Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-26
Free neIlrerT of Letfera.

What benefit does the Government de-
rive from the system2
What guarantees have the public that
the letters will not be stolen or robbed by
the carriers
How will the carrier ascertain where
John Smith or Bridget O'Flanigan lives
And lastly, why did you raise the price
Of your drawers and boxes, and who gets
the extra increase?
By answering the above you will oblige
many beside
"a Box HOLDER.
Wewill take up these questions in their
order and answer them separately.
"Who pays the expense of delivering
letters2"
The expense is paid entirely out of the
Post Office funds.
"Does not thesystem entail an increased
and unnecessary expense upon the Gov
ernment?
The system of free delivery of letters
necessarily entails additional expense up
on the Department; but on the other hand
it will increase the sale of postage stamps
more than enough to pay the extra ex-
pense, as is proved by the largely increas-
ed sale of stamps in other cities where Free
Delivery has been introduced. The labor
correspondence being materially reduced
from the fact that people are not obliged TO
go to the Post Office, from which the resi-
dences of some of our citizens are as much
as three miles distant, more letters will be
written, creating mole demand for stamps.
A business man receiving his letters from
the hands of the carrier, will answer more
letters on the spur of the moment than he
would under old system, when he had to
send his letters to the Post Office, dis
tance perhaps of over a mile. Now he
has only TO send to the nearest letter box
station
Free Delivery will increase correspond
ence precisely on the same principal that
daily mail will cause more letters to be
written than tri-weekly or weekly
mail would. In England, Ireland and
Scotland, with less population than ours,
one third of whom cannot read or write,
where letters are universally delivered by
carriers, both in cities and country, the
number written is more than double that
in this country. This fact alone is an un-
answerable argument in favor of Free
Delivery.
What guarantees have the public that
heir letters would not be stolen or robbed
Y the carriers 2"
We will answer by asking what guar
antee have the public that the delivery
clerks in the post office are any more hon
est than letter carriers, or that porters,
clerks, or messengers, who get their en-
ployers' letters, will not steal or rob The
record of the Post Office Department
shows that large majority Of stolen let
tiers are taken by porters and clerks who
are sent TO the Office by their employers
for letters. In this city there are proba-
bly, five hundred porters and clerks who
are sent to the post Office after the mail
Many of them are irresponsible, and none
of them are sworn to honesty, consequently
if any ofthem should be convicted ofsteal-
ing letters, the minimum penaltyia onlytwo
years Imprisonment. Letter carriers are
men who are selected on account of their
known integrity, are all sworn not to
violate the postal laws, and are under
$1,000 bonds, and if any of them are con-
victed of robbing the mail, the minimum
punishment he would be, subjected to
would be ten years imprisonment
Free Delivery of letters gives less Occa-
sion for making mistakes than the old sys-
tenn. Under the old system clerk, in
the hurry of the moment, is liable to put
letters into the wrong box or drawer,
all of them looking exactly alike. He
is liable to put Smith & Bros's letters
into Smith & Sons box, or Jas. Clark's
into Jos. Clarlls box Under the Free De
livery system, letters to Smith & Bros. viii
be directed to 999 Broad street, and Smith
and Sons to 666 Narrow street. or JAS
Clark's to l25 Vineyard street and Jos
Clarl5s to $50 Union street Under this
system letters will universally be directed
to street and number, aud letter carriers
cannot make the mistake to which the
post Office clerk is liable-of putting let
ters into the wrong places.
Under the old system any one can go to
the alphabetical delivery and get other
peoples letters, in spite of the vigilance of
the clerk in guarding against the delivery
Of letters to parties not entitled to receive
them A respectable looking person can
go to the window and say that his neigh
Dor, Mr. Richard Roe, is sick, and request
ed him to call and get the contents of his
box. The Clerk, deceived by his re-
spectacle exterior, accommodatingly
and unwittingly delivers Mr.. Richard
Roe's letter to swindler Under the
Free Delivery System, carriers will deliver
only to the place directed, or to the party
to whom directed
1t will thus be seen that the Free Deliv-
cry System is far safer than the Box and
Drawer System can be.
"How will the carrier ascertain where
John Smith or Bridget O'Flanagin lives ?"
A letter carrier has his own beat, or dis
trict. He is expected to ascertain, in one
way or ano ther, the name of every man and
woman in his district. He is expected to
have a life Office, and his salary viii be in
creased from time to time, accordingt to the
length of time he has been in the service.
Of course the longer he remains the more
he will become acquainted with the people
in his beat. Consequently, from his con-