Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-15
Postal r eforms.

When we discuss now the question vi
extending the free delivery on mail mat
ter, not only to all the towns but TO some
of the country districts, we must not ior-
get that electric street-railroads have
already converted the problem OF free
delivery into O very different shape rom
that which it bore when 1t was brst pro
posed. and will change it in many more fea-
lures ere it goes into operation. we nave
said heretofore that these ROADS pave
altered the conditions of city life. Inc
general result of the free use OF eiectric-cars
must be an abolition OF the custom OF
buildinp fine houses, or any other kind of
houses. on small lots. Corner lots VIII
not need hereafter to be made to front on
two streets, nor people be compelled to herd
together in tenement houses either on the
corners of the streets or elsewhere.
Especially will these changes Affect towns
and cities hereafter to be founded ana
built up. The connection between
electric roads and the extension OF man
facilities Is due to the fact that these ROADS
have already done so much In this direc-
ton and will do infinitely more in the To-
ture.
II must be recollected that the city mer-
chants and other city people will derive
as much benefit from the free delivery OF
mail matter in the country towns as Will
the inhabitants of those towns. IL Is,
therefore. not scheme for city people to
characterize as extravagant or wasteful
because it will not pay from the start as
the present system of free delivery has
paid.
The Postmaster-General has already
tested the proposition to extend free de-
livery TO number of small towns, and 1t
has proved successful. Recollect, too,
that one of the results will be the edu-
eating Of our people-nobody can foretell
to what extent.
To the Post-Office Department will be
added ere long national telegraph system
which will supplement the free delivery OF
mail matter The letter-carriers IN the
country will be th2nn11Qrnlshed with so
much mora work and city people and
country people with so much better means
of communicating with one another.
England has tried successfully the ex-
pertinent of rural free delivery, but we do
not know how general in the country dis
tricts England's free-delivery system Is.
Mr.. TRoLIoPE, in his autobiography, speaks
of it as if it had made itself successful years
| ago.
Whilst speaking of postal reforms we
will state that we have not lost faith III the
| proposition to allow anybody who desires
to do so to paste printed slip on postal
card and send it free through the mails,
though that proposition found little favor
at the hands of the convention of post
masters recently held in Washington. 1t
Is contended that one-cent stamped en-
velopes may be used in place Of postal
cards to send printed paragraphs, such as
marriage and death notices; but this con-
| tention is hardly worthy of consideration.
seeing that single stamped envelope costs
| two cents-double the price of postal
card. Besides. their use suggests to the
reciuient that. as q paid envelope was used
letter might have been written: and this
annoyance is exactly what the public de
| sire to get rid Of. They wish to send short
messages to their friends without writing
formal letters to them. Submit this pro-
| position to the voters, and 1t would be car
| ried almost unanimously.
There are other proposed postal reforms
which we shall consider and discuss in due
| time.