympiad, to be held at
Stockholm, Sweden, next year has been made public here. Many
events unfamiliar to American athletes are on the card. New con
ditions, for instance, govern the javelin throw and the shot put.
In addition to the free throw, there will be throws by the left and
the right hands alternately. The Swedes and Germans are said
to be adepts at this style, but it is sure to be a handicap to most of
the Americans.
Competition will start June 30 with lawn tennis and target
shooting and the 100 meter race. Wrestling occupies a prominent
place on the program, and water events vie with those of track
and field.
The big event of the meet—the Marathon race—will be run on
July 15. The distance has been made 24.85 miles, instead of 26
miles 385 yards.
Fortunes Spent
For New Talent
Several fortunes have been expended by the club owners of the
major leagues for young players for this year. The sixteen clubs in the
two leagues have paid out £487,000 for youngsters that are to be given
a chance to show whether they are last enough for the big leagues next
year.
Tue American league owners have spent £53,100 more than the
National league, the American leaguers paying out £225,050, while the
National league paid £161,950 for the new men they will uncover.
The club in the National league which paid out the most money
for iiew men is the Cleveland. That club heads the list of expenditures
for purchased and drafted players with a grand total of £44,850, and
next on the list comes the Chicago club, with a sum total of £39,000.
In the National league the most money was spent by the Cincin
nati club, £38,500 being paid out of the Red’s exchequer for men to
help Manager Griffith and his team in next j'ear’s race. The Pittsburg
club was second on the list with the National leagures, for Barney
Dreyfuss signed away £32.650 for new players to help p'red Clark cap
1 ure the 1911 pennant.
la the American league the Detriot club spent the least money for
new men, only $13,150 being paid out for new Tigers. The next lowest
of the American league was the Boston Red Sox, who paid out $17,000
for promising material.
President Comiskey paid out $500 more money than the Cincinnati
club, which paid the most of any of the National league clubs.
The Chicago National league club spent $2; ,050 for new men. Both
of the Chicago clubs together have paid out $60,050 for new players for
this year. Of this sum $49,300 was paid out for players outright and
$10,000 for drafted players.
These figures have been given out by the national commission and
are correct.
The fact that the American league paid out $53, zoo more than did
the National league would indicate the younger league got the choice
men from the minors, for the higher price was paid for some of the men
picked up by the club owners of the young league than by those picked
up by the National league. The cream of the minors are picked up
each season by purchase from league clubs belore the drafting season is
open.
The American league paid out $178,350 for purchased players last
summer, against $124,150 by the National league. For drafted players
the National league paid out $46,700 and the American league $37,800.
One hundred and seventy players were purchased by the two big
league; during the summer of which number the American league
secured 94 and the Nation league got 76.
fy
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Just received a large shipment of
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^==xx===cS==c: Mitarod