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The Post Office Rent

The Post Office Rent image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
March
Year
1899
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

THE POSTOFFICE RENT

AN INTERESTING WASHINGTON TALE.

As to How J.E. Beal Saved the Postoffice Building at an Increased Rent.

The following interesting tale is told by the Washington correspondent of the Detroit News;

Many incidents are related here to illustrate the influence of Senator McMillan with this administration, but none is better than the one told relative to the recent visit to Washington of Junius E. Beal, of Ann Arbor. As this story goes, Postoffice Inspector Eugene Parshall walked in on Mr. Beal in the university city not so very long ago and said:

"Mr. Beal, you are getting $1,500 a year from the government for this building we are using here as a post office. A thousand is enough. You come down to that right now or I go out on the street and holler for a building that we can get for $1,000. 

Beal was pretty well knocked out by this proposition, but after considerable argument he induced Parshall to hold the matter in abeyance for a couple of weeks. Two hours later Beal was on the cars, bound for Washington. He went to the post office department and passed down the line from the post master general to the janitor, but always with the cry of economy ringing in his ears and no promise offered to keep the Ann Arbor rent up to $1,500. He then reported to Senator McMillan. The senator told him to be at the post office department the next morning at 11 o'clock. He was there, sharply on time, and so was the senator. Together they bearded the lion of economy in his den.

"It is impossible," was the greeting they received. "We must cut down these expenses, and we positively cannot do-"

At this point the senator reached over and took the lapel of the coat of the august representative of the government between his thumb and finger and drew him gently toward him.

"I want this thing done very much," he said, and that was about all he did say of importance.

The postofflce department said it hadn't understood that Mr. Beal contemplated making some repairs, and that, well, an inspector would go over the ground again.

Mr. Beal went home and a little later Inspector Parshall made another visit, during which Mr. Beal showed him the improvements he had in mind. When he went away he left with Mr. Beal a glittering and newly executed 10 year lease for the Beal building at $1,800 a year.